I had my Ess Brodie at the vet for an ear check up on Monday, this was after he had them flushed 10 days ago.

When we got Brodie he came with an ear infection and in his short year and a half he has had about 10 infections, we never seem to be away from the vet :(

When we were there I mentioned again about his left leg, as he has grown we have noticed that he has become very lame after running, I have been told a number of times it was just how he was but I was not convinced, however my new vet checked him over and is nearly 100% sure he has Elbow Dysplasia, I am devastated, he is going in next week to have a couple of x-rays to confirm the ED.

From what I have read it seems to be a genetic problem?? that is one question I wish to confirm.  Should I also inform the breeder?? (last email regarding Brodies retained testicle was last November, I am still awaiting a reply)

To give you a clearer picture, when we collected we were advised that he had a retained testicle, I was assured that it would not cause any problems and would be normal in no time, he advised me all the male pups in the litter were the same and the previous litter had the same problem.
When we purchased Brodie we went to visit at least 3 times before bringing him home and at no point were we advised of this??

I kept the breeder updated with progress on this matter, on my last email, I advised that my vet has refused to castrate Brodie because he tends to have a very nervous nature and by removing the testicles this would make him worse, instead we g every 6 months or less to have a check up, I was advised by my vet to tell the breeder that he should not be breeding from a bitch and dog with this issue.  I have had no reply since this email!

When we brought Brodie home he came with a free ear infection which has been a nightmare ongoing issue, then add in the retained testicle, that we can manage but if he has ED what is his life going to be like and does the breeder have a responsibility of care to help with regards to the ED??

Brodies breeder I found on this site and they were on the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, plus the male breeder works for the Kennel Club inspecting Kennels that have had complaints.  So I thought I was using a really good breeder, they parents ad all the relevant health tests apart from hips and his reason for this is that he believes all dogs get arthritis and that's all it shows??
I have been doing some digging recently and it turns out that this breeder is no longer an Accredited Breeder and that a dog he previous purchased from another breeder he took the breeder to court because the dog developed HD??

So my questions are this, I have already had no response since November 2013 with regards to the health concerns about his ears and retained testicle. Should I send another email and add in this time about the ED, (I wont send the email until after the x-rays to be 100% sure, even though my vet is)

How should I advise that this has happened??  would the ED be caused by the breeding of this bitch and dog??  all I want if confirmed is that he advises the other buyers that there is an issue, but if he doesn't respond what can I do?? I have sent an email to the Kennel Club but not named the breeder just to ask there advice.

Sorry for the ramble, I am just so concerned that my poor boy is now suffering when it could have been prevented, just like the retained testicle could have been prevented.

The main reason I went to this breeder is that we suddenly lost a 4 year old to Epilepsy and I wanted my pup to come from health tested parents and have the best start instead he is now restricted and may require surgery at just over a year and a half..

This breeder was close to us but has now moved to Wales??

Please help, I need to know and understand the impact ED will have on my boy, financially we are fine he has insurance. Will his quality of life change?
Is there any non surgical options to try and fix his leg.
I just feel the breeder seen us coming, saying that I would never change him for anything, he has a great temperament, happy, loving little dog that always wants to be with you he is just a little nervous with strangers.

I can't help regarding the elbow problem,  but according to the animal health trust,  it can be caused by environmental influences,  eg,  injury,  over exercising at a young age/innappropriate exercise at a young age,  overweight whilst growing and afterwards,  in addition to having a genetic pre-disposition.

More to read here  http://www.aht.org.uk/cms-display/hip_elbow_dysplasia.html

Regarding the retained testicle,  it can be devilishly difficult to feel testicles in young puppies,  and they can retract them whilst they are being felt for,  so at 8 -  12 weeks it wouldn't be a major concern.

As your dog is now 18 months,  it's unlikely that the testicle would make an appearance now, but I'm puzzled as to why your vet hasn't suggested removing the retained testicle and leaving the descended one?   I would still wait until 2 years old to do this though ;-)

This would mean that the retained testicle couldn't cause any problems,  and the other one would be left to provide the hormones your dog needs.

It is considered to be a genetic issue in large heavy and giant breeds, that have a lot of growing to do as it is a disturbance an inequality in the growing other the bones and cartilage in the shoulder/elbow are.

