Would You Have Another Cocker Spaniel?

[Robbie34]

I do miss Charley and it was nice having two dogs, so I'm thinking of getting another puppy.  However, every Cocker I have had has had health problems.  My first black Cocker developed a liver condition and had to be put to sleep at four years of age.  My next Golden Cocker Spaniel, Benjie, had a few problems: ears, vestibular disease, joint issues and a heart murmur, and was just over sixteen when he was put to sleep.  Charley had health problems from when he was six months old.  The main problem was when he was diagnosed with dry eye at six months.  He also had ear problems, tummy troubles, malignant melanoma, and heart murmur.  His dementia was due to old age, and I wouldn't suggest that was a Cocker problem. 

Now I have Henry, and I was congratulating myself that I no longer had to spend untold hours at vets, and having to constantly medicate.  Henry was just past his second birthday when he had his first seizure and was diagnosed with Epilepsy. He is on medication twelve hourly.  Then he was diagnosed with Pancreatitis and is on a virtually fat free diet.  So I have to continually monitor his diet.

I love Cockers, bit I'm not sure that I could cope with another dog with health issues. 

[JohnK]

Robbie

I know what you mean.

We are on 6th, 7th and 8th cockers and only one has reached 12 years. I am hoping these three do. I lost one nearly 7 and two at 7. Brodie was PTS after the rescue felt he had rage. Even Danny our springer only lasted to 8.

I know many that have lived to a ripe old age, so just think we have been unlucky

[Pearly]

Hi Robbie, I completely understand your dilemma and sympathise. 

I lost Harvey [Oriental cat] in November aged 10.5 and his half sister [Siamese with significant health problems] three years earlier aged 6 - I'm now starting the process to look for a new cat to keep Minnie [Bengal] company but have thought long and hard about the medical side and have to confess it is putting me off - not the care of the animal but the sheer financial commitment even with insurance, plus watching the cat suffer various tests and sometimes intrusive treatments. 

I spoke to two different breeders last week both of whom could not have been more helpful and only too happy to explain all the health tests both parents had been through plus results of course.

The main learning I've had is that even in the 6 years since Minnie came home the whole health testing / breeding for health issue is more openly discussed.  We often have threads on here about health testing and how to search for a reputable breeder - so long as they are prepared to share test results and demonstrate as much has been done as possible [genetically] to breed the healthiest pups possible then you and I stand as much of a chance of having healthy pets as the next person.

Would I have another Siamese after Chester?  Yes, but my goodness it will be PKD free! 

Will I have another cocker after Pearl - yes, as long as I'm, fit enough to look after a pup then it will only be a cocker.......

It is very soon after Charley though - maybe you and Henry need some quality time together to adjust and remember.  It will also give you time to find the right breeder with all the right credentials for you.

Good luck with the decision making - it's never easy x

[Robbie34]

Henry came from a very reputable breeder and all her dogs are fully health tested.  I would have no hesitation in having a dog from her.  My concern is that there seem to be inherent health problems with Cockers no matter how good the breeder.

[lexi]

We now have our 3rd, 4th and 5th Cockers, aged 11, 10 & 6. No health issues here (touch wood ).
Our 1st and 2nd reached 15 and 14 1/2 respectively, without health issues until their last days.
There is never any guarantee with any dog of any breed.

[lexi]

My concern is that there seem to be inherent health problems with Cockers no matter how good the breeder.

There are increasingly more environmentally and diet-induced health problems in many, if not all, breeds.

[Pearly]

Henry came from a very reputable breeder and all her dogs are fully health tested.  I would have no hesitation in having a dog from her.  My concern is that there seem to be inherent health problems with Cockers no matter how good the breeder.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything in my post.... as lexi has said there is never any guarantee with any dog of any breed - it also applies to cross breeds- pedigree cats and moggies and I'm sure other animals.  

As John suggested, maybe we have just been unlucky x

[Robbie34]

We now have our 3rd, 4th and 5th Cockers, aged 11, 10 & 6. No health issues here (touch wood ).
Our 1st and 2nd reached 15 and 14 1/2 respectively, without health issues until their last days.
There is never any guarantee with any dog of any breed.

I notice that you don't live in the UK.  Did you get your dogs over there or in the UK?  Is there a problem with the genetic make up of UK Cockers?  

Two of my Cocker lived to a ripe old age - Benjie was almost sixteen, and Charley was fifteen and a half.  Charley has been the most costly.  I made a mistake with his insurance company - Cornhill Direct - who would not cover any eye condition when I came to renew his policy when he was twelve months old.  I went elsewhere.  Consequently, I had to pay for all of his treatment for his eye problems.

If you look at the top of the Health section you will see an article about Pancreatitis in Cockers, who seem to be prone to this.

[lexi]

We now have our 3rd, 4th and 5th Cockers, aged 11, 10 & 6. No health issues here (touch wood ).
Our 1st and 2nd reached 15 and 14 1/2 respectively, without health issues until their last days.
There is never any guarantee with any dog of any breed.

I notice that you don't live in the UK.  Did you get your dogs over there or in the UK?  Is there a problem with the genetic make up of UK Cockers?  

One from a German breeder and two from Swiss breeders. However, our blue roan has British parentage in his pedigree (and if I remember correctly so did our first two). I don't think it necessarily has anything to do with the genetics of UK Cockers. Unfortunately, health issues can creep up five or six generations later.

