Health Checklist for Cocker Spaniels
Many breeders fail to understand that if you breed for only a specific coat, color, or size; sometimes other problem areas within the breed are not addressed. A cocker spaniel that is not purebred tends to have a much larger gene pool. There are many ailments that purebred cocker spaniels are prone to. That is not to say that a purebred has more ailments than a mixed breed. Mixed breeds can have all of the same problems as purebreds. A responsible breeder will monitor the gene pool size, any inherited ailments, along with specific coats, colors, etcetera.
The following list contains ailments prone to cocker spaniels. This list is very extensive with some ailments much more common than others. Refer to this site to extrapulate on specific ailments.
Veterinarian Information for Dogs: This site is authored by a veterinarian. There is a dog encyclopedia here that explains many health issues with your dog.
|
Allergies |
Reactions
to inhaled substances or food |
|
Anal
gland adenocarcinoma |
Malignant
tumor |
|
Blocked
tear ducts |
Malformed
ducts between the eyes and nose, leading to permanent running eyes and tear
stains |
|
Breast
adenocarcinoma |
Malignant
breast tumor |
|
Cataracts |
Cloudiness
of the lens that can impair vision |
|
Cerebellar
atrophy |
Breakdown
of a part of the brain leading to lack of coordination, tremors, or loss of
balance |
|
Corneal
ulcers |
Painful
erosion on the surface of the eye |
|
Deafness |
Hearing
defect in either or both ears |
|
Dilated
cardiomyopathy |
Disease
that causes weakened heart contractions and arrhythmias |
|
Ear
infections |
Ear
inflammation often associated with allergies or other skin diseases |
|
Elbow
dysplasia |
A
malformed elbow joint, causing variable degrees of lameness |
|
Entropion |
A
turned in eyelid that rubs against the eye |
|
Epilepsy |
Brain
disorder causing recurrent seizures |
|
Fear
aggression |
Shyness
or timidity that can make a dog aggressive or more difficult to train |
|
Foot
infections |
Foot
inflammation often associated with allergies or other skin diseases |
|
Glaucoma |
Increased
fluid pressure within the eye leading to pain and potentially loss of vision |
|
Hemolytic
anemia |
Abnormal
destruction of red blood cells |
|
Hemophylia
A |
A
blood clotting deficiency |
|
Hermaphroditism |
Having
mixed reproductive organs, such as both a vagina and testicles |
|
Hip
dysplasia |
Malformed
hip joints, causing variable degrees of lameness |
|
Hydrocephalus |
Accumulation
of cerebralspinal fluid within the skull, potentially causing vision
problems, seizures, or mental retardation |
|
Hypothyroidism |
Thyroid
hormone deficiency |
|
Inguinal
hernia |
A
gap in the abdominal muscles that must be closed surgically |
|
Inward-growing
eyelashes |
Eyelashes
growing from the underside of the eyelid or curving toward the eye causing
eye irritation |
|
Keratoconjunctivitis
sicca |
Deficiency
in tear production that can lead to damaged corneas |
|
Kidney
dysplasia |
Malformation
of one or both kidneys, potentially leading to kidney failure |
|
Lens
luxation |
Displacement
of the lens of the eye, causing eye inflammation, pain, and glaucoma |
|
Luxating
kneecaps |
Kneecaps
that slide out of place, causing variable degrees of lameness |
|
Lysomal
storage disease |
Enzyme
deficiency that causes nerve cell damage and tremors, stumbling, seizures, or
other nerve and brain disorders |
|
Osteochondrosis |
Malformed
cartilage in a joint, causing variable degrees of lameness |
|
Patent
ductus arteriosus |
An
abnormal connection between the pulmonary artery and the aorta |
|
Platelet
deficiency |
Blood
disorder potentially leading to bruising or bleeding |
|
Portosystemic
shunt |
Blood
vessel defect in the digestive tract that affects the brain |
|
Progressive
retinal atrophy |
A
breakdown of the retina that leads to blindness |
|
Pulmonic
stenosis |
A
malformed heart valve |
|
Retinal
dysplasia |
Malformation
of the retina that can cause vision problems |
|
Seborrhea |
Skin
disease causing severe skin flaking and , sometimes skin infections or hair
loss |
|
Spinal
disk disease |
Disk
degeneration leading to pain, weakness, or paralysis |
|
Von
Willebrand’s disease |
A
blood clotting deficiency |