It does seem to currently be a go to suspicion among vets, (from anecdotal conversations with various breeders)much as any hind limb lameness used to get oh it must be Hip Dysplasia, bit like the car mechanics head scratch and breath suck, when they want you to spend a lot.

There is a screening scheme to which predisposed breeds are encouraged to score.

In the UK Springers would certainly not come into that category.

In the USA there is a table of Elbow scores by breed. http://www.offa.org/stats_ed.html

Bear in mind until last year those graded 1 were considered suitable for breeding, though the current advice is to only breed from 0 scores.

Breed: ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL  

Rank: 26

Number of Evaluations: 2375

Percent Normal: 86.7%

Percent Dysplastic: 13.2%

Percent Grade I: 11.0%

Percent Grade II: 1.9%

Percent Grade III: 0.3%

The Finish Kennel club have an open database and on their statistics for Elbows in the breed http://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmTerveys.aspx?R=125&Lang=en
show  307 of the breed scored (about 10% of those born) in the last 10 years with 286 scoring 0 (normal), 19 scoring Grade 1, and 1 each scoring grade 2 and Grade3.

So with the above I would say your boy has been very unlucky if he has elbow Dysplasia and it is not a hereditary issue in the breed, showing statistically low incidence.  A 10% of total registered population scored is quite good.  As it is normally only breeding dogs that would be scored.

If your boy is going to be X-rayed and is over a year of age please ask to be assessed under the Elbow Scoring scheme so his results can be added to breed totals for the UK.

http://www.bva.co.uk/canine_health_schemes/Elbow_Scheme.aspx

I took on a rescue with ED, she had been operated on before I took her (the breed rescue organised and paid for it), she was never going to be as agile as other dogs of her breed and age but coped well, always ready for a walk, but would turn for home when she had enough, and she led a good life. The problem came when she ruptured her cruciate, it wasn't possible to operate as her other legs were not strong enough to stand immobilising one of her good legs. She managed on medication and heavy pain killers for some time before we had to give up the fight. All in all she had almost 6 years of quality life, there is no reason why Brodie can't live a good life for a good number of years, luck just ran out for my girl with the cruciate damage. Talk over the operation with the vet and take his advice.
As for contacting the breeder, I know from experience that you can't make the breeder respond, he is obviously not interested in the well being of his pups or of future litters, you sound to be doing so well with your pup - do you really want to involve an ignorant breeder? You can't force him to tell other buyers about problems, you have done the decent thing notifying him of Brodie's health problems but he obviously wants to ignore the facts and keep on selling pups!

Thank you for taking the time to reply.
I must confess that I get lost when I started reading all the different information with regards to ED.  I have read there could also be a load of different causes for this.

To try and explain, when he is running he throws the leg out, it is like a limp limb, it kind of flaps, when he is standing, the shoulder is straight, the elow turns right out and the leg seems to slope inwards, the paw turns out the way?  We have also noticed that when he is standing he seems to stand higher on his toes as such and he has a shake in this leg??  When he is walking around the house he seems to pad his way along, it sounds like he has slippers on and shuffling, he tends not to lift his paws like my other ESS.

When the vet examined his leg, he showed no signs of pain at all, he did not cry, he did not pull his leg away, is it possible it is just how his leg is??

When he was young, he never got to go up or down the stairs until over a year old, he always got carried. His weight is currently 18kg, I think he looks very thin but the vet says he is how he likes to see them??  He does have a lot of muscle and not much fat at all.  He is fed on Arden Grange Sensitive, this was a replacement for the normal AG adult in case his ear issue is down to an allergy in the food.  His tennis balls are never thrown high in the air if we throw them (not so much now) it is always ground level.

I feel sorry for him as he is so restricted he is not getting a chance to be a springer, he is not allowed near water because of the ears, now I have to cut his exercise down and do more lead work.. I do more mental exercise with him now, like hiding stuff, using his kong etc.

My partner is more of the " I think they only want money attitude" but I do not want to take any risks with my boys health.  When we lost Olli with the Epilepsy I always questioned if I had done enough, and that has carried through to Brodie, I worry all the time with regards to the retained testicle.

