Torture breeding: Flat-faced dogs suffer from skin diseases
Flat-faced dog breeds are at high risk of painful skin diseases. Animal welfare organizations are calling for a breeding ban.
A new study led by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in London has found that flat-faced dogs with skin folds, such as Bulldogs or Pugs, are up to 50 times more likely to develop a painful skin condition known as skin fold dermatitis.
This condition, caused by friction, excessive moisture, and poor ventilation deep within the skin folds, can often be very distressing for dogs and lead to significant discomfort and pain, manifesting as reddened skin, ulcers, and unpleasant odour.
When analysing records from over 900,000 dogs in England, experts found that skin fold dermatitis was most frequently diagnosed in English Bulldogs. Compared to mixed-breed dogs, English Bulldogs had a 49.1 times higher risk of developing this condition, followed by French Bulldogs (26 times the risk), Pugs (16 times), Basset Hounds (10.7), Cocker Spaniels (7.5), Shar Peis (6.4), Boxers (4.6), and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (4.5). The best-protected breeds, by contrast, were Yorkshire Terriers (0.1 times the risk), Border Collies (0.3), Whippets (0.43), Patterdale Terriers (0.45), and Lhasa Apsos (0.47).
The most common symptoms of skin fold dermatitis were reddened skin, inflammation, moisture, unpleasant odour, and pain, occurring most frequently at the lips (36.8%), facial folds (22%), vulva (14.2%), nasal folds (9%), tails (5.8%), and periocular folds (3.5%).
«Skin fold dermatitis is a common problem in dogs with skin folds or pockets«, said the lead author of the study, Anke Hendricks, a veterinary dermatologist at the RVC. «It is not always easy to identify where the folds are deep, and this is not necessarily noted in medical records, so this study likely underestimates the problem. Preventing or treating an infection requires very frequent skin care or medication throughout a dog's entire life, which considerably complicates and increases the cost of living with an affected dog.«
«As humans, it is within our power to ensure that every pet dog starts life with good natural health«, added the study's lead author, Dan O'Neill, an associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the RVC. «When choosing a dog, this means selecting a breed that does not have extreme features such as folded skin, which can lead to lifelong painful skin infections.«
