A vet has gone viral on social media after sharing his opinion on the five dog breeds he would ‘never own’ after his experience treating them.
TikTok user @ben.the.vet explained why he would not have some popular breeds as a pet, including dachshunds, pugs, and Cavalier King Charles spaniels. The video has since had more than five million views on the platform, with many dog owners leaving comments to share their own experiences of caring for their four-legged friends.
Ben’s reasoning largely stemmed from the list of health issues associated with these breeds, from respiratory problems to heart disease, the Liverpool Echo reports . Here are the five breeds that the vet said he would personally never own.
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Chow Chow
These fluffy giants were at the top of Ben’s list. “I'm sure there are some nice ones but I just find they often don't have a very nice temperament,” he said.
“They can be really aloof, they're often very aggressive at the vets. They suffer quite commonly with a ton of eye problems, and their purple tongues are a bit unnerving,” he added.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The vet had a lot of praise for these popular pooches - but added that while they are “the loveliest dogs”, he would never have one as a pet due to their health problems.
“They do have a lot of issues,” he said. “Pretty much all of them get the same kind of heart disease, called mitral valve disease, which means they mainly spend their final days spluttering and struggling to breathe, and ultimately dying of heart failure.”
Ben added: “Okay, they've got to die of something. But in my opinion, breeding a dog with such a high probability of disease is not fair.”
Dachshund
Ben included these much-loved dogs on his list due a common health issue. “They're really lovely dogs, some of my favourite patients are sausage dogs, but one in four of them develop back problems in their lifetime,” he explained.
“That can range from just pain to complete paralysis. This frequently means they have to have spinal surgery, which is obviously a massive undertaking that has a really long recovery period. Fantastic personalities - but too much potential for heartbreak,” he concluded.
Shar Pei
Shar Peis came fourth on Ben’s list due to their characteristic wrinkly appearance - which can quickly rack up vet bills. “Most of the Shar Peis I see have loads of health issues,” he said.
The vet added: “There are people breeding less exaggerated Shar Peis, but most of them are too wrinkly. They're so wrinkly they have to have their eyelids tacked in place, they're always getting skin issues and they've got tiny, narrow ear canals.”
Flat-faced breeds
Lastly, Ben named flat-faced breeds - including French bulldogs, English bulldogs and pugs - as another type of dog that he would never own as a pet. The health problems that these dogs experience has been widely publicised in recent years - they came bottom of the list for life expectancy in a study earlier this year , and some have called to ban these breeds as part of a crackdown on dangerous ‘ over-breeding ’.
Ben explained: “Society has normalised the fact these dogs snorting means they can't breathe very well. There are specimens of these dogs that are healthier than others, but they are so prone to so many issues.
“Spinal issues, skin problems, eye problems,” he listed. “The fact that over half of them have to have a caesarean to give birth is enough of an ethical issue for me to never want to have one. If you're okay with that, that's fine, but for me it isn't very fair.”
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