The reason the vets wont remove just the retained testicle is because he says leaving one will not do anything for him and he will not full castrate him because he said it will make his nervousness worse.  He is terrified of the vet, the first vet we seen I think just didn't have the same time to deal with him and it felt rushed, don't get me wrong he is a brilliant vet, the second vet has been great, he gets down on his hands and knees with Brdoie, he waits until Brodie approaches him before touching him, ever thing is done at Brodie's pace and it is him that is concerned about his leg, even though every other vet has just dismissed it?

With regards to his retained testicle I would prefer to have it removed as I worry something could happen (eg cancer, a twist in the tube etc) but I am listening to my vet so it means check ups every 6 months or less.

I could try and attach a picture to show how he stands if you think that would help?

Thank you again

Ps, I am not 100% blaming the breeder, it was when the vet said that ED has genetic links and I started researching then got confused, easy done for me.  I just hope that it is just how his leg is.

>To give you a clearer picture, when we collected we were advised that he had a retained testicle, I was assured that it would not cause any >problems and would be normal in no time, he advised me all the male pups in the litter were the same and the previous litter had the same problem.

This is interesting, as my friend's daughter has a Cocker Spaniel from a breeder who is involved in the breed and health tests, but the pup has a retained testicle.  Friend's daughter was told that it's not a problem, lots of Cockers have a retained testicle, and it's a regular occurence in the breeders lines!

There does seem to be a vast difference in attitude to what I  see in my own breed, where retained testicles are rare and would cause a re-evaluation of breeding lines.

I find this most worrying as Cocker spaniels are not by any means a rare breed, whilst Bedlington Terriers are low in numbers.

Thank you for your kind message.
I am hoping that they just say, that is just how Brodie's leg is and nothings wrong.
We will manage with what ever the outcome.

You are correct with regards to the breeder, I guess I just wanted him to show they cared about the litter they produced and this was important because of how we lost Olli with Epilepsy, the breeders non response then no acknowledgment hurt, these people bring these pups into the world they have a duty to care, well that's what I thought.
If they don't it's ok, cause I no Brodie will get what every care he requires no matter the cost.

I must say I like the fact your vet is not keen to castrate fro reasons of his nervousness, as so many would.

I still think that he should have the retained one removed but there is no hurry.  One testicle will provide all the confidence boosting testosterone and keep his coat reasonable (for some reasons spaniels coats become very difficult to groom when neutered).

The breeder should not be perpetuating this retained testicle trait, though as far as ED is concerned it is not a breed issue as such and breeders have had not been advised or seen reason to score in the UK..

Thank you for the reply.

I did ask to have the retained testicle removed and was advised that because of the position of it, they would have to open him right up which would be a big and painful operation and he did not think it would be good for him to go through that, the younger vet we seen to start with, at 6 months old wanted to remove both testicles!  The new vet I see is brilliant and said that in 35 years in his job he has only ever had two problems with dogs with retained testicles, the 1st being a twisted tube which he said was very rare and the second dog ended up with a tumour which was not cancerous.
He said both were small terrier type dogs.  He was happy to leave Brodie alone but at anytime there is the slightest change he will take him in and remove it.

<for some reasons spaniels coats become very difficult to groom when neutered>
We already have issues with Brodie's coat, because of his nervousness. We have really bad issues with his coat moulting, the vet explained that because he becomes very stressed, this is what will be causing his coat to come out more, I was brushing him every day but I have to reduce this to every three days.  I have hunted the net to see if there is anything to try on his coat but so far not found anything apart from clipping him and I am not keen on clipping his coat off, I prefer to keep them looking like ESS.

If Brodie was your dog when would you have the testicle removed, the testicle itself is located high up near his belly button area, the testicle is very small half the size of the descended one. The normal one is small too...  Poor boy doesn't have much going for him :(

We are working on his nervousness by training classes, the trainers are great and if he is getting really stressed, we sit at the side and watch, he is very nervous of large dogs, well any dog that is bigger than him, so if we are out and about we make him sit and wait until the dog has passed,. I take him to different location to see different things, he is not a typical ESS, he likes sitting watching the bunnies on the golf course, doesn't chase them :)

We don't no why he is so nervous, he went everywhere with my other springer and Lab when he was a puppy until he could get down to walk he was carried, he has been in the car, travels well, we just don't understand his nervousness, he is scared of his own shadow??

