Cocker Spaniels
Cocker Spaniels have a number of hereditary health issues. Among the most troublesome are juvenile cataracts, auto-immune diseases and skin problems. Cockers can also suffer from hip dysplasia and slipped stifles. Although it is impossible to breed genetically perfect cockers, caring breeders can and do attempt to weed problems out of their lines by having annual eye examinations by a Board Certified Veterinary Opthalmologist. They also have the parents x-rayed for hip dysplasia and have them rated by OFA (Orthopedic Foundation of America). Unfortunately, the parents, grandparents and great-grandparents can be clear of these genetic problems and they can still appear in their offspring. The testing is no guarantee that their puppies will not have these problems, but they at least show that the breeder is making every effort to breed healthy animals. For the complete Breed Standard, go to the ASC (American Spaniel Club) website listed in the Links.
English Toy Spaniels
English Toys also have a number of hereditary health issues. Slipping patellas and hydrocephalus (water on the brain) are probably the worst problems. However, they can also have patent ductus heart murmurs, and juvenile cataracts are now appearing in the breed. The patellas can be palpated and rated by a veterinarian and registered through OFA. The eyes can be examined annually as described above for Cockers. They do frequently have umbilical hernias but they are rarely bad enough to require surgery. For the complete Breed Standard, go to the ETSCA (English Toy Spaniel Club of America) website listed in the Links.
What we do about Hereditary Health Issues
We have eyes checked annually for hereditary diseases in both breeds. In our Cockers we have their hips checked for hip dysplasia. We have patella's palpated in our English Toys. We do screen hearts in our English Toys. To see how OFA rates dogs, see the OFA Link. A search under Eli-Fran and then by breed will bring up the testing we have done.
We have bred Cockers for well over 40 years and English Toys for over 11 years. We have finished 41 Cockers of our own breeding and 15 English Toys.
