'I am a vet and these are five dog breeds I would never own - including the Border Collie'
A vet shared why he would never own five breeds of dogs - including among his reasons the animals' short life span and susceptibility to cancer.
Ben the Vet gives reasons on five dog breed he won't own
Ben Simpson-Vernon took to his popular TikTok account to share why, if he had to choose a puppy, he would not pick five specific breeds. The 31-year-old vet from Essex said his job has made him "really fussy" when it comes to dog breeds, so much that he found it "surprisingly easy" to compile a new list after he had already mentioned in a previous video which he would not choose for himself. After stressing these are just his opinion, he clarified that while he would not buy these types of dog, he would still consider rescuing these dogs if they were in need.
The first breed to be named by the vet was Doberman. While this breed has been often associated with aggressive behaviour, Mr Simpson-Vernon said he has met many "lovely" Dobermans in his career.
The reason why he wouldn't own a Doberman has to do with how prone they are to a heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, the vet explained in a clip shared on his @ben.the.vet account.
He said: "It's over half of them so the majority of Dobermans get this kind of heart disease.
"It typically has quite a poor prognosis and I've actually seen a Doberman drop down dead in front of my eyes before I could intervene because of this problem. That was a traumatic enough experience for me never to want one."
He then mentioned the Border Collie, adding its mention may "surprise" many.
While dogs of this breed are healthy, the vet thinks they "don't adapt very well to the sedentary life of being a pet" and can get "a bit loopy" if they aren't kept busy.
He continued: "I've seen a lot of Collies that are anxious or develop compulsive behaviours like twirling around in circles."
The British vet then mentioned the Boxer, a breed sadly genetically prone to a "pretty shocking" amount of health issues.
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Showing a book listing the diseases different dogs and cats are known to be prone to, the vet said: "The Boxer has 74 diseases in their section, [including] aortic stenosis, brain tumour, skin tumours, spontaneous corneal ulcers - you name it, they get it.
"I've seen too many boxers with all of these problems to count, and I just don't think it's very fair."
The Great Dane was the fourth breed mentioned by the expert, who said he may not be a "big dog person at heart" before naming some of the issues coming with owning a big dog.
Moreover, he added Great Dane often only live for seven years, and he would find it quite difficult to love a dog and "then lose them in that short a space".
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Finally, he mentioned the Flat-coated Retriever, saying that while it's a "wonderful family dog", oncologists sadly get to know too many of these pets.
He explained: "If you're a veterinary oncologist you'll see a lot of these dogs because they're very prone to a type of aggressive cancer called histiocytic sarcoma. They are the poster child of this disease.
"Around 50 percent of all flat coats die of cancer and OK they have to die of something, but I'd just want to avoid this heartache if I can."
In a previous video shared in February, the vet mentioned five other breeds he would not own, and once again most of the reasons he listed had to do with diseases these dogs are prone to have and die of.