Health Concerns

Like many highly developed dogs, English Setters as a dog breed suffer numerous health issues. The more common English Setter health issues include:

Atopy, Cataracts, Cherry Eye, Congenital Deafness, Ectropion, Elbow Dysplasia, Entropion, Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (also known as GDV or Bloat), Haemophilia A, Hip Dysplasia, Hypoglycemia, Hypothyroidism, Keratoconjunctivis Sicca, Lymphosarcoma, Lysosomal Storage Diseases, Osteochondrosis, Pemphigus, Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) and von Willebrand’s Disease. Some of these are further explained below.

(The fact that this breed may be susceptible to these conditions does not mean that all dogs of this breed will be affected by them. They are listed here purely as a guide).

Hip Dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is the most common inherited orthopaedic disease in dogs. While this progressive disease affects mainly the larger breeds of dog, it also occurs in many of the smaller breeds including the English Setter. This problem can be made worse, particularly for English Setters, by carrying excess weight as a result of overfeeding by well-meaning but over indulgent English Setter owners.

Entropion
A congenital medical condition, Entropion can be found in many dog breeds, including English Setters. It results in the eyelids folding inwards and causing discomfort when the eyelashes constantly rub against the cornea. Providing it is noticed early enough before the cornea is damaged, this condition can be treated by a relatively simple operation in which the excess skin of the outer eyelid is removed.

We would thoroughly recommend you take out insurance cover for your English Setter. For the cheapest English Setter insurance, please visit Compare Dog Insurance.