Vet reveals 5 dog breeds he would never own
Choosing a dog breed is a difficult decision and it is important to research the breed you intend to get.
Not every dog is going to be the right fit, and one UK vet has named the 5 breeds he’d never own and why.
The vet, known as Ben the Vet on TikTok, posted the video alongside the caption, "I love dogs, I promise, I'm just fussy!"
"All I can say is that I think working in veterinary just makes you really fussy when it comes to dog breeds.”
The first on his list was the Dobermann.
"Now, I've met many lovely, lovely Dobermanns but it is shocking how many of them get a kind of heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy," he said.
The next breed on Ben’s list was the Border collie.
"Now, they are quite healthy, they are a bit prone to epilepsy, but I just find they're a dog breed that doesn't adapt very well to the sedentary life of being a pet,” he said.
The vet noted that Border collies require constant stimulation as they want to work and be active.
The third breed was a boxer.
Although he admitted he has met lots of “sweet ones,” there is a long list of problems.
He showed a book containing data on the health conditions dog breeds have and explained, ”The boxer has 74 diseases in their section, yes, 74.”
"I've seen too many boxers with all of these problems to count," he said.
Number four on the list was the Great Dane.
"I think I'm just not a 'big dog' person at heart," he said.
Ben listed a few reasons including the size of his car and house, as well as the hefty vet bills due to all medical drugs being dosed according to weight, so a lot of procedures would cost more for Great Dane owners.
He also noted that Great Danes often don’t live to the age of 7, saying it would be "quite hard to love a dog and then lose them in that short space of time."
The last breed to make the cut were flat-coated retrievers.
"This is a really hard one," he said, "they're a wonderful family dog, but I just know too much.”
The vet said those dogs were prone to a type of aggressive cancer called histiocytic sarcoma.
"They are the poster child of this disease. Around 50 per cent of all flat coats die of cancer," he said.
TikTok users were quick to flood the comments, with many agreeing with Ben’s list.
"100% agree on the border collie. I have a border collie/Kelpie mix, he was bred to herd cattle. He is not a typical pet. He needs a job to be happy," one wrote.
Another Border Collie weighed in, writing, "They're not for the faint hearted. We didn't do our research and thus our lives had to change dramatically!”
"100% on the boxers, we've lost too many too young," another dog owner commented.
Image credit: TikTok