Boston Terrier

The Boston Terrier sits in the moderate group for breathing problems, but Cambridge researchers found it more likely than most breeds studied to have narrowed nostrils, so look at the parents' noses as well as their grades. Its large, forward-facing eyes are a frequent site of ulcers, and the breed has a DNA test for an inherited early cataract (HSF4) that a breeder should be able to show alongside an eye certificate. In a UK breed survey, more than nine in ten Boston litters were born by caesarean section. Screw tails and malformed vertebrae also occur, so ask whether either parent has had spinal X-rays.