Animal Chat

Brachycephalic Syndrome

They are cute, they are lovable and the people who have these dogs love them. They are the brachycephalic breeds. You may own one without knowing it.

What is a brachycephalic animal? Simply put it is one of the breeds of dogs or cats with the “smushed in” face. These breeds include bulldogs, pugs, Boston terriers, Persian cats, French bulldogs and a few others.

Brachycephalic animals tend to have a few more visits to the veterinarian than other breeds. They can have skin problems in the folds of the skin on their faces, they can have eyelid problems as the weight of the skin over the eyes can push the eyelashes onto the surface of the eye, but their trademark problem is breathing issues.

Most pets and people snore but with a brachycephalic animal it can truly be a rafter rattling experience leaving the owner with little sleep due to the noise of their pet. The airway structure of these animals is all crowded together making the amount of room available for air limited. They must put a great deal of effort into inhaling to pull in enough air against all the tissue crowded in the back of their throat. The constant push and pull of air against these structures can cause cartilage to eventually collapse, making the problem much worse.

Often these breeds also have a nostril size and a trachea that is smaller than ideal compounding the breathing issues and making infections, colds, and pneumonias much more difficult to cure. Radiographs will help determine if the trachea is undersized. Knowing the size of the trachea is important in determining how much help and relief the animal might obtain from surgery.

As the problem gets worse, things get harder for the dog or cat. It becomes hard for them to exercise because they can't get enough air. Sleeping becomes difficult, they are the poster child for sleep apnea.

In general the best help for brachycephalic syndrome is surgery. There are specific surgical procedures designed to remove some of the excess tissue at the back of the throat and to enlarge the nostril space. These procedures can offer a vast amount of relief to these animals. Often these surgical procedures can be done when your pet is spayed or neutered.

If you acquire a brachycephalic breed talking about breathing issues is an important part of the puppy visits. Discussing when and what kind of surgical procedures should be done. Dr. Sheffield and Dr. Ferguson will be happy to visit with you and answer any questions you might have about keeping these animals as happy and comfortable as possible.