Dogs needed for study to investigate neck pain

Owners of one of the UK's most popular dog breeds, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, are being asked by researchers at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences to take part in a study to investigate a novel method of assessing neck pain in dogs. Syringomyelia is a progressive inherited neurological disease of the neck spinal cord in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS), which may cause neck pain and affects around 70 per cent of CKCS over six-years-old. Researchers at Bristol's Vet School and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) aim to find a pain-free method of detecting neck pain of neurological origin in dogs. The study, funded by the UK's largest dog welfare charity Dogs Trust , hopes to improve the welfare of CKCS by enabling vets to more easily recognise when dogs are suffering from chronic pain related to syringomyelia. Signs of the condition can vary and are often extremely subtle meaning that some cases can go undiagnosed. The study involves owner-completed questionnaires and assessment of the dog's neck skin sensitivity with a pain-free electronic pressure device, known as a von Frey aesthesiometer , being applied to the skin, while monitoring for the dog's behavioural response. Heather Williams, the veterinary surgeon who is co-running the study at Bristol alongside leading veterinary specialists Drs Nicolas Granger and Jo Murrell, said: "Vets, the Kennel Club and CKCS owners are keen to reduce the numbers of dogs affected by this condition, and improve treatments for affected dogs.