This website was first published some months after Holly was eventually diagnosed in June 1999 as having Arnold-Chiari syndrome. It was written because we could find no information in reference books, newspapers, dog magazines or even the Internet about Syringomyelia in Cavaliers. Searches of the various Cavalier and other breed sites produced nothing. We contacted anyone and everyone who we thought may be interested in and who should be aware of the threat to future generations of this wonderful breed. We wrote to, amongst many others, her breeder, various Veterinary Colleges, the Kennel Clubs of GB and USA, the CKCS Clubs of GB. and of France, The Telegraph","The Mail, "Dogs Today","Your Dog", the authors of "Doglopaedia", even The President of the Veterinary Association of GB.

As a result of my letter published in Celia Hadden's column,"Pet Subjects" in the "Weekend Telegraph", we received many 'phone calls and letters, one from Mrs. Janet Ireland whose dog, Rosie, had been suffering since early 1995. Janet had already done much pioneering work and sent a copy of her diary covering the three previous years briefly detailing her veterinary voyage and research. From this it was apparent that apart from the two veterinarians, Clare Rusbridge and Geoff Skerritt, there were very few people in the dog world aware of the problem. As a result Holly's website was born. Janet has provided much help and support since then. Sadly, Rosie's quality of life deteriorated, and so she was put to sleep at the age of six. To read Janet's remarkable record of her tireless search for the cause of Rosie's problem, please download the MS Word document, rosiehist.doc by right-clicking and selecting "Save Target As", then choose a folder on your computer to save and read later. Alternatively, send it directly to your printer by right-clicking on the link and selecting "Print Target".

From this you will see that Clare Rusbridge Dip. ECVN MRCVS, was the first vet to realise in 1996 that Syringomyelia, as it is now known, is akin to the Arnold-Chiari in humans. From her, we gather that the clinical signs do not normally appear before six months of age and may not manifest until much later, the more severe the problem the earlier the signs appear. The earlier the diagnosis the better, because successful treatment should stop the progression of the disease, reduce the pain, and stop neurological signs getting worse. Unfortunately, any damage existing prior to treatment will almost certainly be permanent.

The clinical evidence indicates that the shape of the skull in (some) Cavaliers makes them susceptible to the syndrome, and that some event may trigger its onset. The likelihood is that the disability is neither a positive or negative condition, but one of degree which may not show as a serious problem in some dogs while making the life of another quite intolerable.

Initially, it was thought that the condition was found only in King Charles Blenheim Cavaliers. This is no longer true since it has now shown in the original King Charles breed as well as Cavaliers of any colour. It has also been seen in Maltese Terriers a Yorkshire Terrier and a Pomeranian and it is very likely to be found in Chihuahuas. Clare Rusbridge has received reports from almost every European country, USA, South Africa, and also from Australia where affected dogs are known to be related to affected dogs in the UK. All this suggests that there may still be a huge number of undiagnosed cases in the pipeline.

By August 2000, Clare Rusbridge had diagnosed at least 130 cases, some by MRI scan and the rest from appropriate clinical signs. By May 2004, the number of diagnosed cases had increased dramatically, partly as a result of increased public awareness, partly because the CKCS Club f GB started to carry the latest information on its website, but mainly as a result of a frightening increase in the number of cases which (as most breeders now admit) threatens the future of the breed. There must now be several thousands of cases judging by the response to the Arnold-Chiari Information & Support Group on the internet which was only started in November 2003 and well now has in excess of 200 members who have contributed more than 10,000 emails since then. If you have an afflicted dog please visit or join the Support Group where you can help by completing a Questionnaire about your dog. To find the group go to :

Information & Support Groups

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/ArnoldChiari_dogs/ http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CKCS-SM

Mrs. J.O. Skerritt confirmed that by the end of 2001 Cranmore had treated 183 Cavaliers with the problem, more than one a week, adding that the success rate of the operation is very good. Where a follow-up scan has been done after a year or more, the shunt has still been intact and working properly.

Then in May 2004, the Cranmore practice relocated its referral practice to Chestergates where they installed a new MRI scanner now offer a special scheme for Cavalier owners and breeders at a very much reduced rate. This will be a quick scan of the head and cervical region to identify the occipital malformation, cerebellar herniation and cervical syrinx. It will not involve a general anaesthetic, just sedation, using Domitor reversing agent Antisedan.

140, Chester Road,
Childer Thornton
Cheshire, CH66 1QN ,
Phone0151 339 914
SKERRVET@aol.com