Health Testing
The genetic disorder, prcd-PRA , causes cells in the retina at the back of the eye to degenerate and die, even though the cells seem to develop normally early in life. The “rod” cells operate in low light levels and are the first to lose normal function. Most affected dogs will eventually be blind. Typically, the clinical disease is recognised first in early adolescence or early adulthood, and unfortunately, at this time, there is no treatment or cure for PRA.
Familial nephropathy (FN) is a type of hereditary kidney disease that leads to renal failure in affected dogs, usually at a young age. It is relatively widely spread across the English cocker spaniel dog breed, with just over 10% of English cockers in the UK carrying the gene mutation that leads to the condition.
Generally, dogs affected with the condition will go into irreversible renal failure by the time that they reach the age of two, which cannot be cured and ultimately proves fatal
Acral Mutilation Syndrome (AMS)
Acral Mutilation Syndrome (AMS) is an inherited sensory neuropathy disorder affecting several sporting breeds. The disease is characterised by insensitivity to pain in the feet ( acral analgesia ) which can be associated with sudden and intense licking, biting and severe self-mutilation of the feet, while proprioception, motor abilities and spinal reflexes remain intact.
Affected puppies look smaller than their healthy littermates.
Symptoms may be followed by further complications such as infections, ulceration, nail loss, swollen paws and fractures.
Age of onset: 3-12 months
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
Degenerative myelopathy initially affects the back legs and causes muscle weakness and loss, and lack of coordination. These cause a staggering effect that may appear to be arthritis. The dog may drag one or both rear paws when it walks. This dragging can cause the nails of one foot to be worn down. The condition may lead to extensive paralysis of the back legs. As the disease progresses, the animal may display symptoms such as incontinence and have considerable difficulties with both balance and walking. If allowed to progress, the animal will show front limb involvement and extensive muscle atrophy. Eventually, cranial nerve or respiratory muscle involvement necessitates euthanasia. Progression of the disease is generally slow but highly variable. The animal could be crippled within a few months, or may survive up to three years
Exercise-Induced Collapse (EIC)
Dogs clinically affected by EIC will show signs of leg weakness followed by complete collapse after 5 to 20 minutes of strenuous activity. The severity can vary. Severely affected dogs may collapse with mild exercise - other dogs only exhibit collapse episodes sporadically (occurring at irregular intervals). First clinical signs are usually noticed between 5 months and 3 years of age, but can appear later in life.
Glycogen Storage Disease VII (Phosphofructokinase deficiency)
GSDII is caused by an enzyme deficiency that leads to abnormal glucose levels in tissues such as cardiac (heart), skeletal and smooth muscle.
Clinical signs of affected dogs usually occur around 7 months of age and include vomiting, regurgitation, progressive muscle weakness, exercise intolerance and heart problems. Affected dogs usually die around 1½-2 years of age
Neonatal encephalopathy with seizures (NEWS)
Neonatal encephalopathy with seizures is an autosomal recessive developmental brain disease. Affected puppies exhibit extreme weakness; those that survive the first week of life generally develop progressively worse ataxia and a whole-body tremor. This is often accompanied by severe generalised clonic-tonic seizures. None have survived to 7 weeks of age. ´The mutation that is suggested to be responsible for NEWS in standard poodles can be detected via DNA testing.
Osteochondrodysplasia (OCD)
OC is a severe form of dwarfism that is a result of an abnormal development of cartilage and bone.
Clinical signs usually appear in puppies at around 3 weeks. Effects usually include stunted growth and abnormal movement. The puppy's limbs, jaws and rib cage may be abnormal. Many affected puppies are euthanised as joint stiffness is severe in young dogs. While such joint stiffness lessens as the dog matures, mobility may be restricted due to physical abnormalities and affected adult dogs are at increased risk of osteoarthritis.
Von Willebrand Disease I (VWD1)
The condition is caused by a quantitative or qualitative deficiency of von Willebrand factor (vWF), a protein that plays a central role in blood clotting. Von Willebrand's disease vWD usually comes in three types, type I, type II and type III. Type III is a severe bleeding disorder with a high risk of spontaneous bleeding as well as a risk of serious bleeding from trauma and surgery. Type I is a less severe form.
Dogs with vWD are prone to nose bleeds, bleeding from the gums, and prolonged bleeding during heat or after whelping. There may be prolonged bleeding from the umbilical cord at birth or when the pup sheds its baby teeth. Excessive bleeding after surgery or trauma is common and may be the first sign of this condition in your dog. You may see blood in your dog's urine or stool. The clinical effects reported can range dramatically, with some dogs bleeding profusely, while others hardly showing any signs of bleeding at all.
Adult Onset Neuropathy (AON)
AON is an inherited neurological disorder characterised by a weakness in the hind limbs, eventually leading to weakness in the front limbs. Neurological signs of this condition seem to progress gradually over three to four years.
Clinical signs usually begin between 7½ to 9 years of age. These signs include weakening and unsteady hind limbs and uncoordinated movement. The weakness eventually progresses to include the front limbs. When all limbs are affected, there may also be difficulty in swallowing.
The disease is described as an autosomal-recessive condition and is unique to Cocker Spaniels. This means that a dog must inherit two copies of an abnormal gene (one from its mother and one from its father) before its health is affected. A dog that inherits only one copy of the abnormal gene (from its mother or its father) will have no signs of the disease, but will be a carrier and may pass the gene on to any offspring.
Inheritance
All of the conditions listed above are inherited as a recessive trait. This means a disease gene must be inherited from BOTH parents in order to cause disease to affect any offspring.
