Cockapoo

Inherited from both sides and the single most likely thing to go wrong. Both Cockers carry long heavy ears that seal the canal, and the Poodle cross adds hair growing inside it, so warmth and moisture build and yeast and bacteria follow. Weekly checking, cleaning and drying is the whole prevention and it never stops. Left to run, chronic otitis becomes painful, medication-dependent and occasionally surgical, and it is the commonest recurring bill owners of this cross report.

Progressive retinal atrophy comes from both parents - the prcd form is the one both the Cocker Spaniel and the Poodle carry, and a DNA test for PRA-prcd exists, so ask for results on both parents rather than a reassurance. Glaucoma comes from the Cocker side, where pressure builds inside the eye; it is a painful emergency that destroys vision within hours and no test predicts it, so an annual eye exam earns its place.

An inherited kidney disease specific to the English Cocker Spaniel, in which the filtering structures fail and young dogs go into kidney failure between roughly six months and two years. There is no treatment and there is a DNA test, so a breeder who tests the English Cocker parent removes the risk entirely. This one is the practical reason to ask which Cocker is in the cross.

The immune system destroys the dog's own red blood cells, causing sudden weakness, pale gums and collapse. American Cocker Spaniels are over-represented, there is no screening test, and treatment is an emergency admission followed by months of immune-suppressing medication. Expensive and occasionally fatal, but uncommon.

Two small-dog joint problems, patellar luxation from both parents and Legg-Calve-Perthes mainly from the Miniature and Toy Poodle side. The kneecap slips out of its groove, showing as an occasional skip in the step; the head of the femur loses its blood supply and collapses, usually before a year old. Both are surgical when severe, both show up young, and both parents can have their knees examined and graded.

Two Poodle-side conditions with no DNA test between them. Epilepsy means recurrent seizures with no other cause, typically starting between one and five years old and managed with lifelong daily medication rather than cured - and insurers exclude it once it is on the record. Sebaceous adenitis is an immune condition that destroys the skin's oil glands, leaving dry, scaly skin and patchy coat loss; oil baths and supplements manage it well.