LAUNCH OF ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL UK BREED HEALTH SURVEY

The Joint Health Co-ordinators for the UK English Springer Spaniel Breed Clubs have compiled a Breed Health Survey, which aims to give a better picture of the health and temperament of English Springer Spaniels across the breed in the UK.   The Survey can be found on a new ESS Health Reporting Website at www.englishspringerhealth.org.uk, and is running for a three month period from 1^st May to 31^st July 2013.

The Survey can be completed by anyone living in the UK who owns an ESS, whether Kennel Club registered or not, and all information given will be treated in complete confidence, with no names of dogs, or owners’ details ever being published.  It will help enormously if the Survey can be completed online, but it can also be downloaded and posted, or emailed to the Health Co-ordinators at survey2013@englishspringerhealth.org.uk .

For the first time, the Survey will help put any problems in context by asking owners to submit reports on their healthy dogs as well as those with diagnosed health conditions, and to report on any dog they have owned that has died since January 2008.

The Survey is simple and quick to complete, whilst at the same time providing meaningful data that can be used, if required, by researchers focusing on canine health issues.  After the three month survey period has ended, the results will be analysed and published anonymously on the website, which will also provide an ongoing facility for owners in the UK to report any diagnosed health conditions affecting their ESSs, or their age and cause of death.

It is very much hoped that all ESS owners who would like to help safeguard the future welfare of the breed will participate in the Survey and encourage others to do the same, in turn publicising it themselves wherever possible.

Statement issued by:   UK English Springer Spaniel Breed Clubs Joint Health Co-ordinators

Lesley Bloomfield and Louise Scott

lesley@fernlin.free-online.co.uk .

louise@goldcliffe1.freeserve.co.uk

www.englishspringer.org

www.sesss.org

Facebook Group for Chiari-like Malformation and Syringomyelia Conformation Indicators

Breeders and pet owners are working together to understand and learn more about the link between head shape and CMSM issues.  

Join the discussions on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/CMSMresearch/

THE PHYLLIS CROFT FOUNDATION FOR CANINE EPILEPSY (PCFCE)

new website!!! click here

Progression of otitis media with effusion in the Cavalier King Charles spaniel

veterinaryrecord.bmj.com  March 20, 2013 doi: 10.1136/vr.101337
 

S. J. McGuinness, BVSc, MRCVS, E. J. Friend, BVetMed, CertSAS, DipECVS, MRCVS, School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK S. P. Knowler, BSc, C. Rusbridge, BVMS, DipECVN, PhD, MRCVS,Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital, London, UK N. D. Jeffery, BVSc, DipECVN, DipECVS, PhD, CertSAO, DSAS, FRCVS, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Iowa State University, USA               Email for correspondence: E.Friend@bristol.ac.uk 

Otitis media with effusion (OME) or 'glue ear' is a common incidental finding in otherwise normal Cavalier King Charles spaniels (CKCS).  In this previous study,  " Relationship between pharyngeal conformation and otitis media with effusion in CKCS" Vet Record 2010 167, 55-58  G.M Hayes, E.J Friend, N.D Jeffery,  measurements made on MRI were used to determine whether there was an association between OME and brachycephalic conformation. The results confirm that association and also demonstrate that, in CKCS, greater thickness of the soft palate and reduced nasopharyngeal aperture are significantly associated with OME. These results suggest that auditory tube dysfunction and OME may represent a previously overlooked consequence of brachycephalic conformation in dogs. 

This new study aimed to determine if, once present, OME resolved without treatment; and also if OME in the CKCS was a progressive condition.  MRI scans from two centres (Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital and University of Cambridge) were reviewed, and CKCS that had been scanned on two different dates as part of the CMSM screening scheme were identified. All cases, which were included in the study, were clinically normal on presentation for the MRI scan, with no signs of syringomyelia or ear disease reported by the owner. The earlier scans were then interpreted by the same author (SJM) and classified as ‘negative’, ‘unilateral’ or ‘bilateral’ OME based on the absence orpresence of hyperintense material in the bullae on T2-weighted MRI images. Sagittal images were used to detect the effusion in the bulla; it was then confirmed using transverse T2-weighted MRI images as to whether the effusion was ‘unilateral’ or ‘bilateral’ for each case.The incidence of OME in CKCS in this study was 32 per cent at the first MRI scan and 50 per cent at the second MRI scan and is comparable with previous studies (Owen and others 2004, Hayes and others 2010). 



In conclusion, this study suggests that OME is an acquired and progressive condition in the CKCS and will not resolve spontaneously once it has developed. As the clinical signs associated with OME are minimal, it is unclear if treatment is required. If treatment was required in any one case, an alternative method to repeated myringotomies or tympanostomy tube placement needs to be developed in order to treat the hearing loss associated with this condition. 