Parents must both be either “carrier” or ''affected'' by the disease in order for a gene to be passed on.
A ''carrier'' is a dog which has one recesive disease gene and one normal gene. This means he or she is NOT affected, but could pass the disease it on to his offspring depending on the breeding partner.
Breeding from 'carrier' parents is still completely safe so long as BOTH parents are fully health tested and do not carry the same recessive disease gene.
A 'clear' dog has no disease gene and is termed “homozygous normal” or ''Double Clear" This means both copies of his or her gene are the same, and therefore no puppies produced by this dog can ever be affected.
A dog with two disease genes is termed “affected” – both copies of the gene are abnormal, and the dog itself will suffer from the effects of the disease being carried. We have never had an 'affected' dog here at Hallslake.
Inherited diseases can be avoided in future generations by testing dogs before breeding. Identification of dogs that do not carry any diseased genes is the key. These "clear" dogs can, in theory, be bred to any mate (even to an affected dog, should there be a particular reason for doing so), and the resulting puppies can never be 'affected' by the condition and would be safe to breed back to another 'clear' mate.
There are many types of hereditary eye disease, both congenital (conditions that exist from birth or soon after birth) and non-congenital (conditions that develop later in life), that affect dogs. Many of these conditions can have serious effects on health and welfare, causing pain, blindness, or the need for lifelong medication. Testing your dog's eyes will allow you to take action to tackle disease progression and make informed decisions around breeding.
The Eye Scheme in the UK appoints a panel of only 42 expert veterinary ophthalmologists around the United Kingdom who carry out clinical eye examinations to identify inherited and non-inherited conditions. Upon completion of the exam, we receive a CHS Eye Examination Certificate with each condition recorded as Clinically Unaffected (does not have the condition) or Clinically Affected (does have the condition), except for the results of a gonioscopy which are graded.
Gonioscopy
Gonioscopy in dogs is a specialized eye exam using a contact lens to view the eye's drainage angle, crucial for detecting inherited glaucoma risks by identifying narrow or closed angles, malformed ligaments, or other blockages like tumors or bleeding, helping breeders and owners make health-conscious decisions for vision protection, especially in predisposed breeds including Cocker Spaniels. Performed by a specialised veterinary ophthalmologist, the test involves local anesthetic drops and often sedation, revealing if the drainage system is open or compromised, preventing painful blindness.
The vet will examine the iridocorneal angle (ICA), the eye's drainage system, to predict or diagnose primary glaucoma. A special contact lens (goniolens) is placed on the eye after local anesthetic drops, allowing direct visualization of the drainage structures. The vet will look at;
Iridocorneal Angle (ICA) to see if it is open, narrow, or closed.
Dectinate Ligament Dysplasia (PLD): Malformations (dysplasia) in the ligaments that can block drainage.
Other Issues: Tumors, foreign bodies, or inflammation within the angle. This is important for Glaucoma Prevention.
Early detection of a narrow/closed angle or PLD helps prevent glaucoma, a painful condition leading to blindness.
This is a Specialist job & must be performed by a veterinary ophthalmologist.
Results: Graded (0-3) or described as open/narrow/closed, recorded for health databases.
Hip Scoring
A dog's hip score, primarily through the BVA/Kennel Club scheme in the UK, quantifies hip dysplasia severity using X-rays, with scores from 0-106 (lower is better) that compare to a breed's median to guide responsible breeding, aiming to reduce this hereditary condition by favoring dogs with low scores.
Each hip is scored on 9 features (0-6 points each), then totaled, helping breeders choose healthier mates to improve overall breed health.
What it is
Hip scoring Measures the laxity and conformation of a dog's hip joints. Used by breeders to select dogs with lower scores, aiming to reduce hip dysplasia in future generations. Scores for both hips are added (0-106 total). The score is compared to the breed's median (average) score, found on The Kennel Club's website. A dog is sedated, and X-rays of its hips are taken. A panel of BVA experts reviews the X-rays and each hip is scored from 0 (perfect) to 53 (severe) across 9 features. A lower is better: A score closer to 0 indicates healthier hips.
Example: A score of 0-10 might be considered excellent, while 20 - 25 suggests mild dysplasia. While hip dysplasia is not always hereditary and can be brought on through exercise or injury, performing hip scoring helps breed out hip dysplasia, a common, painful hereditary condition.
Luxating Patella
A luxating patella in dogs means the kneecap (patella) slips out of its normal groove in the thigh bone (femur), causing limping, hopping, or holding the leg up, more common in small breeds but affecting all dogs, with severity graded 1-4, from occasional slips (Grade 1) to permanent dislocation (Grade 4), requiring monitoring, physical therapy, or surgery depending on how much pain and mobility loss it causes.
The kneecap normally glides in a groove at the end of the thigh bone. "Luxating" means dislocating or slipping out of place. This prevents the knee from extending properly, causing an awkward gait or inability to use the leg. Common Signs include clicking or popping sounds in the knee, a bow-legged stance or sitting with the leg pointed outwards, skipping or hopping on the hind leg for a few steps, holding the leg up with the knee bent, and sudden limping or stiffness.
Often genetic and present from birth (congenital), however, as with hip dysplasia, luxating patella can sometimes result from injury or trauma.
When considering buying a puppy from a breeder other than ourselves, please satisfy yourselves that the parents of the puppy you are considering are as well screened as those here at Hallslake. What may seem like a cheaper puppy at its collection date can soon become a financial and emotional black hole in vet bills and potential premature death.