Is Your Cocker Spaniel Healthy? You are what you eat! How many times have we heard that? Well, it's also true of dogs. You can boost your Cocker Spaniel's health by ensuring he eats a nutritious, well-balanced diet.

His coat and eyes will shine and he'll grow strong bones and teeth and a strong immune system. In addition to a nutritious diet, a good grooming routine and a few simple checks will keep your Cocker Spaniel fit and healthy for life!

Cocker Spaniel Health - Ears To say Cocker Spaniels' ears are prone to infection is an understatement! Cocker Spaniel ears are long, pendulous and luxuriously silky - they're beautiful and quite tactile!

Their ears lie flat, close to the head, and they often have a heavy growth of fine hair just outside (and sometimes inside) the entrance to the ear canal, making it difficult for air to circulate. If the hair around the ear canal is not regularly plucked or kept to a minimum to increase the air circulation, it can create a warm, dark, and damp environment - ideal growing conditions for infection and bacteria! That's why it's important that we keep our Cocker Spaniel's ears really clean.

You can use any ear cleaner, usually in the form of drops, from your local pet supplier or your vet. Follow the instructions on the packaging and use separate cleaning materials for each ear to avoid cross infection.

Be gentle, and don't poke anything into your dog's ears - it could cause serious damage. Simply clean the outside area and just inside the ear canal, but only as far as you can see - don't go any further. Don't forget to wash your hands before and after cleaning your dog's ears.

Cocker Spaniel Health - Eyes Cockers are also prone to problems with their eyes, for example, glaucoma, distichiasis, and conjunctivitis. It's important therefore to keep your Cocker's eyes clean by inspecting them weekly, cleaning them once each month, and taking your pet to have regular check-ups with his vet.

Clean your dog's eyes at least once a month using a cotton-wool ball soaked in a solution of 1 cup of distilled water and half a teaspoon of salt. Very gently, clean the hair around the eyes but take extra care not to touch the eye itself.

Always use a separate cotton/wool ball for each eye to avoid cross infection and, remember to wash your hands before and after cleaning your dog's eyes. Regular inspection and cleaning will keep your Cocker's eyes bright and sparkling and will help to avoid many dog eye problems.

Cocker Spaniel Health - Teeth And Mouth One of the most common symptoms of poor canine health is Halitosis or 'dog breath'. Halitosis is often mistaken for a condition commonly known as 'Cocker mouth' - if your dog has suffered from this condition, you'll know about it!

It's caused by food debris and moisture accumulating around the hair on the bottom lips, which attracts bacteria - this is where the problems begin - trust me, it really does stink! If your dog's mouth is not cleaned or wiped after each meal it can easily develop to the stage where your vet may need to prescribe medication to get rid of the bacteria.

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