Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Disorders of Bulldogs under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013

O'Neill, D G; Skipper, A M; Kadhim, J; Church, D B; Brodbelt, D C; Packer, R M A

Authors

D G O'Neill

A M Skipper

J Kadhim

D B Church

D C Brodbelt

R M A Packer



Abstract

The Bulldog is a popular companion breed in the UK despite widely reported disease predispositions. This study aimed to characterise the demography, mortality and common disorders of Bulldogs under veterinary care in the UK during 2013. VetCompass collates anonymised clinical data from UK primary-care veterinary practices for epidemiological research. The clinical records of all Bulldogs available in the VetCompass study dataset were reviewed manually in detail to extract the most definitive diagnoses recorded for all disorders that existed during 2013 and for all deaths. Bulldogs comprised 1621 (0.36%) of 445,557 study dogs. Bulldogs increased from 0.35% of the 2009 birth cohort to 0.60% in 2013. Median longevity was 7.2 years, which was lower in males (6.7 years) than females (7.9 years) (P = 0.021). The most prevalent fine-level precision disorders recorded were otitis externa (n = 206, prevalence 12.7%, 95% CI: 11.1–14.4), pyoderma (142, 8.8%, 95% CI: 7.4–10.2) and overweight/obesity (141, 8.7%, 95% CI: 7.4–10.2). The most prevalent disorder groups were cutaneous (n = 463, prevalence: 28.6%, 95% CI: 26.4–30.8), ophthalmological (292, 18.0%, 95% CI: 16.2–20.0), aural (211, 13.0%, 95% CI: 11.4–14.8), enteropathy (188, 11.6%, 95% CI: 10.1–13.3) and upper respiratory tract (171, 10.5%, 95% CI: 9.1–12.1). Provision of an evidence base on the most common disorders and causes of mortality within breeds can support owners, breeders and the veterinary profession to improve health and welfare within these breed.

Citation

O'Neill, D. G., Skipper, A. M., Kadhim, J., Church, D. B., Brodbelt, D. C., & Packer, R. M. A. (2019). Disorders of Bulldogs under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013. PLoS ONE, 14(6), e0217928. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217928

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 21, 2019
Publication Date Jun 12, 2019
Deposit Date Jun 14, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal PLoS One
Publisher Public Library of Science
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 14
Issue 6
Pages e0217928
DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217928
Public URL https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1381752