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Very frequently, when perusing advertisements for dogs at stud, or puppies
for sale within the gundog breeds, particularly when they relate to labrador
or golden retrievers, one often will read the claim 'Hips and Eyes clear' or
'Eyes clear and hips scored' followed more often than not with a dual set of
figures, say 3/4, 0/0 or 6/7.
What can the potential brood bitch owner or puppy purchaser deduce from such
information? Although English Springer spaniels can suffer from defects of
both their eyes and hips, the problem seems nothing like so pronounced as in
the case of many other breeds, notably the labrador, which along with the German
shepherd dog(Alsation) and Clumber spaniel, can be said to be 'predisposed' to
hip dysplasia and even more serious, progressive retinal atrophy(PRA), a serious
hereditary eye disease which can affect both labs and Clumbers.
English Springer spaniels, on the other hand, occasionally produce a specimen
whose hips do not show up as good on X-ray but a clinically lame Springer through
HD is a rarity and most Springers with less than perfect hips are able to live out
their working lives with no problem of locomotion. Perhaps this is why so few
working Springer spaniels have had their hips X-rayed because problems are so
minimal but if one delves underneath the carpet, dirt inevitably will be found
which is why when some Springers do have their hips tested, show less then perfect
results which would be more serious in the case of labradors but seem of lesser
importance in Springers both from a working and a hereditary point of view.
Some Springers are affected by retinal dysplasia(RD) which is an abnormality
rather than a disease and whereas several years ago some eminent opthalmologists
tried to frighten the life out of Springer people by predicting dire consequences
regarding 'storing up trouble' for ourselves in the future, it should be borne in
mind that several years after this pronouncement was made, Wilson Stephens wrote:
"We are in the future now", going on to point out that this condition had not
exacerbated. In one case out of every several hundred, or perhaps thousand,
a Springer is born with a severe form, retinal detachment, which causes blindness
and could account for, 'The odd blind spaniel' which the late and great John Kent
told we older stagers had always manifested itself. The more usual retinal folds
do not cause blindness and are non-progressive and actually can diminish with age.
Some young Springer pups have tested positive and then tested clear as adults.
Can we be advised on the true status of such animals? Are they technically
affected or clear? A case in point concerns a famous stud dog. He was tested five
times and failed the first three examinations and passed the last two.
Such persistence on the part of his breeder was due to the fact that to be affected,
this dog's dam would have to carry a recessive gene, as would his sire. His dam's
first 18 progeny had all tested clear to three different stud dogs. In the final
analysis, the dog became a great sire and the inevitable grapevine gossip never
gave a hint that his progeny were in any way affected. Unlike labradors and golden
retrievers, the English Springer is free from hereditary cataract, so all in all,
springers are rather healthy animals when of working stock. Labrador breeders,
however, have to exercise more caution and the majority of top breeders seem
particularly responsible.
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by Keith Erlandson