Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Blenheim Palace: The Trail to Syringomyelia or Chiari Syndrome

On my recent tour of Blenheim Palace while visited London,  I traced the journey of a 19 year old railroad heiress, Consuelo Vanderbilt, and her 1895 marriage to become the Duchess Of Marlborough.  The marriage  – forced by her mother Alva – came with a $2.5 million dowry. The 9th Duke, a first cousin of Winston Churchill, used the money to upgrade the palace and the grounds.

The 1st Duke of Marlborough kept red and white (Blenheim) spaniels for hunting.  While at war, his duchess kept a vigil by pressing her thumb on the top of the brood dog’s head to release her tension. When this dog had her puppies, the brood dog’s puppies each had a red thumbprint of mistress on the head. This is now called the “Blenheim Spot”.

 The 9th Duke kept a mistress, Gladys Deacon, that would become his second wife. As one enters Blenheim palace there are strange, large pictures of her blue-green eyes artistically painted in the ceiling of the entrance portico. http://littleaugury.blogspot.com/2010/01/devastating-beauty-v-lady-gladys-in.html?m=1  In the water garden there was a pair of sphinxes with her head profile. 

In the end, she slept with a gun as she was afraid of the Duke, and he cut off the power and water to the palace to run her off. She drove him crazy, enough that he was committing to enter a catholic order but passed away prior to his entry. 

 Gladys was quite an eccentric character. Some say it started after she had paraffin injected into the bridge of her nose to improve her profile. Unfortunately, the paraffin migrated to cause a deformed chin.  In her spare time she continued the raising of Blenheim Spaniels (the red and white colored version of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel). It is reported that at times she had over 50 roaming the palace, and that was part of the reason many suspected she was slightly insane. 

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/social-history/2011/gladys-deacon-an-eccentric-duchess

World War II caused quite a setback as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed numbers dropped to six as a vast majority of the breeding stock was destroyed because of the hardship of the times.  All Cavalier King Charles Spaniels arise from those six dogs. Many genetic diseases are easily expressed with this narrow gene pool breed; one is Chiari formation (Syringomyelia). 

WHAT IS CHIARI SYNDROME OR SYRINGOMYELIA?

It is a neurological condition when there is not enough room in the skull for the brain. Consequently the brain is forced backwards to the spinal cord. Pockets of fluid (syrinxes) develop within the spinal column.  It is suspected that more than 90% of the breed has the condition. Chiari formation has also been reported in the Brussels griffon dog.  http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2415

  

ARE THERE COMMON SIGNS? HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED

 Signs include: phantom scratching of the air with hind legs when excited or walking on a leash “neck scratcher’s disease," neck pain, weakness, stumbling and depression. DIAGNOSIS is via history of signs and an MRI to confirm. It may be confused with a mucous pus in the middle ear called Primary Secretory Otitis Media (PSOM).  See the site www.chiariinstinstitute.org for more information. 

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TREATMENTS?

In dogs, surgery is a risky proposition, so most are treated with pain medications such as rimadyl, gabapentin for neuropathic pain, with some taking Prilosec (omeprazole) to lower spinal fluid accumulation and steroids(if the rimadyl is not helpful). 

Betsy Sigmon DVM, Diplomate ABVP Canine and Feline

Hospital Director, Creature Comforts Animal Hospital

Cary, NC 27518

These cat sculptures were at Strawberry Hill Estate outside of London and I could not resist some cat playtime.