Overview
Part of the official UK Kennel Club testing scheme in Spaniel (Cocker), Spaniel (English Cocker) and Spaniel (English Springer)
Acral mutilation syndrome is a rare condition in some sporting dogs breeds. The hallmarks of the disease are loss of pain sensation, which results in dogs slowly but progressively over-grooming (licking) or biting their pads and paws leading to bleeding and ulceration. This in turn leads to bacterial and fungal infections and in many cases ulcers. Symptoms naturally occur in puppies around 4 months old.
While symptoms can be managed, there is no cure and euthanasia is a common outcome.