The Health Committees of the Canadian
Manchester Terrier Club (CMTC) and American Manchester Terrier Club
(AMTC) are asking for your help in dealing with serious heart problems
affecting our breed. Over the past several years, the incidence of heart
issues in the Manchester Terrier seems to have increased. The
symptoms and consequences of these issues affect Standard and Toy
Manchester Terriers differently, leading us to believe that separate
causes may be at the root for both. We believe that now is the
time to take action in dealing with these potentially devastating health
issues.
We are happy to announce that the CMTC
& AMTC will be working in partnership with the University of Prince
Edward Island’s Atlantic Veterinary College on a heart study dedicated
to Manchester Terriers. Stage one of the study will concentrate on
incidences of juvenile cardiomyopathy in Toy Manchesters.
Study Overview
As you may be aware, there have been several
cases of previously unexplained deaths in young Toy Manchester Terriers
(under one year of age). On autopsy, the cause of death has been
determined as cardiomyopathy, a condition affecting the heart. These
puppies typically die very suddenly at a young age (i.e., deaths as
young as 8 weeks and as old as one year have been reported). The
incidence of this condition appears to be on the rise across North
America.
Until relatively recently, no research could be
found to explain why cardio, which typically strikes older animals,
would occur in such young puppies. This study aims to determine
the cause and hopefully create a genetic test to help prevent it.
Drs. Cote and Martinson
(UPEI) will liaise with
Drs.
Henthorn and Sleeper (University of
Pennsylvania) in order to investigate both clinical and genetic aspects
of the condition.
In order to do so, we need to concentrate our
efforts on three main tasks:
