merioneth03@gmail.com
WELCOME TO NEW DAY SPANIELS
Established 2021 - RPBA Member No:- 14463
A New Day!
Nanga Warloo (The Sun Returns) This website may be of interest to those who love dogs in general and Spaniels in particular. Of all the lovely spaniel breeds we are centred on two, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel and the English Cocker spaniel.
Our Cavalier Dream
Our dream is simple, or is it? To breed a line of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels with an improved skull shape and size to comfortably accommodate its brain. Present day Cavaliers do not enjoy this luxury. Their skull is simply too small and the wrong shape leading to a range of defects known as Chiari Malformation or cm which in turn leads to the affliction known as Syringomyelia or sm. We hope the following pages will explain more fully the problems facing the Cavalier breed, how they came about and our own conviction that the only way forward lies in the contribution of another breed to help save the Cavalier.
Looking Back
For more than thirty years we have shared our lives with Cavalier King Charles spaniels. This has been a wonderful experience and we have crossed paths with so many lovely, like minded people who have come looking for their next little pet and companion to enrich their lives. Of course devoting one’s life to dogs whilst bringing immeasurable joy also brings untold heartache.
One never gets used to losing a devoted, much loved companion. It is one thing, however, to suffer the inevitable loss of a pet due to the passage of time and afflictions of old age and another thing entirely to lose a pet way before its time due to a genetic or acquired condition which could have been prevented by simple dna testing or by screening for defects known to be prevalent in the breed. The grief of losing a pet in these circumstances is so much worse because it is in large part unnecessary and avoidable.
WHERE ARE WE NOW
Whilst many health problems of the Cavalier are also shared amongst other breeds,especially the toy breeds, there are two major health issues which seem to afflict the Cavalier more than others. These are MVD, Mitral Valve Disease and CM /SM, Chiari Malformation and its secondary disease,Syringomyelia. Most dogs of all breeds suffer heart problems as they age but it is not uncommon for Cavaliers to be diagnosed with heart murmurs at an early age. Annual specialist heart testing of all breeding Cavaliers is recommended to control this problem.
At the present time the major health problem of the Cavalier is recognised as being Syringomyelia (SM). SM develops when fluid filled cavities (syringes) form in the spinal canal disrupting the flow of cerebrospinal fluid around the brain and down the spinal cord’ Chiari Malformation (CM) sets the stage for the presence of SM. It is used to describe the deformities which occur within the skull of the Cavalier.
The head shape of the Cavalier has changed over the past 40 or so years. These changes were brought about by breeders intent on breeding cavaliers with a " baby doll” head shape such as was being rewarded by judges in the show ring. This was a disaster for the breed.
The muzzle became shorter, the stop became deeper, and the forehead flat. The skull became shorter and rounder, more the shape of a soccer ball than a rugby ball as it was in the older style cavalier. Compounding the problem is the fact that the Cavalier brain is the same size as the Labrador’s and this new fashioned skull is simply too small to accommodate it.
This has brought about multiple defects within the skull known as CM. In severe cases of CM the brain is compressed to such a degree that it is forced through the opening into tne spinal cord. Today’s research tells us that between 95% and 98% of all Cavaliers world wide have CM. More than 50% of these go on to develop SM. Of these Cavaliers who do develop SM some will show no or very mild symptoms. Common among these is scratching and rubbing around the head and neck areas especially when on a lead, hesitancy jumping up or down, whimpering and barking for no apparent reason, inability to settle comfortably. Other poor little Cavaliers suffer severe and debilitating effects and considerable pain. Symptoms do tend to worsen with age.
Look How We Have Changed
Annie's Son A cavalier Of A Bygone Era
How We've Changed Over The Years
OUR JOURNEY THROUGH SM
Since we became aware of SM about 15 years ago we have at different times lived with 3 Cavaliers suffering from this dreadful affliction. Our first experience was the worst by far and I wonder if this had been the first Cavalier I had ever owned would I have ever owned another? Daffy was a U.K. import, a gorgeous little ruby boy, so gentle and affectionate. He would scream in pain, could not tolerate any sort of grooming and became quite fearful of going outside even just a few steps into the garden. He seemed lost and quite disorientated. Towards the end any sort of movement was difficult.
Our second SM boy was very different. He was bred in Australia from UK champion show lines and only his MRI scan showed the presence of SM. He showed almost no symptoms and no more than the uninitiated would have termed “eccentricities!” As the result of his scan Ronan was never used at stud. All our breeding Cavaliers were routinely MRI scanned.
Our third SM victim lives with us still. Reva does show symptoms as in periods of restlessness when she cannot get comfortable, whining and whimpering for no apparent reason and periods of intense rubbing and scratching at the head, neck and shoulder, her favourite place being up and down a wire fence. Our vet has prescribed Gabapentin which does help keeping Reva relatively calm and comfortable.
