English bulldogs tend to be at an increased risk of respiratory, eye and skin diseases, so it may be necessary to breed the breed with other physical characteristics. In short, these are the findings of a study published in the journal Canine Medicine and Genetics and conducted by scientists from the Royal Veterinary College. The team, led by Dan O’Neill, compared the risks of common diseases in English bulldogs and other dogs. The research team analyzed data from UK veterinary studies. In total, the records of 2,662 English bulldogs and 22,039 dogs of other breeds were evaluated.
According to the survey, English bulldogs were twice as likely to suffer from a medical condition as other breeds. Specifically, the authors report that skin fold disease compared to disease in English bulldogs was 38.12 and 26.79 times more common than in other dogs, respectively. English bulldogs had a 19.20 higher risk of developing respiratory syndrome and sometimes having breathing problems, but they appeared to be less prone to conditions such as dental disease, heart murmurs and flea infections.
Overall, the authors concluded that English bulldog breed standards should be redefined towards less accentuated traits in order to improve the life expectancy of members of the breed. Originally selected as a muscular and athletic bullfighting dog, the English bulldog is now considered a show and companion animal, characterized by features such as a prominent jaw, skin folds and a stocky, heavy build.
“These results – comments O’Neill – suggest that the general health of the English bulldog is worse than that of other dogs. Most worrisome, however, is that many of the health issues these animals suffer from are directly related to the extreme structure of their bodies, which they were selectively bred to exhibit. Redefining the breed gun could improve the health of these dogs ».