Deafness

American cocker spaniels (and especially English cocker spaniels)
have been reported with cases of congenital deafness.
Most instances of congenital deafness are caused 3-4 weeks after birth
due to the degeneration of blood supply to the inner ear or cochlea.
This type of deafness is associated with white pigmentation
(i.e. white hair, blue eyes) and is permanent.
Congenital deafness may affect one or both ears.
A puppy that fails to wake up during a loud noise
is likely to have bilateral deafness.

Cataracts

A cataract is described as when the eye develops an opacity, a white film,
of the ocular lens or its capsule.
Juvenile Cataracts are those that develop at an early stage in life.
Some puppies developed the initial lesion that were less than six months old.
The use of a slit lamp, also known as a biomicroscope,
is required to diagnose cataracts.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a hereditary seizure disorder.
This disease cannot be cured, but it can be controlled with medication.

Lip Fold Pyoderma

The lip fold is located on the lower lip that contacts the upper fangs.
Pyoderma is a term used to describe a pus-producing skin infection.
If you check the area of the lipfold, raw, denuded skin surface can be seen.

Hip Dysplasia

Hip Dysplasia is the result of the malformation of the hip joint(s).
This condition is a common difficulty in most of the large dog breeds.
This condition is both genetic and environmentally influenced.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy

As the name states Progressive Retinal Atrophy
is a progressively degenerative eye disorder.
It is hereditary in nature and detectable through screening.

Hemophilia

This recessive genetic disorder is usually found in males,
with females being the carriers.
Commonly referred to as the "bleeders disease",
hemophilia is due to insufficient levels of the factor VIII blood
clotting factor. Usually accompanied by hematomas
(pockets of blood under the skin), this condition is present from birth.