A pug dressed in tartan stands in front of a stand at the 10th Thailand international Pet Variety Exhibition in Bangkok on March 26, 2021. (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images) Flat-faced, wrinkly pugs that have soared in popularity in recent decades are so unhealthy, they can "no longer be considered as a typical dog from a health perspective," a study concludes.The study, done by researchers at the Royal Veterinary College in the UK, said the "extreme body shape" of pugs makes them twice as likely than other dogs to have health problems.
Those health issues, researchers said, stem from the breed’s "flat face, bulging eyes, wrinkled skin and tendency towards obesity.""Although hugely popular as pets, we now know that that several severe health issues are linked to the extreme body shape of pugs that many humans find so cute," Dr.
Dan O’Neill, one of the study’s authors, said. "It is time now that we focus on the health of the dog rather than the whims of the owner when we are choosing what type of dog to own."Pugs are what’s known as a brachycephalic breed, or dogs with flat faces.
Other brachycephalic breeds include boxers, French bulldogs, Boston terriers and bullmastiffs.RELATED: Cats to stay indoors in German town during rare bird's breeding seasonResearchers looked at 4,308 pugs and 21,835 other dogs and found pugs were at a significantly higher risk for disorders like brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, narrowed nostrils, stenotic nares, skin fold infections and corneal ulceration.31 August 2019, Berlin: A pug stands in a water basin at the 10th International Berlin Pug Meeting.