Health & Testing
Healthwise the English Springer and Cocker Spaniels are fairly robust breeds. They suffer from no more health issues than other pedigree breeds and much fewer than some.
It is however a fallacy that because they are working line bred they are immune from hereditary conditions due to the fact that over the years dogs with poor health are naturally removed from breeding programmes being unsuitable for work. It’s a nice theory but all too often the clinical signs for these conditions show up too late. This is often the case for hip dysplasia where the relatively light build of these Spaniels (when compared to other gundog breeds such as the Labrador) can mask these type of structural problems, PRA tends to onset at around three years of age and with these single gene trigger conditions if two unaffected/carrier dogs are put together they will produce clinically affected offspring.
Quite simply there are no excuses when it comes to health and if you don’t test you don’t know. We have the technology available to us and we should use it. Selling puppies that have the potential for serious (but preventable) disease is quite simply irresponsible and unethical. It is contrary to Australian Consumer Law, not to mention subjecting an animal to a lifetime of unnecessary pain and suffering along with the emotional stress for the affected family. My advice is if you find a breeder that is not willing to show you copies of health certificates from both parents then walk away.
At Canicula we follow best practice and lead by example in conducting available testing to prevent against the following conditions in our breeding stock. In addition we also take a full breed profile for identification and proof of parentage. We believe this is should be mandated by Dogs Victoria to ensure pedigree documentation is accurate and help eliminate puppy farming practices within the organisation.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is an abnormal looseness of the ball and socket that form the hip joint. This leads to wear of the soft tissues which will eventually mean bone-to-bone contact and damage to the joint itself. As the bone ball and socket wear new bone grows adjacent causing arthritis. This new rough surface causes further wear a perpetual cycle to degenerate the joint. For the dog this means a lot of pain and restricted movement in the back end.
Being a poly-genetic condition (more than one gene interaction causes the condition) and it being a spectrum rather than binary condition it is hard to eradicate. What we do know is that carefully nurtured pups from parents with low hip scores are less at risk of developing hip dysplasia. The x-ray to the left is of Canicula Blackberry. She is a 2-2 (International grade A) which is amongst the best in the breed worldwide.
Elbow Dysplasia
Elbow dysplasia covers a number of different conditions in the elbow joint that can cause lameness in the front end. It is a condition that appears to be increasing in frequency worldwide. The elbows are x-rayed and graded from 0-3 with 0 describing a normal elbow joint.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy - Cord 1 (PRA)
PRA is a degenerative retinal disease which causes blindness. The condition usually develops when the dog is a few years old initially with night blindness and usually results in complete blindness over a period of time. Sadly there is no cure, but the condition is caused by a single gene pair that can be screened for. Only dogs with two copies of the defective gene will show clinical symptoms.
Phosphofructokinase deficiency (PFK)
PFK is an enzyme deficiency which results in the dog having diseased red blood and muscle cells. Clinical signs are of low energy, exercise intolerance, muscle cramps, and intermittent dark coloured urine. The condition can be managed with careful diet and restricted exercise but an affected dog will not be able to cope with prolonged periods of work. The condition is caused by single gene pair that can be screened for. Only dogs with two copies of the defective gene will show clinical symptoms.
Fucosidosis (Fuco)
Fuco is an enzyme deficiency which prevents complex compounds being broken down to simple molecules in the affected dogs cells. The accumulation of these compounds in the brain and nervous system cause temperament changes, loss of learned behaviours and loss of coordination. The condition usually develops when the dog is between 18 months and a few years old, it has a quick onset and is fatal. The condition is caused by single gene pair that can be screened for. Only dogs with two copies of the defective gene will show clinical symptoms.
Familial Nephropathy (FN)
FN also known as "Shrunken Kidney disease" is a renal disease where a collagen defect affects structure of the kidney and it's ability to filter. It is a degenerative disease, and often not picked up until the function of the kidney is significantly reduced. The condition usually develops when in the first few months of the dogs life. It is fatal, and will lead to renal failure when dog is between about 6 months and 2 years old. The condition is caused by single gene pair that can be screened for. Only dogs with two copies of the defective gene will show clinical symptoms.
