Shar Pei (Low Risk Brachycephalic Breed)
Shar Pei are generally considered to be a brachycephalic breed but some are bred with a longer nose than others. They are a dog often bred for its look, exacerbating characteristics that were not so pronounced in its native China.
Shar Pei with shorter snouts do tend to suffer from BOAS along with a number of other common issues for the breed including allergies, eye problems, skin diseases & infections, inflammatory bowel disease and Hip & Joint problems.
As a side note they are also a breed more inclined to be aggressive or bite when being handled by people they don’t know, they were after all bred as guard dogs so proper socialisation is important while they are pups.
Like all the low risk Brachycephalic breeds as they age or if they are overweight they tend to be less tolerant of heat and in any situation where they do become stressed or anxious for any reason, even due to other unrelated health issues they may have more difficulty breathing which can exacerbate the problem.
We therefore do still have to ensure that owners are aware that we consider them to be a breed at risk during transport, that we will make transport decisions as best we can based on the information provided by the owners rather than requiring veterinary checks and that there are additional terms & conditions they need to be aware of and accept.