Health
A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 11.8 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.
Curvature of the back, called roaching, might be caused by patella problems with the rear legs, which in turn causes the dog to lean forward onto the forelegs.
The Boston Terrier is a brachycephalic breed of dog. Brachycephaly refers to the shortened muzzle of the breed which results in a pushed-in appearance of the face. Brachycephaly results in deformation of the upper airway tract and leads to obstruction of breathing. Effects of brachycephaly are stridor, stertorous breathing, emesis, skin fold dermatitis, brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome, exophthalmos, pharyngeal gag reflex, cyanosis, and laryngeal collapse.
Other issues arising from brachycephaly are risk of complications whilst under anaesthesia,and hyperthermia — with the latter caused due to an inability to effectively reduce body temperature via panting.
Bostons frequently require caesarean section to give birth, with over 80% of litters in a UK Kennel Club survey delivered this way. A UK study found Boston Terrier bitches to be 12.9 times more likely to experience dystocia.
The breed is predisposed to the following dermatological conditions: atopic dermatitis, allergic skin disease, demodicosis, hyperadrenocorticism, mast cell tumour, pattern alopecia, and zinc-responsive dermatosis.
A study in North America of veterinary records of almost 10,000 Boston Terriers and over 1,000,000 dogs found 0.36% of Boston Terriers to have hip dysplasia compared to 3.52% overall.
The Boston Terrier is one of the most commonly affected breeds for hereditary cataracts.