About
ShowCockers
Books
& Magazines
Breeders
Classified
Cocker
Items
Grooming
Handlers
Home
Links
Members
Pedigree
Info
ShowCockers
Mailing List
Medical
Show
Supplies
So
YOU want to be a breeder?
The
Standard for the Cocker
|
Health
Problems in Cocker Spaniels
Eye
Disease
Hereditary cataracts
are a common hereditary eye problem in Cocker
Spaniels. (Cataract by
definition is any opacity within the lens of the
eye.) There are
also non- hereditary cataracts which sometimes
occur, and examination
by a
Board-certified veterinary
ophthalmologist is necessary to determine if
the cataract is or is
not of concern from a genetic standpoint. If there is
any question, the dog
is certainly not to be recommended for breeding.
Some Cocker Spaniels
carry genes for Central Progressive Retinal
Atrophy (CPRA) which
is progressive deterioration of the
light-receptive area
(retina) of the eye, and may result in complete
blindness at a fairly
young age. There are also other eye defects, such
as retinal dysplasia,
that prevent consideration of a dog as a breeding
animal.
Eyelid and eyelash problems
also may occur in the breed; some with
an hereditary basis,
and some sometimes due to other factors.
Entropion and ectropion
are the turning in or turning out of the eyelids.
Trichiasis and distichiasis
involve eyelashes or hairs rubbing on and
irritating the eye. Surgery
may be needed to correct these problems,
and while it is a fairly
simple procedure, such dogs should not be bred
and are ineligible to
be shown under AKC rules.
Nuclear sclerosis, the
"bluish haze" of the eye seen in older dogs, is a
normal part of the age-related
change in the lens of the eye and is NOT
a problem.
Examination of breeding
stock should be done annually, until at least
eight years of age and
preferably longer, as hereditary eye problems
can develop at varying
ages. The examination should be made by a
Board-certified veterinary
ophthalmologist, who has the special
equipment and training
needed to properly examine the dog's eyes.
Dogs that have been examined
by a Board-certified veterinary
ophthalmologist and found
to be free of hereditary eye disease can be
registered with the Canine
Eye Registration Foundation. CERF assigns
the dog an number which,
when properly understood, helps to make
eye clearances more meaningful.
For example, CERF CS2845/98-63
means that this dog was
the 2,845th Cocker Spaniel to be registered
with CERF; that the most
recent examination indicating this dog free of
hereditary eye disease
was done in 1998; and that the dog was 63
months old at the time
of the examination.
Dogs with hereditary
eye disease should not be used for breeding.
von
Willebrand's Disease
Canine von Willebrand's
Disease is an inherited deficiency in one of
the clotting factors
of the blood. It is similar to hemophilia in some
respects, but may appear
in either male or female.
"Carriers" may show no
overt symptoms of the disease, but their
progeny can have severe
bleeding problems.
There is a blood test
available which will identify dogs with the VWD
trait; complete information
can be obtained from Dr. W. Jean Dodds,
New York State Department
of Health, Division of Laboratories and
Research, Albany, New
York 12201. The laboratory will test, free of
charge, properly prepared
samples sent to Dr. Dodds.
As von Willebrand's Disease
in Cocker Spaniels is considered an
incomplete dominant,
dogs carrying the trait (whether showing
symptoms or not) will
pass it on to half of their offspring, even if bred
to a mate free of the
trait. If VWD carrier animals are bred, it is
recommended that they
be bred only to mates that test free of this
gene, and that their
progeny be tested for VWD. Animals clinically
affected with VWD should
not be bred.
Dogs affected with VWD
may have symptoms varying from very mild to
severe or lethal. These
bleeding problems include prolonged bleeding
from toenails cut too
short, hemorrhage from even minor surgical
procedures, lameness,
hematomas, stillbirths or early death of
newborn puppies, intestinal
bleeding, and so on. The bleeding
primarily involves mucosal
surfaces (gastrointestinal tract, nose-
bleeds, blood in the
urine, vaginal or penile bleeding) and is
aggravated by stress
situations (other physiological, pathological,
emotional or hormonal
conditions).
Hypothyroidism
This is a generalized
metabolic disease characterized by atrophy or
malfunction of the thyroid
gland. Clinical symptoms include obesity,
lethargy, and/or coat
problems. Hypothyroidism can also cause visciousness,
temperament and biting
problems in some dogs as well.
Affected animals may
also have various
reproductive problems,
including irregular or absent estrus (heat cycle),
and lack of fertility
in both male and female.
Diagnosis of hypothyroidism
is by laboratory tests measuring levels of
T3 and T4 (produced by
the thyroid gland) in the blood. Treatment
consists of daily administration
of thyroid supplement orally and, when
successfully treated,
the prognosis is excellent and the dog's lifespan
is normal, although the
dog may require lifelong thyroid
supplementation.
There is some question
whether dogs requiring supplementation should
be bred, as early hypothyroidism
may be hereditable.
Indiscriminate use of
thyroid supplementation should be avoided; it
can cause problems as
well as remedy them.
