Love for Brachycephalic Breeds
Marty and Laura share the love for brachycephalic breeds with information about feeding, managing their environment, health testing and more.
Managing Feeding and Environment for Brachycephalic Dog Owners:
What are brachycephalic dogs?
Brachycephalic dogs are dogs with a short, wide skull. These include French Bulldogs, Pugs, English Bulldogs, Olde English Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Shih tzus, Lhasa Apsos, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and the American Bully and American Bulldog breeds.
The very thing that makes us love them and makes them popular also puts them at risk for certain conditions including respiratory difficulties (loud breathing) and associated digestive and eating disorders.
With some understanding of these syndromes and techniques for feeding, offering water, exercise and managing their environment, you can minimize the health consequences and not only save yourself money, but you can help your dog live more comfortably and longer.
A short, widened muzzle and skull with more prominent eyes is an appealing look for dogs. It has been described by some as infantile – they may look like a human baby who never grows up. Many owners are attracted to this appearance. Additionally, these characteristics are not only cute, but these dogs also have personalities and activity levels that are appealing for pet owners. Many of these dogs are less active and more sedate. They are also frequently funny and entertaining to live with.
What is “BOAS”?
But there is a price to pay for some of the dogs who suffer from a more extreme form of this skull shape. This price has been defined as “Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome” or “BOAS” for short. To be clear, not all brachycephalic dogs have this syndrome. There are dogs in this breed group that are quiet, comfortable breathers.
The good news is that breeders of these dogs are working with OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals www.ofa.org) to breed dogs with the desirable appearance without the negative respiratory and GI signs. OFA has used a system developed by veterinarians at Cambridge in England called the “Respiratory Function Grading Scheme” or “RFGS”. In this application, “scheme” means a system or assessment, not something sneaky and underhanded – using the British utilization of the word.
This BOAS system is a method for veterinarians who are specially trained to assess the dog’s airway by listening to their breathing with a stethoscope positioned over the chest as well as on the throat, with the dog at rest and after 3 minutes of brisk walking. It also includes a visual inspection of the shape of the nostrils. The dog is then given a score of BOAS 0 to 3, by the attending veterinarian. This helps the owner and breeder of the dog to determine which dogs are good breeding candidates to help produce fewer BOAS affected puppies. You can locate a veterinarian or health clinic where there is BOAS testing available at www.ofa.org. At this time, there are only a handful of veterinarians trained to BOAS test but this number is likely to increase.
So what are the concerns about the brachycephalic dog’s health?
1. Breathing
2. Digestion – processing food and water.
Breathing concerns are the most obvious. Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) consists of a number of structural abnormalities when compared to “normal” dogs, dogs with more typical head and muzzle shape. Some are the very definition of a brachycephalic – which literally means short head and some are secondary to the effects of the shortened and widened head and muzzle. These alterations are:
A. Elongated soft palate
B. Relatively large tongue
C. Stenotic nares = narrow nostrils
D. Undersized nasal passages
E. Malformed and aberrantly growing nasal conchae
F. Tracheal hypoplasia = a trachea (windpipe) that is relatively narrow
G. Acquired laryngeal complications including everted laryngeal saccules
H. Symptoms of these airway narrowings include:
1. Intolerance to exercise and heat
2. Frequent disruptions to sleep – similar to human sleep apnea and snoring.
3. Syncope = fainting due to inadequate oxygen to the brain
These compromises of the airways lead to increased negative pressure and increased effort to breathe, causing the softer tissues of the airways to stretch out, become saggy and further make breathing difficult, in a vicious cycle.
These changes then lead to:
1. Secondary respiratory abnormalities
2. Everted tonsils (yes dogs have tonsils too)
3. Laryngeal and tracheal collapse
4. Digestive tract lesions
5. Hiatal hernia
6. Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) like heartburn in humans.
3. The digestive symptoms in the brachycephalic dogs include
a. Frequent vomiting and/or regurgitation. Vomiting is a process of forceful retching followed by vomiting food while regurgitation is more passive – food just plops out of the mouth.
b. Ptyalism – excessive salivation
c. Difficulty swallowing
d. Swallowing too much air, leading to belching and bad gas
e. Gastroesophageal reflux
f. Pica – eating non-edible items
g. Seeking positions that relieve pain or difficulty swallowing.
h. Chronic enteropathy and/or protein-losing enteropathy.
What does this mean to my dog? If you have a brachycephalic dog or breed, you and your veterinary team are likely to become great friends. Foster a good relationship with a veterinary clinic who understands the needs of your dog and you. They can help you to get the most quality years from your beloved dog. At our clinic, we had an English Bulldog patient who lived to be 15 years old, but only because he had very attentive and devoted owners who were willing to meet all of his needs, from a respiratory, digestive, and orthopedic approach.
Consider purchasing pet health insurance as soon as you plan to get a puppy. Some companies will initiate coverage the day you bring your puppy home, eliminating the possibility of having pre-existing health conditions which will limit your coverage.
Given the right veterinary care and your devotion to your dog, you can do some simple and not-so-simple techniques for extending your dog’s life and saving yourself some money.
Most importantly, keeping your dog at an ideal body weight will impact their life expectancy.
How can I improve my dog’s quality of life?
1. Purchase your puppy from a breeder who uses BOAS testing and does other OFA health screenings to reduce the likelihood of genetic disorders. Select your breeder carefully and wait patiently for the right puppy who has seen a veterinarian experienced in working with brachycephalic dogs.
2. Monitor your dog’s body weight and body condition. Ask your vet at every visit about your dog’s weight. The weight they are at, at 8 months of age is typically a good guideline to maintain.
3. Avoid neutering or spaying your dog young. Waiting until after skeletal maturity (after puberty or the 1st heat cycle) is recommended. It may be better to wait even longer. See https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full
4. Feed an appropriate diet. Royal Canin makes a Bulldog diet. The kibble shape is better suited to the shorter faced dogs picking up their food. The formula is meant to reduce gas formation during digestion. Sometimes a canned food or protein specific diet is recommended. Follow the recommendations from your veterinarian.
5. Keep your dog fit with appropriate exercise, based on ambient temperatures and humidity.
6. Feed with a bulldog bowl. Do not use a puzzle feeder that is hard for the dog to get the food kibbles out of the feeder.
7. Use a raised water system – this may be an elevated water dish, a Lixit drinking bottle, or just putting the dog bowl on a non-slip mat on the open door of your dishwasher. By elevating the bowl, they can swallow water and food more easily and are less messy too!
References:
1. OFA: https://ofa.org/diseases/rfgs/ (29 currently certified) more coming
2. RFGS: https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/system/files/documents/FrenchbulldogandbulldoggradingschemeKC.pdf
3. Nutritional Management of Digestive Disease in Brachycephalic Dogs, ACVIM 2023 Lafayette, IN, USA Kara M. Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, VTS (Nutrition)
The Marty & Laura Show is produced by Pure Dog Talk Inc., with sound design and editing by Premium Audio Services.
