BVMS PhD DipECVN MRCVS RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology

Syringomyelia

About Clare

Clare Rusbridge graduated from Glasgow in 1991 and completed a small animal internship at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. After a year in small animal practice in Cambridgeshire, she joined the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) to undertake a BSAVA/Petsavers residency in neurology and subsequently spent a year at the RVC as a staff clinician in neurology. She currently runs a small animal neurology referral service at the Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital in London. She is an RCVS specialist in veterinary neurology and is board-certified by the European College of Veterinary Neurology. Read Clare's full biography here...

The Practice is run and managed by Ray Girotti MBA CVPM (Regional Manager), Mark Gill BVetMed MRCVS (Assistant Regional Manager) and the hospital administrator, Jenny Everton. The first opinion vets are...  Read More

Lafora disease is an inherited, late onset, progressive myoclonic epilepsy.  Myoclonus (jerking) is a feature of the disease and characteristically this can be induced by flashing lights, sudden sounds and movement (especially that close to the dog’s head).  Generalised or complex.... Read More

BVMS, MRCVS, DipECVN, PhD...To find out what these qualifications actually mean and how they relate to our work...  read more

Feline orofacial pain (FOPS) is a syndrome characterised by acute and severe oral and facial pain. Affects cats present with face and tongue mutilation and often have exaggerated licking and chewing movements especially after grooming or eating. The... Read More

1) Reception team receive details from general veterinary practitioner.

 

2) Then reception team contact client directly and book appointment.


3) You and your pet have a 1 hour consultation which allows time to discuss your pet’s problem, to perform a general and neurological

Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital

The most common spinal surgery performed in the dog is for intervertebral disc disease.
Intervertebral disc disease is the most common spinal disease in dogs and is increasingly recognised in cats. The intervertebral discs (IVD) are fibrocartilaginous cushions between the vertebrae (except the first 2 cervical....  Read More

A seizure is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain and is characterised by a sudden episode of transient neurologic symptoms such as involuntary muscle movements, sensory disturbances and altered consciousness....Read More

Qualifications....What do they mean?

What happens when my animal is referred?

Syringomyelia, often referred to as SM, is a chronic disorder involving the spinal cord. The condition occurs when fluid (normally found outside of the spinal cord and brain) enters the interior of the spinal cord, forming a cavity known as a syrinx.

This syrinx often expands and elongates over time, destroying the center of the spinal cord. As the nerve fibers inside the spinal cord are damaged, a wide variety of symptoms can occur, depending upon the size and location of the syrinx. For a full question and answer section on Syringomyelia and Chiari-Like Malformation... Click Here

Click Clare's book for more information

Spinal Disorders 

Laforas Disease

Feline Orafacial Pain (FOPS)

  • The Veterinary Clinical Investigation Center has completed a clinical study evaluating the efficacy of a novel treatment for the control of pain... Read More
  • Audrey’s tale – a children’s book on the very first year in the life of a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.
  • Recently we completed a DNA collection towards the next genome scan and ............called them "Mouth Mops"...Read More
  • Cavalier Friends contributes funds to study investigating skull and brain volume in syringomyelia affected and unaffected Cavaliers.

Other News

  • Lafora's - the story of the search for the gene... Read More
  • Research into Canine Syringomyelia receives generous donation from the Ann Conroy Trust Read more...

4) If diagnostic procedures are required then we endeavour to perform these on the day of the consultation -  e.g. for an MRI your pet may be admitted as an outpatient for a few hours going home when fully recovered from the anaesthetic.

 

5) Animals admitted for spinal or brain surgeries typically have a 3-14 day stay (depending on complexity and condition)

Read More...

Does quality matter?

SM MRI screening - Does quality matter? for updated information on SM MRI screening for breeders click here

SM MRI screening - Positioning and protocols - for updated information on SM MRI screening for vets click here

Positioning and protocols for vets - updated information

  • A plea to all owners with a cavalier that has Syringomyelia confirmed by an MRI scan Read more...

