04/27/2026
Recently, a Griffon owner posted a message about her dog's illness, and asked where to donate for Brussels Griffon health research.
The best place to donate is the Canine Health Foundation, which every year donates millions to researchers and scientists who study canine illnesses.
There is not currently a study of Brussels Griffons. Meg Prior raised donations to fund a major study of CM/SM in Brussels Griffons in 2004 by Dr. Simon Platt, in which 81 Brussels Griffons got MRIs & DNA collected at Emory University in Atlanta.
The goal was to determine which Brussels Griffons were carriers of genes for CM/SM. The study showed that there was no way that it could be predicted, because there are so many different genes involved in creating the CM/SM condition (Chiari malformation/Syringomyelia). There is not currently any way to track all the elements involved, so sadly there is currently no guidance for breeders about this condition.
The good thing about Canine Health Foundation is that you can designate which breed your funds are to support, and they will hold onto the donations until a study is done. A few years ago, it took a minimum of $80,000 to fund a study. I suspect that number might be higher now. Since our breed is so small in numbers, there is not a lot of interest in studying it. But this is a worthy cause. I donate to them for Brussels Griffons every year and leaving them money in my will.
The website is www.akcchf.org.