Health disorders of Pugs and Border Terriers

Abstract

Health and welfare issues surrounding purebred dogs have been highly controversial since the BBC's Pedigree Dogs Exposed documentary in 2008, but several major reports have identified a deficiency of reliable disorder information within breeds. The limited data available mainly reflects referral or non-UK dog populations and is not necessarily representative of the wider population of UK dogs. This study aimed to use clinical data from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK to report and compare the prevalence of common disorders in Border Terriers and Pugs. Electronic patient records spanning 1st January to 31st December 2013 covering 1,327 Border Terriers and 1,015 Pugs within the VetCompass Programme were manually examined to extract data on all disorders diagnosed during this period. Border Terriers had a median age of 5.9 years (Interquartile range [IQR]: 3.1- 9.2) and a median weight of 9.9 kg (IQR: 8.6-11.5), compared with 3.0 years (IQR: 1.3-5.2) and 8.8 kg (IQR: 7.1-10.1) for Pugs. 47.2% of Border Terriers were neutered, 34.1% were insured and 45.6% were microchipped, compared with 30.9%, 25.5% and 37.0% for the Pugs. The most prevalent disorders of Border Terriers were periodontal disease (17.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.6-19.6), obesity (6.9%, 95% CI: 5.5-8.3) and otitis externa (6.7%, 95%CI: 5.4-8.0). The most prevalent disorders of Pugs were obesity (13.1%, 95%CI: 11.0-15.2), corneal disorders (8.7%, 95%CI: 7.0-10.4) and otitis externa (7.5%, 95%CI: 5.9-9.1). The head and neck was the most commonly affected body area in both breeds, but Pugs had a significantly higher prevalence of conditions affecting this region than Border Terriers (43.3% vs 37.7%, P = 0.006). Comparing the breeds for their top 24 disorders, Border Terriers had statistically significantly higher prevalence of four conditions; periodontal disease (P < 0.001), conjunctivitis (P = 0.041), heart murmurs (P < 0.001) and cataracts (P = 0.001), whereas Pugs had statistically significantly higher prevalence in nine; obesity (P < 0.001), corneal disorders (P < 0.001), ear disorders (P < 0.001), upper respiratory tract noise (P < 0.001), BOAS (P < 0.001), intertrigo (P < 0.001), retained deciduous teeth (P < 0.001), umbilical hernias (P < 0.001) and ocular discharge (P = 0.011). These results provide much-needed health data on the general UK population of Pugs and Border Terriers and can assist with prioritisation of disorders for health reforms of these two breeds.