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Study: Bulldogs Could Disappear Because Of Extreme Inbreeding

UC DAVIS (CBS13) — They're one of the world's most popular dog breeds and they are in crisis. Purebred English bulldogs already suffer chronic breathing and joint problems.

Now a new UC Davis DNA study shows they could disappear as we know them because of extreme inbreeding.

They almost all come from a single paternal line.

Doctor Niels Pedersen found years of inbreeding has left the dogs with such little diversity the breed as we know it may face collapse.

"The English bulldog is more or less considered the poster child, for what can go wrong if a breed is pushed too far," Dr. Pedersen said. "When we did this study, what we found was that their genetic diversity was badly lacking."

UC Davis now offers breeders English bulldog DNA testing to help match purebreds.

Professor Pedersen says it may be time to regulate cross-breeding into the English bulldog line to save it.

"There will always be an English bulldog, the question is will it be in the same exact form that it is today," said Pedersen. "I think it has to change."

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