Toy dogs: adult

Toy dogs are small companion breeds bred mainly for company rather than work, and generally don't need much exercise. Several conditions — patellar luxation, dental disease and heart disease among them — turn up often enough in UK research to be worth an early, ongoing conversation with your vet.

Example breeds in this group: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Pomeranian, Bichon Frise.

Most toy breeds do well on 30 minutes to an hour of exercise a day, but this is also the group with the strongest published evidence for dental disease and, in some breeds, heart and airway conditions worth screening for.

• Toy breeds generally need less exercise than larger dogs — Kennel Club guidance for this group is typically up to 30 minutes to an hour a day plus indoor play — and it links overfeeding small dogs to weight gain that can raise the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and breathing problems.

  Source: Small dogs' diet, The Kennel Club

• Dental disease is markedly more common in small dogs — UK research found dogs under 10kg had over three times the odds of periodontal disease of larger dogs, with King Charles Spaniel, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua and Bichon Frise among the highest-odds breeds — a yearly vet mouth check plus daily brushing at home are the usual advice.

  Source: Epidemiology of periodontal disease in dogs in the UK primary-care veterinary setting, Journal of Small Animal Practice (O'Neill et al.), 2021

• Myxomatous mitral valve disease — the most common acquired heart disease in dogs — is especially associated with older, small-breed dogs and has a notably earlier onset in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, which is why breeding Cavaliers are graded under a dedicated heart scheme.

  Source: ACVIM consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Keene et al.), 2019

• Tracheal collapse — a narrowing of the windpipe usually presenting as a persistent, honking cough — is described in the literature as predominantly a disease of miniature, toy and small-breed dogs, typically appearing in middle age.

  Source: A retrospective study of tracheal collapse in small-breed dogs, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2024