Brachycephalic syndrome: Obstructing your furry friends’ breathing

\n\nThis month’s issue we have dedicated towards our beloved breeds: Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Pugs, Pekingese, Boxers, Shar-Peis, Lhasas and Apsos. If you are the proud owner of any of these listed breeds, then you may wish to pay close attention to this. How did this condition develop and why is it in your dog’s breed? This condition was not a natural disorder to occur. It is the result of an evolutionary process that we have created by wishing to breed flat-faced, small, tiny dogs. Despite the level of cuteness that we may have achieved in this process, we have actually caused new abnormalities for these dogs to face in their lifetime. These abnormalities in return have a large toll on the quality of life that these patients experience. The breeds mentioned above are known as ‘Brachycephalic Breeds’; hence, they may develop ‘Brachycephalic Syndrome’.\n\nBrachycephalic syndrome consists of four different conditions that make up this syndrome altogether. These conditions are: Stenotic nares, elongated soft palate, hypoplastic trachea and everted laryngeal saccules. Stenotic nares and elongated soft palates can also be seen in certain cat breeds, such as: Persians and Himalayans. Stenotic nares is a condition in which you can see very narrow nostrils on your dog. Elongated soft palate is when you will notice breathing issues occur in your dog, due to his breathing opening (larynx) being blocked by a very long soft palate developing naturally from birth. Hypoplastic trachea is narrowing of the trachea. These three conditions can develop naturally from birth, known as congenital problems. Last, but not least, is everted laryngeal saccules, which is not from birth, however occurs due to continuous increased respiratory effort.\n\nSigns you may notice occurring with this syndrome are: gagging, difficulty in breathing, collapse, respiratory disease, not wishing to exercise, open mouth breathing, very loud breathing and in worst cases – aspiration pneumonia. If you notice any of these signs in your dog, please take him or her to your local veterinarian immediately for appropriate care. Once you bring your furry companion to your vet, he will perform a full, physical examination. Afterwards he may wish to run some thoracic radiographs and even perform an oral examination once placing your pet under anesthesia. In regards to elongated soft palate, everted laryngeal saccules and stenotic nares, the treatment protocol mainly consists of surgical procedures to correct the conditions.\n\nUnfortunately hypoplastic trachea does not have any effective treatment in place as of yet, however research proves that if you are able to successfully fix all other underlying issues then it is still manageable for the patient to live with this remaining condition. However, a hypoplastic trachea normally occurs when Brachycephalic syndrome has reached its more advanced stages.\n\n