Springers have no more health issues than other pedigree breeds and fewer than some. Sadly, not many breeders do the health checks below - they put heads in the sand and say 'nothing like that in my lines'. Well, my view is if you don't test, you don't know! There are a range of checks available to ESS breeders and it is irresponsible not to use them to ensure that pups you sell will never be affected by serious, preventable conditions. Or perhaps people don't test because the results are in the public domain on the Kennel Club website and a bad result cannot be hidden.

Hip Dysplasia

  This a painful condition with an inherited component and approximately 20% of all ESS (not just show lines) are affected. Hip dysplasia is most likely to manifest in dogs that have been over-exercised as puppies and are over-weight as this stresses the growing bones and causes malformations. The condition is treatable by surgery (operation costs in the region of £3000 per hip) and with painkillers. Carefully nurtured pups from parents with low hip scores are less at risk of developing hip dysplasia. The maximum hip score is 106.

  Jodie’s hip-score of 13 is average, Peggy Sue's at 11 is better than the Breed Mean Score but Glen’s at 7 is one of the best in the UK.

KC/BVA Eyetests

  Inherited eye conditions which cause blindness (Multifocal Retinal Dysplasia, General Progressive Retinal Atrophy & Central Progressive Retinal Atrophy) can be diagnosed by eyetests. Glen, Jodie and Peggy Sue were most recently tested in 2009 (including Gonioscopy) and are clear. They are all participating in a research project at the Animal Health Trust to find the gene which carries Multifocal Retinal Dysplasia. They are all clear for this inherited condition. Jodie's last two litters of pups were screened for MRD at seven weeks and all were found clear. An inherited predisposition to Glaucoma – a painful swelling of the eye caused by fluids not draining away properly – is now being found in Springers. Gonioscopy is a procedure that measures the drainage angle of the eye to check whether it is normal – Glen, Jodie and Peggy Sue are normal in this respect. As with MRD there is no genetic test yet for Glaucoma.

Genetic testing (DNA testing)

Progressive Retinal Atrophy cord 1.

  Blindness develops gradually as the dog gets older and is not readily detectable when young dogs have eyetests – the condition onsets at about age three. It is an inherited condition and the gene responsible has only been identified recently. Each dog has two genes for PRA cord 1, one from the sire and one from the dam. If both genes are normal the dog is clear and will neither develop the condition nor pass it on to offspring, If one gene is normal and one is damaged, the dog will not develop blindness but may pass the damaged gene as a carrier to puppies. If both genes are damaged the dog has the condition and will pass a damaged gene to all its puppies. Glen, Jodie and Peggy Sue are clear (two normal genes).

Fucosidosis

  This is a fatal metabolic disorder which typically becomes apparent from about age one year. The body cells rupture and there is no effective treatment and no hope of recovery. To prevent suffering, affected dogs are usually put to sleep as soon as the condition is diagnosed. Glen, Jodie and Peggy Sue are clear (two normal genes).

PFK deficiency (phosphofructokinase deficiency)

  This is an enzyme deficiency which results in the dog having very low blood sugar and hence little energy. The condition can be managed but an affected dog will not be able to work. Glen, Jodie and Peggy Sue are clear (two normal genes).

  All puppies born from earlier matings of Glen and Jodie are hereditarily clear for these three serious conditions. Similarly, pups from a mating of Glen and Peggy Sue will be hereditarily clear. Generally, where one parent is clear, puppies will not be affected but may be carriers and should be tested before being used for breeding.