Thanks again everyone for your advice, I just really hope it is not ED and is just a wonky leg or something else..

There is only an increased risk of the testicle going cancerous, and testicular cancer is pretty rare, so on balance unless there were signs he was unwell I'd not worry about it.

I think many vets use it as a scare tactic to get owners to castrate their dogs, completely unnecessarily.

Responsible owners don't let their males go courting, and the irresponsible would not neuter anyway.

As a breeder I do feel very strongly that a large part of a dog temperament and character are inherited.

Socialisation can improve things, and lack of it can affect (I believe temporarily) even the best. 

Having imported a dog at 9 weeks who spend 6 months in Quarantine and was able to be shown days after release, because he had inherited a sound character.(lots of dogs people new experiences at 9 months after solitary confinement with just visits a couple of times a week from his owners).

For this reason I would always advise people meet their new puppies mother, preferably before the puppies are born and after.  Do not accept excuses about shy or aggressive behaviour 'because she has puppies'  away from them she should be happy to meet you, and the kind of character you hope the pup will be. You may have less chance of meeting the dad, as most good breeders will not often be using their own males (if they have any), but if you can arrange to meet him (and or his previous offspring) at a show or trial do so.

Responsible owners don't let their males go courting, and the irresponsible would not neuter anyway.

I have never thought about it that way.

We have no intention of letting Brodie go courting (that's another one for his cant do list) I have never neutered any of our males, I prefer to leave them intact.  We have never had any issues with them running away after a bitch, even when the staff down the road was in heat and off the lead the boys were controlled, on lead.

I would never breed from any of my dogs, I only have them for pets. I cannot offer anything to the breed, they are not worked or showed and achieved something amazing, so I have no right to even think of breeding!!  I truly admire the great breeders on here, I like reading the posts and the advice that is offered, maybe not taken but at least honestly offered.

I thank everyone who has replied and I now have a bit more hope that it might not be ED, maybe something more simple?

I will keep my fingers crossed for Brodie's x-ray results and that his retained testicle is ok, if anything changes I know I am in safe hands with my vet, I honestly cannot praise him enough, the time he gives Brodie and the length he goes to, to help calm him, he truly is amazing :)

Fingers crossed.

If the retained testicle can be located, then there is less risk of missing any 'developments' so less of a worry keeping it.

Poor lad, sounds like he needs all the help he can get.

With my highly exciteable Bedlington youngster, I resorted toCSJ 'Calm Down', a herbal supplement.  It worked wonders and allowed her to relax a bit.  Before being given the herbs, we'd tried different foods etc. and she was still hyper to the point that the dogs would get really fed up with her, and even she would get a look in her eye that told me she wanted to stop!  She was like a dog on 'speed'!  Once the herbs took effect, she became a normal bouncy youngster, but with an off switch. 

It also works equally well for nervousness, calming the dog without being 'doped' or dozy.  

Oh that would maybe work wonders for Brodie when he goes to the vets, thaks for that Dill.

When he was in to get his ears flushed out he had to be heavily sedated, the vet done this while I was there with him then I went back 30 mins later to bring him home, it took him from 12 noon when he had the injection until 9pm that night to be able to stand and hold his back end up!  It was a very quiet day that day I tell you.

They have said he will have to have the same again next week when he goes for his x-rays, they will give the sedation before I leave so he is nice and calm, I was concerned about the length of time it took him to recover but the et said because of his nervousness dogs like Brodie seem to absorb the drug more and it takes them longer to come round.

I will certainly look at the website and give the herbs ago, I feel it must take its toll on Brodie being nervous all the time, he always seems worried so anything that can help him is a bonus.

Thank you again for that

I'm sorry to hear about Brodie's problems ((hugs))

My Chow Baloo (and his litter brother Balto, now deceased) was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia when he was 5 months old, he had the worse score possible and had arthroscopic surgery to remove all the loose pieces. I was advised at the time that surgery was only recommended for dogs under a year old, although I don't remember why. When I informed the breeder he had the Dam and the 2 pups he had kept x-rayed and they all had it, although they had showed no symptoms. 

