Squished-up faces and eye complications in man’s best friend

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-01-27 06:00

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Flat-faced dog breeds are almost 7 times more likely to develop cherry-eye than those with medium-sized snouts, but larger breeds like the English Bulldog and Neapolitan Mastiff are more susceptible than their smaller counterparts. Researchers say their large study, which analysed veterinary records of more than 900,000 dogs, could help refine breeding guidelines to reduce the prevalence of the disease, which inflames tear ducts in the third eyelid and can cause painful complications if left untreated. Overall, purebred dogs are 1.43 times more likely to develop cherry-eye than crossbreds. However the study showed that cross-breeding purebreds doesn’t always mitigate medical risk-factors, with several designer hybrid pups being more susceptible to the disease than both of their purebred parents.