A breed-specific polymyositis (generalized inflammatory myopathy) has been recognized in Hungarian Vizsla dog (Foale et al, BSAVA 2008 and Haley et al,ACVIM 2009).  The most common presenting signs are eating, drinking and swallowing difficulty (pharyngeal dysphagia) with loss of the muscles on the head (masticatory muscle atrophy). Other common signs include ... Click Here

DNA collection for Vizsla Polymyositis – CAN YOU HELP!!

Members of the Cavalier Forum have launched a fantastic fundraising initiative called RUPERT'S FUND. For more info click here.

"Do the breeding guidelines work?"

 

For a real-life example of how the guidelines were used in a family of Griffon Bruxellois

click here

 

For information about the proposed BVA/KC SM MRI screening scheme click here

Genetics Research Update

Genome wide linkage studies identifies a novel locus for syringomyelia associated with Chiari-like malformation in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Quoc-Huy Trinh, Penny Knowler, Alexandra Thibault, Marie-Pierre Dubé, Guy A. Rouleau, Clare Rusbridge and Zoha Kibar
We are proud to introduce a new member of the genetics research team in Canada- Vincent Quoc-Huy Trinh and report the exciting progress made in collaboration with Dr Zoha Kibar in CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal.

Main results
1.       Identification of a locus for syringomyelia locus associated with Chiari-like malformation in the CKCS
2.       Identification of a haplotype that infers protection against the SM  Read more.....

Syringomyelia Satellite Meeting (European College of Veterinary Neurology 23rd Annual Symposium)

Thursday 16th September, Cambridge Veterinary School  9.00AM-14.00PM (including lunch)

This satellite meeting will be dedicated to informing members of the veterinary profession about the proposed BVA and the Kennel Club scheme for screening for Chiari-like malformation and Syringomyelia (CMSM) in dogs. Lectures include: New developments in CMSM research (Dr Clare Rusbridge); Estimated Breeding Values (Dr Sarah Blott); Introduction to the BVA/KC screening scheme for CMSM (Prof Nick Jeffery) and How to get the best out of your Imotek MRI machine for imaging CMSM in (Dr Clare Rusbridge).

Meeting sponsored by Imotek International Ltd. Cost - free however places limited so book early! Contact Prof. Nick Jeffery for further details and to register. ndj1000@cam.ac.uk Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Cambridge Tel: 01223 339969.

NB meeting is not open to breeders or pet owners. A separate meeting (7th October) is organised by the CKCS Club UK. For more details contact Maggie Ford on: maggietuppenlil@hotmail.com

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MRI is dependent on the inherent magnetic properties of the body. Each water molecule consists of two hydrogen ions, each with a single, spinning, positively charged proton. This spinning charge is... Read More

Seizures and Epilepsy

Latest News and Events

Abstract presented at ACIM
C Rusbridge1, SP Knowler1, L Pieterse2 AK McFadyen3 1 Stone Lion Veterinary Centre, Wimbledon, UK. 2 Statuesque Griffon Bruxellois, Sydney, Australia. 3. Glasgow Caledonian University, UK.

 

The Griffon Bruxellois (GB) is a brachycephalic toy with terrier

Syringomyelia related images

What is a seizure

X-rays and Chiari malformation

Syringomyelia related images
Syringomyelia related images

Stone Lion Veterinary Hospital, Goddard Veterinary Group, 41 High Street Wimbledon Common London SW19 5AU

Email: CRusbridge@goddardvetgroup.co.uk

Telephone: 020 8946 4228, Fax: 020 8944 0871

Directions and Map Click Here

Copyright Clare Rusbridge ©

Seizures and Epilepsy          Spinal Disorders-Disc Disease          Syringomyelia-Frequently Asked Questions          Wobblers Syndrome          Degenerative Myelopathy CDRM          Neurosurgery          Vestibular Disease          Brain Tumours          Meningitis          Infarcts          FOPS          Neuropathies          Myopathies          Myasthenia Gravis          BOTOX Therapy

examination and then discuss the various diagnostic and treatment options and prognosis.

Chiari-Like Malformation in the Griffon Bruxellois

characteristics which, like the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS), has ancestral origins from the Toy Spaniel... Read More