Chinese shar-pei
The Shar-Pei is an ancient Chinese breed from Guangdong province, kept as a farm dog, hunter and guardian.
It nearly died out in the twentieth century and was rebuilt from a handful of dogs — a bottleneck that shaped both its appearance and its health.
It stands 46 to 51 centimetres, weighs 18 to 29 kilograms and lives eight to twelve years, with a harsh bristle coat, a blue-black tongue and the loose wrinkled skin the breed is known for. The traditional bone-mouth type was far less wrinkled than the heavily folded meat-mouth dogs of the modern West, and much of the breed's health burden traces to that exaggeration and to the small founding population.
- Origin
- Guangdong province, China; ancient, rebuilt from few dogs
- Size
- 46–51 cm; 18–29 kg
- Lifespan
- 8–12 years
- Coat
- Harsh bristle coat; loose wrinkled skin; blue-black tongue
- Temperament
- Aloof, independent, devoted to its own household
- Health
- Shar-Pei fever and amyloidosis, entropion, skin fold infections
Related: Chinese crested
3 chinese shar-pei photos, newest first
Living with a chinese shar-pei
Familial Shar-Pei fever is the defining condition: episodes of high fever with a swollen hock, which over time can lead to amyloidosis and kidney failure. It has a known genetic basis linked to the wrinkling itself. Any unexplained fever in a Shar-Pei needs a vet, and a breeder should discuss it openly.
Entropion — eyelids rolling inward so lashes scrape the cornea — is very common and needs surgery. Puppies sometimes need tacking within weeks.
Clean and dry the skin folds regularly; trapped moisture causes persistent infections.
Ears are tiny and poorly ventilated and infect readily.
Prefer a less exaggerated dog. Fewer wrinkles and an open eye mean fewer of these problems, and better breeders are moving that way.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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