Reva
WHERE ARE WE NOW
We stopped breeding for about three years to ponder this very question. Our breeding dogs and bitches were MRI scanned clear for SM but where were we to turn to find breeding mates for them? The Cavalier gene pool is a relatively restricted one as so many breeders flock to use the current glamorous show dog of the day or if they cannot afford him, then his parents, grandparents or offspring. How were things going to get better for the Cavalier?
Please Help Save Us?
THE PATH AHEAD
It is so hard to face the realisation that a way ahead for the Cavalier breed is by no means assured. We can safely assume that every Cavalier we meet has Chiari Malformation and research tells us that the numbers going on to develop Syringomyelia are increasing. The problem is compounded by the fact that as more and more Cavaliers are withdrawn from breeding due to health problems the gene pool shrinks still further resulting in an increase in inbreeding which makes the situation even worse.
Norway has been the first country to act and has taken the unprecedented step of banning all breeding of purebred Cavalier King Charles spaniels as well as the British Bulldog. This was done because of the ongoing health problems in the breeds and in the best interests of the welfare of the dogs concerned.
Finland has taken less drastic action to help combat the situation. The Cavalier Club of Finland has voted unanimously to start the process of cross breeding Cavaliers with the aim of ridding them of at least some of the deep seated defects within the breed. I was overjoyed at this news and agree whole heartedly with their proposal. At last there are steps being taken to save the Cavalier breed. Now at last we can feel some hope that there may be a way forward. With 98% of all cavaliers affected by CM it is absolutely unrealistic to hope that we will be able to breed litters of cavaliers free of CM and therefore free of the risk of developing SM if we continue to breed purebred cavaliers as we have in the past.
In planning our last two litters we took the first steps to reduce this risk by using unregistered cavaliers with no connection to the imported show lines we had used in the past and paying particular attention to the head shape of dam and sire, looking for the older type cavalier. Now we are ready to go to the next step and bring in another spaniel breed to help eliminate CM, and therefore SM, from the spaniel pups we will be breeding.
I'd Be Happy To Help!
We have chosen the Cocker spaniel, a fairly obvious choice I believe. Both have the gorgeous spaniel temperament, loyal, affectionate, fun loving, utterly devoted to their family members. The Cocker has a beautiful head with a much more roomy skull than the Cavalier. It is not a brachycephalic or short nosed breed which is the group of dogs prone to CM/SM and therefore the group we need to avoid.
To summarise simply, we will be striving to breed a line of spaniel pups with a greatly reduced, or ultimately, no evidence of CM and therefore little or no risk of developing SM.
Of course I am aware that these two spaniel breeds are already being crossbred very successfully under the names Cockalier or Cavcocker If there are breeders out there breeding them for the health reasons discussed here I would love to hear from you especially if you have bred a few litters and kept records of improved head shape.
IN CONCLUSION
As in any new venture the keynote must be : FIRSTLY, DO NO HARM. With this in mind both the Cavalier and the Cocker will be dna tested with full breed profile tests for their respective breed and both breeds will be specialist heart and eye tested.
In the meantime research continues into ways of detecting CM in young pups. MRI scans are currently the only definitive method but out of the question for young pups, similarly CT scans. Apart from visual assessment of head shape and simple skull measurements we are pinning our hopes on plain X ray being able to show at least some aspects of CM if present. The ideal, totally non evasive way seems to be veterinary MITI, Medical Infrared Thermal Imaging. This can show the presence of SM apparently but I have so far found no real evidence of CM being detected by this method. Unfortunately canine MITI seems to be quite uncommom in Australia although it is used in the equine and farming industries and in zoos. I can not find one vet in Victoria who uses it. If anyone has any information on this I would very much appreciate your help.
A New Day
Designer Dogs? No. I have never quite understood how the word “designer” can be applied to dog breeding. I can understand it applied to creating a new fashion garment or a new kitchen where shapes and colour schemes and quirky eye catching features might be considered desirable but dog breeding?
I cannot stress enough that we are concerned with the soundness and health of our puppies, predominately the skull size and shape, rather than colour and outward appearance. After all the mixing of these two attractive spaniel breeds will bear fairly predictable results. They will be essentially “Spaniels”. Sounder, healthier spaniels.
From the language of some of our indigenous Australians come the words “Nanga Warloo” literally meaning “The Sun Returns”, in other words, sunrise, dawn, a new day. Maybe we can help create a new day for our beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They do so deserve it.
Thanks to Karen and Lyn for their help in the creation of our website
Marie Hillis Gippsland