Association of an MHC Class II Haplotype with Increased Risk of Polymyositis in Hungarian Vizsla Dogs

Jonathan Massey,Simon Rothwell, Clare Rusbridge, Anna Tauro, Diane Addicott, Hector Chinoy, Robert G. Cooper, William E. R. Ollier, Lorna J. Kennedy  

PLoS ONE 8(2): e56490. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056490
Full details  here 

A breed-specific polymyositis is frequently observed in the Hungarian Vizsla. Beneficial clinical response to immunosuppressive therapies has been demonstrated which points to an immune-mediated aetiology. Canine inflammatory myopathies share clinical and histological similarities with the human immune-mediated myopathies. As MHC class II associations have been reported in the human conditions we investigated whether an MHC class II association was present in the canine myopathy seen in this breed. 212 Hungarian Vizsla pedigree dogs were stratified both on disease status and degree of relatedness to an affected dog. This generated a group of 29 cases and 183 “graded” controls: 93 unaffected dogs with a first degree affected relative, 44 unaffected dogs with a second degree affected relative, and 46 unaffected dogs with no known affected relatives. Eleven DLA class II haplotypes were identified, of which, DLA-DRB1*02001/DQA1*00401/DQB1*01303, was at significantly raised frequency in cases compared to controls (OR = 1.92, p = 0.032). When only control dogs with no family history of the disease were compared to cases, the association was further strengthened (OR = 4.08, p = 0.00011). Additionally, a single copy of the risk haplotype was sufficient to increase disease risk, with the risk substantially increasing for homozygotes. There was a trend of increasing frequency of this haplotype with degree of relatedness, indicating low disease penetrance. These findings support the hypothesis of an immune-mediated aetiology for this canine myopathy and give credibility to potentially using the Hungarian Vizsla as a genetic model for comparative studies with human myositis.     

well done everyone - and sincere thanks to Vizsla owners who participated

Caudal cranial fossa partitioning in Cavalier King Charles spaniels

Veterinary Record (2013) doi: 10.1136/vr.101082
T. A. Shaw, I. M. McGonnell, C. J. Driver, C. Rusbridge, H. A. Volk 

T. A. Shaw, BVetMed, MRCVS C. J. Driver, BSc, BVetMed (Hons), MVetMed, DipECVN, MRCVS H. A. Volk, PhD, DipECVN, PGCAP, FHEA, MRCVS Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
I. M. McGonnell, PhD Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, London, UK

C. Rusbridge, BVMS, PhD, DipECVN, MRCVS Goddard Veterinary Group, Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital, London, UK
Email for correspondence: hvolk@rvc.ac.uk .

A retrospective study of Mri scans of CKCS, other small breed dogs (SB) and labradors (lD) was performed. Methods for selecting individuals, performing scans, con- structing 3D models of intracranial structures and partitioning the cerebral spinal fluid (CCF )and its contents are described in our previous study (Shaw and others 2012). However, in the present study, we partitioned the CCF into three compartments (pars rostralis, pars media and pars caudalis) for volumetric analysis. These parts were chosen to represent the volumes bounded by the occipital bones (pars caudalis), squamous portion of the temporal bone (pars media) and tentorium cerebelli (pars rostralis). The volumes were expressed as percentages of the total skull volume (the sum of the volumes of the CCF and the rostroten- torial compartment). Hindbrain volume (defined as the volume of parenchyma in the CCF) was expressed as a percentage of the overall brain volume (the sum of CCF parenchyma volume and rostrotento- rial parenchyma volume). Subjects were divided into the following groups: 38 SB, 26 lD and 45 CKCS. SM is thought to be a late onset disease, and in order to distinguish dogs that develop SM later in life from dogs that are unlikely to ever develop the condition, two further subgroups were selected from the individuals in the CKCS group.  

The results revealed important differences in the relationship between hindbrain volume and CCF morphology in CKCS, pars rostralis volume was more sensitive than pars caudalis volume to variation in hindbrain volume (coef: pars rostralis 0.41±0.077 (P<0.0001), pars caudalis 0.105±0.073 (P=0.1538)). Conversely, in lD and SB, pars rostralis volume was less sensitive than pars caudalis volume to variation in hindbrain volume (pars rostralis coef: SB 0.13±0.065 (P=0.0519), lD 0.13±0.085 (P=0.1578), pars caudalis coef: SB 0.44±0.099 (P<0.0001), lD 0.59±0.18 (P=0.0027).  These findings suggest that SB and lD compensate for variations in hindbrain volume by modifying the growth of the occipital skull, whereas in CKCS, occipital bone development is insensitive to changes in hindbrain volume. We infer from these results that increased hindbrain volume in CKCS causes the tentorium cerebelli to compensate by bulging in a rostral direction. a similar phenomenon, an increase in the angle of the tentorium, has been widely reported in humans with Chiari malformation 1

The data support the hypothesis that CM/SM in CKCS is a multifactorial disease process governed by the effects of increased hind-brain volume and impaired occipital bone development. The present authors recently reported that CM/SM is linked to increased cerebellar volume (Shaw and others 2012). in view of this, the aetiopathogenesis of CM/SM may equivocally be mediated by conditions independently affecting the developing occipital bones and cerebellum, or by dysregulation of a signalling mechanism coordinating the growth of the developing hindbrain and occipital skull.  

Syringomyelia 2013 Conference

Sydney, Australia

February 27 – March 1, 2013

 Sergeant’s Mess, Sydney

Details  click here 

Speakers

• John Oro – Colorado, USA
• Graham Flint – Birmingham, UK
• Jörg Klekamp – Quakenbrück, Germany
• John Magnussen – Sydney, Australia
• Izumi Koyanagi – Sapporo, Japan
• John Heiss – Washington, USA
• Sarah Hemley – Sydney, Australia
• Andy Brodbelt – Liverpool, UK
• Clare Rusbridge – London, UK
• Michael Fehlings – Toronto, CA
• David Frim – Chicago, USA
• Spyros Sgouros – Athens, Greece
• Paulo Bolognese – New York, USA