Is Your Cocker Spaniel Healthy?

You are what you eat! How many times have we heard that? Well, it's also true of dogs. You can boost your Cocker Spaniel's health by ensuring he eats a nutritious, well-balanced diet.

His coat and eyes will shine and he'll grow strong bones and teeth and a strong immune system. In addition to a nutritious diet, a good grooming routine and a few simple checks will keep your Cocker Spaniel fit and healthy for life!

Cocker Spaniel Health - Ears

To say Cocker Spaniels' ears are prone to infection is an understatement! Cocker Spaniel ears are long, pendulous and luxuriously silky - they're beautiful and quite tactile!

Their ears lie flat, close to the head, and they often have a heavy growth of fine hair just outside (and sometimes inside) the entrance to the ear canal, making it difficult for air to circulate. If the hair around the ear canal is not regularly plucked or kept to a minimum to increase the air circulation, it can create a warm, dark, and damp environment - ideal growing conditions for infection and bacteria! That's why it's important that we keep our Cocker Spaniel's ears really clean.

You can use any ear cleaner, usually in the form of drops, from your local pet supplier or your vet. Follow the instructions on the packaging and use separate cleaning materials for each ear to avoid cross infection.

Be gentle, and don't poke anything into your dog's ears - it could cause serious damage. Simply clean the outside area and just inside the ear canal, but only as far as you can see - don't go any further. Don't forget to wash your hands before and after cleaning your dog's ears.

Cocker Spaniel Health - Eyes

Cockers are also prone to problems with their eyes, for example, glaucoma, distichiasis, and conjunctivitis. It's important therefore to keep your Cocker's eyes clean by inspecting them weekly, cleaning them once each month, and taking your pet to have regular check-ups with his vet.

Clean your dog's eyes at least once a month using a cotton-wool ball soaked in a solution of 1 cup of distilled water and half a teaspoon of salt. Very gently, clean the hair around the eyes but take extra care not to touch the eye itself.

Always use a separate cotton/wool ball for each eye to avoid cross infection and, remember to wash your hands before and after cleaning your dog's eyes. Regular inspection and cleaning will keep your Cocker's eyes bright and sparkling and will help to avoid many dog eye problems.

Cocker Spaniel Health - Teeth And Mouth

One of the most common symptoms of poor canine health is Halitosis or 'dog breath'. Halitosis is often mistaken for a condition commonly known as 'Cocker mouth' - if your dog has suffered from this condition, you'll know about it!

It's caused by food debris and moisture accumulating around the hair on the bottom lips, which attracts bacteria - this is where the problems begin - trust me, it really does stink! If your dog's mouth is not cleaned or wiped after each meal it can easily develop to the stage where your vet may need to prescribe medication to get rid of the bacteria.

If your dog has bad breath, it could also be a sign of poor dental hygiene, serious tooth decay or some other oral health problem.

However, if your dog's dental hygiene is good, his bad breath may be a symptom of a more serious, underlying, medical problem which will need the immediate advice of a vet, who will not only make the correct diagnosis, but will offer the right treatment too. Never try to make your own diagnosis - always talk to the professionals - for your dog's sake!

Cocker Spaniel Health - Anal Glands

You'll know if there's a problem with your dog's anal glands - your nose will tell you! The glands can be found just below and to either side of the anal opening.

If dog anal glands are not working properly, usually as a result of a poor diet, they can become impacted or infected and will need to be cleared. This is fairly easy to do but if you're squeamish, or don't feel confident enough to do it yourself, perhaps you could ask your vet or your groomer to do it for you?

Cocker Spaniel Health Problems

All dog breeds have health concerns and, as a responsible dog owner, you will want to know which health problems may affect your pet. Some of those that could affect Cocker Spaniel health are as follows:

- Progressive Retinal Atrophy (Eye Disease),
- Glaucoma (Eye Disease),
- Cataracts (Eye Condition),
- Familial Nephropathy (Fatal Kidney Disease),
- Hip Dysplasia (Abnormal Development of the Hip Joint),
- Auto-Immune Disease (This name covers a range of immune-related diseases such as, Hypothyroidism, Addisons Disease, Haemolytic Anaemia, and many others).

Cocker Spaniel Health - Conclusion

There are some Cocker Spaniel health problems that may not be preventable, such as hereditary diseases or conditions; however there are many that we can help to prevent with regular inspection and by keeping your dog's eyes scrupulously clean. The above checks and cleaning routines can be easily incorporated into your dog's grooming sessions.

As loving dog owners, Cocker Spaniel health is very important to us. We love our dogs and want them to be in the best of health at all times.

However, it's vital that when our dogs are unwell we don't try to diagnose the symptoms ourselves. We must always consult a qualified veterinary if we're at all concerned about our dog's health

About Author
Pauline Simpson passes on her comprehensive knowledge of caring for Cocker Spaniels at About-Cocker-Spaniels.com where she covers early puppy stages through adulthood and beyond including info on cocker spaniel health

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