Springers have no more health issues than other pedigree breeds and fewer than some. Sadly, not many breeders do the health tests 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 is a range of tests 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, as is Breagha's at 9, but Glen’s at 7 is one of the best in the UK. Zane is just too young to test at the moment but he will have hip scoring and elbow scoring soon.

Elbow Dysplasia

  Elbow problems are becoming increasingly common in Springers so Breagha has been X-rayed to check for this problem. Her score is Right 0 Left 0, overall score 0 which is the best result possible. Zane will be elbow scored soon.

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. All my dogs have the BVA Eyetest and all are Clear. The older ones are 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. The last two litters of Sgurr pups have been 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 and all my dogs are Clear of this problem.

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 will have the condition and pass a damaged gene to all its puppies. All my dogs are 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. All my dogs 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, Peggy Sue and Zane are clear (two normal genes). As Breagha's dam Jodie is Clear she will never be affected by the condition but we will test anyway and take the blood sample when she next goes to the vet.

  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.