Epilepsy
Seizure disorders
may arise from a variety of environmental factors
including viral infections,
other diseases, and trauma. In some cases
there is no ascertainable
cause other than perhaps some inherent
factor resulting in a
low threshold to the stimuli setting off the
seizures. While an isolated
seizure does not necessarily constitute a
problem, dogs subject
to recurring seizures should not be bred; low
seizure threshold is
inherited. A veterinarian can prescribe medication
to control recurring
seizures, but medication is not always completely
effective. Epilepsy generally
does not affect a dog's health or
longevity; the condition
is much more traumatic for the owner than the
dog.
Hip
Dysplasia
The term hip
dysplasia means poor development of the formation of
the hip joint, and describes
a developmental disease in young dogs of
many different breeds.
Unsound hipjoints are a common problem in
the larger breeds, and
hip dysplasia can be a serious problem in any
dog that is to be trained
for a demanding activity.
Hip dysplasia is an inherited
defect with a polygenic mode of
inheritance. The degree
of hereditability is moderate in nature,
meaning that the formation
of the hip joints can also be modified by
environmental factors
such as overnutrition, excessively rapid growth,
and certain traumas during
the growth period of the skeleton. As with
any quantitative trait,
hip joint conformation can range from good to
bad with all shades in
between.
Signs of hip dysplasia
cannot be detected in the new born puppy, but
usually appear in the
rapid growth period between four and nine
months of age. Signs
of the disease can vary widely from slight
irregularities of gait
to crippling lameness. Improvement or even
apparent disappearance
of lameness can occur as the dog matures, as
a result of the joint
stabilizing, inflammation subsiding, and
musculature strengthening.
However, the dysplastic dog will usually
develop arthritis later
in life.
Hip dysplasia may be
diagnosed by X-ray between six months and 1
year of age, but this
is not entirely reliable, and dogs intended for
breeding should be X-rayed
when fully mature in order to select for
sound hips. Two years
of age is considered to be the minimum age for
accurate radiographic
determination of desirable conformation.
X-rays should be sent
to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals for a
diagnostic evaluation.
The charge is $15 for a preliminary evaluation
(for dogs X-rayed prior
to two years of age), and $20 for the
assignment of a permanent
OFA Registry number (for dogs two years
of age or older).
The dysplastic dog should
not be used for breeding.
Other
orthopedic problems
There are a number of
orthopedic problems in addition to hip dysplasia
which sometimes occur
in the growing dog. Among these are
panosteitis, osteochondritis
dissecans, luxated patella, and other
problems. It is suspected
that there may well be some hereditary
predisposition to such
conditions, so even though surgery may be
able to correct some
of these problems, there is some question
whether dogs affected
with any of these conditions should be
considered for breeding.
_____________________________________________________
BRUCELLOSIS
Brucellosis is
a bacterial disease that is well known
by food animal producers.
It causes abortions,
infertility and decreased
milk yield in cattle.
Brucellosis can infect
cattle, sheep, goats, dogs and
humans as well as pigs.
Cats, however, seem to be
somewhat resistant to
the bacteria.
The major route of brucellosis
transmission in dogs
is through direct contact
of an infected, aborted
fetus, or uterine discharge.
They may also become
infected by eating contaminated
meat, fetal
membranes, aborted fetuses
of livestock or
drinking contaminated,
unpasteurized milk. The
bacteria can also be
shed in dog feces and be
cultured from lymph nodes
of an infected animal.
Signs of infection in
dogs may include abortion,
infertility, infected
reproductive organs, arthritis,
disc disease, fever,
hind limb weakness, lethargy,
and/or general lymph
node swelling. Since these
may be signs of many
diseases, take your pet to
your veterinarian if
it shows any of them. He or she
will need to draw a blood
sample to determine if the
problem is brucellosis.
Brucellosis is difficult
to treat. It may take a
long period of antibiotic
therapy to fully rid the dog
of the bacteria. Since
blood samples need to be
taken to monitor the
progress of the drug treatment,
it may also become somewhat
expensive. It is also
possible for humans to
become infected with
canine brucellosis, although
transmission from
dogs to people seems
to be uncommon.
Since this disease is
sexually transmitted, it is
important for breeders
to make sure all of the dogs
in their kennel test
negative for the bacteria. If they
are not, they should
not be bred. The dog may show
no clinical signs, but
still transmit the bacteria in
semen or vaginal fluid.
Female dogs should be
tested a few weeks before
they come into heat and
males should be tested
twice a year. Any new animal
brought into the kennel
should be isolated until it
tests negative twice.
The second test should be done
one month after the first
one.
The bacteria is relatively
easy to kill with common
disinfectants, such as
diluted bleach water solution.
There is no vaccine available
for canine brucellosis
at this time. Eliminating
the positive animals from
breeding stock is one
way to help control the
disease. Proper disposal
of waste and wearing
gloves to handle any
fetal membranes or aborted
fetuses, followed by
thorough disinfection of the
area will also help.
If you have any questions about
canine brucellosis, see
your veterinarian.
|