Baloo is now 10 and a half and quite arthritic, he has been on Metacam for the last year or so and recently Tramadol as well.  He has had a happy and full life and done well with his elbows considering I was told he would likely not see 8 years due to the pain of arthritis. Chows are not as active as Spaniels but he is big for his breed and weighs about 32 kg.

Incidentally, Baloo also had a retained testicle which was removed. It was found up with his internal organs and it was a big incision which unfortunately got infected. He started to breath heavily whilst asleep on the floor so I went to wake him to take him outside to cool off but I couldn't rouse him, he started to come round by the time I got him to the after hours vet where he was given an antibiotic injection.  The next night he got up off the floor and there was a huge wet patch on the carpet, I thought he'd wee'd himself, his belly was soaked, his inner thighs and his sleeves. Then I noticed a hole in his wound and pus pouring out, I thought I was going to heave.

I'm sure you are very stressed but Brodie can still have a good quality of life, maybe not as active as you would of liked but still a lot of happy years ahead of him.

Poor Brodie.
I've heard of dogs having operations to fix reacuring ear infections.

With ear infections, try and get him on grain free food as that can help in a lot of cases (grains are effectively sugar which feeds the yeast and bacteria), and you could look at adding some apple cider vinegar to his food to help change his skin pH. Also, try to keep sugar in treats to a minimum - treats like dentasticks are hidden sugar :) I'd also be tempted to add pro and pre-biotics to his diet because the anti-biotics will be knocking out those in his system too.

Also have a chat to your vet about swabbing the ears and sending them away for culturing if this hasn't been done already. A lot of the hard to cure ear infections tend to be pseudonymous infections which require different meds. You can also discuss with your vet about using ear wicks (they help hold in the anti-biotic to the ear canal so it can work better) and/or using a combination of oral anti-biotics as well as drops.

The op for ears is a TECA or TECA-BO  (Total Ear Canal Ablation (and Bullae Osteotomy) which is a fancy way for saying removing the ear canal (and bones) if infection is deep seated in there. This will affect his hearing, so in a nervous dog, this would be something I'd only look at if everything else wasn't working.

Just seen you feed Arden Grange Sensitive. It is grain free, but has beet pulp and yeast, both of which *might* be causing his ear flare ups, so its something to look into :)

Sorry to hear about Brodies problems, I have no advice to offer. But I do think your a fantastically devoted dog mummy and many of us would be proud to have you as an owner/friend of a pup we had bred. I'm sorry you seem to have had the wool pooled over your eyes in regards to the breeder. But like others have said retained testicles is something to breed away from and It sounds as though it wasn't an issue to breed and continue to breed from affected dogs in this case. Your vet also sounds wonderful considering all aspects and the negative affect it may have on his already nervous disposition.

I hoped I would have had some advice re his coat, but other than conditioning and using a high velocity blaster (which with her nervousness I would rule out) I'm not sure what I could offer. Don't advise furminators as they take out all undercoat dead or other wise. But one thing that's just popped in to the noggin. A wide tooth comb with metal teeth wrap alternately so would be chequerboard effect some elastic bands 3 of them to assist in helping to remove the hair in out in out, next row out iin out in etc. this could help.

Perhaps some evening primrose oil and doggy massage techniques. Shame about his ears have you ruled out all dietary allergies. Hydro would be good for him if you could get a happy hoody to protect his ears, google them, some have water treadmills few sessions to help him would be good energy burner too.

A friend of mine had a dog with chronic ear infections, nothing seemed to work including regular sedated washouts.
He moved to France with the dog and his new French vet gave an anti fungal treatment by mouth and it never reoccurred.

I would follow brainless advice regarding the testicle. My gsd had a retained testicle which was right up in the abdominal cavity. we were told to remove asap which we did. Probably not the best advise now I have more knowledge but just to reassure you that if it does have to be rmoved my whispa was fine very quickly it didn't seem to bother himvery much at all and sounds like it could be the same sort of op
personally I would give up now with the breeder and concentrate on Brodie. Such a shame when a breeder does this especially when he came with such good credentials you would expect more