Research charts disease risk in English cockers and shih tzu dogs 

English cocker spaniels are at increased risk of ear discharge, dry eye and musculoskeletal pain disorders, but less prone to OA and allergies, according to research from the RVC.

Meanwhile, a separate study on shih tzu dogs found periodontal disease, ear disorders and anal sac impaction were common conditions – but the breed generally faired better than other brachycephalic dog types.

The RVC has released details of two studies carried out as part of its ongoing and long-standing VetCompass programme.

Health perception

The English cocker study compared 2,510 of the spaniels against 7,813 dogs of all other types from a study population of 336,865 dogs under primary care in 2016.

The breed, generally considered to be of robust health, had 1.12 times the risk of having at least one disorder diagnosed, and was at higher risk of 21 conditions versus being at a lower risk of 11.

Leaders of the study said this suggested a somewhat poorer overall health in the English cocker spaniel compared to other breeds.

Higher risk

English cocker spaniels are close to 15 times more likely to have ear discharge, 7.6 times more likely to have keratoconjunctivitis sicca, 7.1 times more prone to musculoskeletal palm and 4.9 times more susceptible to subcutaneous mass. But they were seven times less likely to have allergy or atopic dermatitis, and at lower risk of alopecia, pododermatitis and retained deciduous teeth.

Karolina Engdahl, epidemiologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and lead author of the paper, said: “This study helps to increase the awareness of health issues in the English cocker spaniel by reporting conditions that the breed is especially prone to develop.

“Based on the results, we recommend the owners to keep an extra eye out for ear and eye disorders and masses in or just under the skin and in the mammary glands.”

Brachycephalic differences

In the shih tzu study, which looked at anonymised data from 11,082 dogs, 9.5% were diagnosed with periodontal disease each year, followed by anal sac impaction in 7.4%, ear disorders in 5.5%, otitis externa in 4.7%, vomiting in 4.4% and umbilical hernias in 3.9%.

But the research also found they were less prone to conditions seen commonly in other brachycephalic breeds such as French bulldogs, English bulldogs and pugs – including otitis externa and corneal disorders.

Dan O’Neill, associate professor in companion animal epidemiology at the RVC and co-author of the paper, said: “Flat faces in dogs have been linked to several serious health problems, but this new study highlights that the health profile of each flat-faced breed can be quite unique.

“The 12.7-year longevity of shih tzu suggests the overall health of the breed is much less severely compromised than other flat-faced breeds that live less than eight years on average.”