A united effort is needed to bring affordable scanning to every Sphynx.
Affordable echocardiograms are not available worldwide. They cost from $100-800 (US) for a healthy Sphynx; even more if an anomaly is detected and medical intervention is needed. For many, it is cost-prohibitive to do baseline and/or yearly scans. In some areas owners and breeders must travel great distances to see a Board Certified Cardiologist. Many people have worked to address these inequities: Private individuals are coordinating clinics with reduced fees; some cardiologists have dropped the consultation fee; others have agreed to dramatically reduce the fee for Sphynx while Dr. Meurs' research is being conducted.
Increased Data will further research and help breeders make increasingly thoughtful decisions in their breeding program Pedigrees and echocardiogram results are not only vital for HCM research, they are valuable tools breeders use to make prudent decisions within their breeding programs.
To date, public reporting is inconsistent and data is not always sent to all of the large pedigree and echocardiogram databases. Pawpeds is a database that some, but not all, cardiologists worldwide utilize for submitting scans results. There are several other large databases around the world.