English Bulldogs could join list of banned breeds in UK over cruel health issues

dailyrecord.co.uk:

English Bulldogs could join the list of banned breeds in the UK to prevent cruel health conditions, a new study from the Royal Veterinary College has warned.

Bulldogs are at increased risk of breathing, eye, and skin conditions due to their extreme physical features, including shortened muzzles, folded skin, and a squat body.

This particular breed currently has a short lifespan of around eight years, partly due to health problems. A new study, which encourages people to "stop and think" before buying them, shows English Bulldogs 38 times more likely than other dogs to get dermatitis in skin folds.In addition, English Bulldogs are nearly 27 times more likely to get an eye condition called "cherry eye" and ran nearly 20 times the risk of obstructive airways causing breathing problems.In addition, English Bulldogs are more than 24 times more likely to have a jutting lower jaw.The list continues with them 13 times more likely to have a cyst between the toes, more than 12 times suffering from dry eye, 11.5 times rolled inward eyelids, eight times the chance of mange nearly five times the rate of foot infections, and over three times more likely to have a skin infection, wet dermatitis and dermatitis.The study, published in the journal Canine Medicine and Genetics, suggests that they should be bred to have more moderate physical features both for their health and to prevent their breeding being banned.The breed was originally developed as a muscular and athletic dog for bull-fighting but has now been bred as a show and companion animal with a short skull, protruding jaw, skin folds, and squat, heavy build.This physique has been linked to several health conditions and countries such as the Netherlands and Norway have