Awareness of syringomyelia within UK cavalier King Charles spaniel owners , and its influence on puppy buying
Emma Foley , BSc ( Hons ), RVN
Royal Veterinary College
Envelope efoley7 @ rvc . ac . uk
Supervisor : Ruth Serlin , BVetMed , CertVA , MRCVS , PGCAP , FHEA
Royal Veterinary College
Introduction
Syringomyelia is a painful disease with high prevalence in cavalier King Charles spaniels ( CKCS ). As it is thought to be an inherited condition , a screening scheme is available . Owner awareness of syringomyelia and its welfare implications is unknown . This study sought to determine the level of awareness of syringomyelia within UK CKCS owners , investigate how owners first heard about syringomyelia , and explore whether there was an association between awareness and puppybuying behaviour .
Materials and methods
A questionnaire was distributed via Facebook groups to the target population of UK-based CKCS owners . Breeders were excluded . The questionnaire assessed participants ’ experience , awareness , future owning intentions and demographics . The awareness section measured whether participants had heard of syringomyelia and appraised their awareness level . The data were cleaned and coded , then the descriptive statistics calculated . The data were analysed for statistical significance using the chi-square test and Fisher ’ s exact test for categorical data , Pearson ’ s correlation coefficient for continuous data , and independent t-tests , Mann-Whitney U tests , ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests for mixed data .
Results
A total of 802 responses were valid for inclusion . Overall , 82.3 % of participants had heard of syringomyelia . The most frequent way participants first heard about syringomyelia was through a website ( 22.4 %). Differing levels of awareness were found . At the time of taking the questionnaire , 53.5 % were moderately or extremely aware of syringomyelia , compared to 12.5 % who were not at all aware . At the time of acquiring their current CKCS , 42.1 % were not at all aware and 28.8 % were moderately or extremely aware . Furthermore , 62.6 % of participants indicated that completing the questionnaire increased their awareness .
The most common acquisition source was breeders ( 43.8 %). Owners with higher awareness levels were more likely to have bred their own litter , used a breeder or rehomed , as opposed to acquiring through adverts or websites ( p < 0.001 ). They were also more likely to have obtained their CKCS from Chiari-like malformation / syringomyelia ( CM / SM ) -screened parents ( p < 0.001 ).
Of those participants who indicated future plans , 60.8 % would use a breeder and 35.6 % would rehome . Some participants ’ awareness level had increased since acquiring their CKCS . For these , a significant association between where they acquired their CKCS and where they would acquire one from in future was found ( p < 0.001 ). For owners with plans to purchase a puppy , higher awareness was associated with looking for a breeder who screens ( p = 0.032 ).
Conclusion
The study found that awareness of syringomyelia affected how owners acquired their CKCS and whether the parents were screened . This highlights the importance of ensuring that adequate information about syringomyelia is promoted to current and prospective owners . Increasing awareness of syringomyelia , including its prevalence , clinical signs and the existence of health screening , can positively impact CKCS welfare , as owners may be more likely to recognise clinical signs and seek veterinary attention . They may also be more likely to support reputable breeders who screen for CM / SM , and less likely to support unscrupulous sources .
Future studies could evaluate current sources of syringomyelia information and explore how to promote these to owners . Exploring how to target prospective owners , with the aim of increasing awareness prior to purchase , would be beneficial .
60 Veterinary Nursing Journal