Is it now time to iron out the wrinkles? Health of Shar Pei dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK
Background The Shar Pei is a common dog breed with a distinctive appearance caused by hyaluronosis
that has been linked with several health conditions. Anonymised primary-care veterinary clinical records were
explored to extract data on the demography, common disorders and mortality of Shar Pei in the UK in 2013.
Results The study population of 455,557 dogs included 1913 (0.42%) Shar Pei. The mean adult bodyweight
was 22.26 kg. The most prevalent fine-level precision disorders were entropion (prevalence 17.88%, 95% CI: 16.16-
19.59), otitis externa (16.36%, 95% CI: 14.70-18.02), ear disorders (6.69%, 95% CI: 5.57-7.81), aggression (5.23%, 95%
CI: 4.23-6.22), and pyoderma (4.29%, 95% CI: 3.38-5.19). The most prevalent disorder groups were ophthalmologic
(prevalence = 22.27%, 95% CI: 20.40-24.13), dermatological (21.01%, 95% CI: 19.19-22.84), aural (18.66%, 95% CI: 16.92-
20.41), traumatic injury (7.53%, 95% CI: 6.35-8.71) and behavioural (7.21%, 95% CI: 6.05-8.37). The median longevity
of 190 Shar Pei that died during the study period was 7.28 years (IQR 5.04-10.05, range 0.04-15.04). Of 184 deaths
with a recorded method of death, 157 (85.33%) deaths involved euthanasia and 27 (14.67%) deaths were unassisted.
Among 136 (71.58%) deaths with a recorded biomedical cause of death, the most common causes of death at group
level precision were neoplasia (15.44%, 95% CI: 9.37-21.51), renal disorders (13.24%, 95% CI: 7.54-18.93), and behavioural
disorders (11.03%, 95% CI: 5.76-16.29).
Conclusions Almost one fifth of Shar Pei receive veterinary care each year for entropion, a condition linked
strongly with the extreme conformation of thickened and folded skin and bristly hair that characterises the Shar
Pei breed. Several other common disorders are also linked to hyaluronosis. Current UK legislation can help support
efforts to avoid breeding or acquiring animals with extreme conformations and to promote adequate veterinary care
for already-owned animals with extreme conformations.
