English Cocker Spaniels come in a myriad of beautiful and diverse colours.
More
important than colour is their happy, willing to please temperament.
The Merry Cocker has a tail that is never at rest.
Like all dogs they are a pack animal and become part of their human pack where they live, eat and sleep. And, like all animals they need love, attention, health care, hobbies, exercise and good hygiene.
In their case 'good hygiene' is grooming to keep their coat smooth and mat free.
Keeping ears clean inside and out is very important to the floppy eared breeds
ECs come in Solid and Parti colours.
Roaning is the mixture of hairs; white and a colour.
Solids can be black, red, liver,and black and tan.
Parties can be white with black, red, orange, lemon, liver markings.
Roans can be blue, red, orange, liver and lemon.
As companion dogs they need companionship as much as they provide friendship and faithfulness.
Health Issues
:
English Cocker Spaniels are generally healthy.
However, as with other breeds, they are susceptible to some health problems, some of a genetic nature, others viral.
The most common problems found in the breed are:
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) - see - OPTIGEN link below
Hip Dysplasia - see - OFA and OVC links below
Chronic Hepatitis
Familial Nephropathy (FN). This is a hereditary, fatal kidney disease in young Cocker Spaniels. -see OPTIGEN link below
If you are considering the adoption of a English Cocker Spaniel puppy, or any breed, it is very important to be selective in choosing a responsible and reputable breeder.
Ensure that the prospective puppy's parents have all health clearances.
Breeding of any dog should not be done until after they have been proven to be free of evidence of significant hereditary diseases.
More Resource Links
The OptiGen FN test is a DNA-based test that accurately diagnoses a fatal kidney disease that occurs in English Cocker Spaniels (ECS). The test also detects CARRIERS of this disease and clears dogs that are genetically NORMAL.
Familial Nephropathy (FN) has been referred to in several ways: kidney failure, fatal renal disease, juvenile nephropathy, renal cortical hypoplasia, hereditary nephritis (HN), Autosomal Hereditary Recessive Nephropathy (AHRN) in canines and Alport's Syndrome in humans. Among ECS breeders in the U.S. , the most common reference is to FN” and this term is used to name the OptiGen test.
FN is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern in the ECS. This means the gene mutation responsible for FN is located on an autosome (that is, a chromosome that is not a sex chromosome) and FN disease results when the gene mutation is passed to the offspring by both the mother and the father. (A similar kidney disease in other breeds can be caused by different gene mutations with X-linked or dominant inheritance.)
FN disease is a juvenile-onset fatal kidney (renal) failure recognized in ECS worldwide for more than 50 years. The renal disease caused by FN invariably is progressive and ultimately fatal; however, the rate of disease progression observed in affected dogs is more rapid in some individuals than in others.
Dogs with FN typically develop chronic renal failure between 6 months and 2 years of age, with eventual and sometimes rapid destruction of both kidneys. The early clinical signs are the same as those associated with chronic renal failure due to any other cause. These include excessive water consumption, excessive urine volume, reduced growth rate or weight loss, poor quality hair coat, reduced appetite, and vomiting. Persistent high levels of protein in the urine of a young ECS most often proves to be due to FN.