[Emilyoliver]

I don't know... my 8 year old show cocker has a myriad untested for (because there are no tests for them) health conditions which my vet suggests are increasingly common in cockers he sees. Disc problems, eye related immune conditions (which are possibly related to anal gland problems, pancreatitis among others).  It is heartbreaking as he is such a fantastically enthusiastic soul, with a body that constantly fails him   I got him from very good careful breeders.  I love cockers and have done so since a young child. I have a worker now for a variety of reasons, but one being the hope that he will be less condition-prone. It appears that our beloved breed is joining so many others on the 'inherently unhealthy' list.

[MIN]

We have only had the one cocker but if it helps,our past two staffies and border terrier never got to a ripe old age. All three surcombed to a long term and terminal illnesses.  Still have staffie and if gemma had not come along probaly would have stuck with those two breeds forever

[aljeana]

Well I am sorry that you do seem to have been unfourtunate but I am now at my 8th cocker over a span of 30 years of which I presently have 4

Mollie - 15 1/2yrs no major health problem all her life just now old age
Rosie 13yrs no health problems but did have an inmune system issue last summer but this can happen to any dog
Amy 9yrs no health problems
Jodie 3yrs major health issue at 12 weeks but not a cocker related

Prior to my current 4 cockers 3 others got to 15 years with no major health issues & 1 to 9 years

All mine are show line and I have had 2 from the same breeder & 2 others similar line & the others different lines .  They have all been insured & the only one I have had to claim on is Jodie

Maybe I have been lucky I am surrounded by cocker owners that I either train with in agility, groom them & I can honestly say I do not feel that there is a major concern with the breed.
Wish you luck  in finding a lovely healthy cocker

[Helly D]

It's interesting you have posted this as I was only thinking this the other day. We have been fairly lucky with our two. Sam was 14 when he was PTS and the main problem he had was his constant ear infections. His ears would be full of pus several times a year and we kept going from one treatment to another as the bacteria kept becoming resistant. Eventually was on one of the antibiotics that killed superbugs which was a last resort. Apart from the ears and a later skin problem that he developed at around 12 he did really well. His vet suggested an aural resection as his ears were so bad so we started seeing a holistic vet who used homeopathy and herbs. She improved them to the point that surgery was no longer required.

Rosie our current cocker is 15 1/4 and up to now has been fairly healthy. We took a very different approach with her right from puppyhood as I had learned a lot from our holistic vet. We did puppy vaccinations but titre tested and she has only had two more boosters in all that time. My vet is a firm believer that over vaccinating animals can create major health problems. If she was poorly we tried to use homeopathy as much as possible via our vet so she has had very little in the way of conventional treatment. Homeopathy helps the body to heal itself although a lot of people say its rubbish but we as a family have used it for many years and we are (touch wood) robustly healthy.

We didn't have her spayed until she was 6 and developed mammary tumours so she had a hysterectomy and the tumour removed at the same time. Our vet believes dogs on the whole do better if they are not neutered although there are differing views on this in the veterinary world. She had to have another tumour removed at 8 and then was put on the homeopathic alternative to cancer treatment which is called plussing. We didn't have the tissue tested because I wouldn't have given her conventional cancer treatment anyway so it was a safeguard in case any of the tumour was malignant. She still has some tumours in situ but they have lain dormant all this time.

She developed CHF at around 9 so has been on Fortecor and is now on Vetmedin too as her heart has worsened over the last few months. She has urinary incontinence so is on Propalin and Incurin. She was diagnosed with dry eye at around age 12/13 and has Optimmune for that.

The other thing we have done is changed her onto a raw food diet for the last 4 months. I don't think this will have led to her relative longevity but I have done a lot of research into it and would feed my next dog from a puppy this way. On the whole dogs are healthier on it and see the vet less often. Most kibble contains cereal which dogs find difficult to digest and can lead to all sorts of health problems.

Which brings me back to wondering if there are more health issues in cockers now than there used to be. There does appear to be conditions they are prone to and some people have definitely been very unlucky with their dogs. Are modern day cockers more prone to developing conditions than 15 years ago? It's a tricky one to answer but I'm hoping that when we do have our next cocker pup we will be looking at their optimum diet and going raw, we will not be over vaccinating, not neutering unless medically indicated, using complementary medicine as much as possible, trying to keep teeth clean by feeding bones (research is suggesting tooth decay in dogs and cats is causing diseased hearts and the same is being found in humans too) and doing as much research as possible in keeping a dog as healthy as we can.

Whether we will be successful or not remains to be seen but I just can't bear the thought of not sharing my life with one of these special little dogs.

[JennyBee]

Brodie had a very bad year there with both ear and skin infections (and looks like the ear problems are creeping back), as well as pancreatitis, and one thing I heard a lot of in those months was 'cockers are prone to this'. She is from a good breeder, and neither her sister or close relatives have had any problems so perhaps just bad luck . I would definitely get another cocker, they are the only dog for me but this last year has made me wonder.

[Jane S]

It appears that our beloved breed is joining so many others on the 'inherently unhealthy' list.

That's quite a generalisation to make Maybe we have been lucky but in nearly 30 years of owning Cockers, most of ours have lived to over 14 years old (several have been 15, one 16) and our vet sees us very rarely. We also have friends in other breeds (including working strain dogs), relatives that have cross-breeds etc and some are largely healthy and some seem to be always at the vet for one thing or another. Same goes for humans - some have multiple health issues whereas some sail through life problem free. That's not to say there are things that do need to change - I think all breeders need to move away from close linebreeding (show and working) as I've looked at pedigrees of dogs with various health issues (where no test is available) and many have high COIs (much higher than the breed average). I also think environmental factors (pollution, chemicals, diet, etc) do have a negative impact on health (animals and humans) and we are only just learning how important these factors are.