A vet has named the five breeds of dogs he would never own as a pet on social media. The 'Five dog breeds I would/could never own as a veterinary surgeon' video posted on TikTok has generated millions of views.
Under the username @ben.the.vet, the vet was at pains to say it was just his opinion and that people might disagree. The first breed Ben identified is the Chow Chow, reports the Liverpool Echo.
He explained: "I'm sure there are some nice ones but I just find they often don't have a very nice temperament, they're really aloof. They're often very aggressive at the vets, they suffer quite commonly with eye problems and their purple tongues are a bit unnerving."
Next up was the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which Ben said was "unfortunate". He added: "They are the loveliest dogs. If I was going to pick a dog breed for myself, if it weren't for all of the health issues, it would probably be the Cavvy.
"But they do have a lot of issues. 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.
"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."
Third on Ben's list is the dachshund, otherwise known as a 'sausage dog'. He said: "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.
"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. Too much potential for heartbreak".
Shar Pei dogs were fourth in Ben's countdown. He said they even have a disease named after them - Shar Pei fever. He 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.
"At the vets, they're often trying to bite the faces off all of the staff. Most of the Shar Peis I see have loads of health issues".
Finally, Ben said he would never own any "flat-faced" dog breeds, such as bulldogs or pugs. He said: "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.
He said: "Spinal issues, skin problems, eye problems. 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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