The cocker spaniel has been one of the most popular breeds of pet dog on both sides of the Atlantic for over 100 years. Unfortunately, that popularity lead to very unscrupulous breeding practices which has resulted in some very unhealthy dogs. Although modern breeders try to remove any unhealthy animals from their breeding programs, many ailments still commonly appear in cocker spaniels.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy in dogs is much the same as epilepsy in people. There are many different types of epilepsy, but the most common in dogs is called idiopathic epilepsy. That means vets do not know what causes it. Seizures vary in intensity from dog to dog. Cocker spaniels experiencing seizures have been known to bite. This is a treatable condition. Epileptic dogs can live a normal life span.

Eye Problems

Because of the cocker spaniel’s large eyes, they are prone to eye problems. The most common includes glaucoma, cataracts and retinal dysplasia. All of these conditions can cause blindness. Dogs adjust to blindness much better than people do. These conditions usually do not appear until the dog is over 12 months old.

Birth Defects

These will be evident a few weeks after the puppy has been born. They include eyelashes growing the wrong way so that they rub the eyeball, soft spots in the skull that do not harden and an abnormally short tail. Cocker spaniels in America often have their tails docked when they are two or three days old, but some dogs are born with stumps instead of tails because they are born with one less vertebra. Another common birth defect is a cleft palate. This must be corrected by surgery.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Over 90% of all reported cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs are from cocker spaniels or American cocker spaniels. This indicated that it is a genetic problem. This is a heart disease where the heart muscle gets weaker as the dog ages. This is thought to be due to a problem in calcium ion absorption, but calcium supplements do not help. Dogs diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy do not live long. Dogs usually do not show symptoms until they are over five years old. Death is usually very sudden