Avoid giving flat-faced pets breathing difficulties

The demand for bulldogs and other flat-faced pets has never been greater. From 2006 to 2016, the number of registered bulldogs and French bulldogs in the United States increased by 60% and 476%, respectively, according to the American Kennel Club. In 2023, the French Bulldog topped the AKC's list of most popular dog breeds.

But as the demand for these pets has increased, so have the serious respiratory illnesses that often afflict them, says Dr. Schneider, a clinical professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an expert in treating brachycephalic breeds. says Dr. Heidi Phillips. with skulls) dog and cat breeds.

She says that many of the physical problems experienced by many brachycephalic animals will need to be addressed by surgical intervention for the time being, but to avoid producing offspring with the most destructive physical characteristics. argue that it also needs to be addressed by training veterinarians and breeders to assess the health of dogs and cats before breeding. .

The most distressing characteristics of French Bulldogs, which make up approximately 95% of Philip's surgery patients, include very narrow nostrils, excess tissue in the nostrils and nasal passages, large tongues with excess fat, narrow tracheas, and marked thickening of the soft tissue. Includes stretching. All of these things combine to severely impair breathing, causing snoring, exercise intolerance, heat intolerance, lethargy, reflux, weight loss, and even tumors.

Phillips has found that flat cats such as Persian cats, Himalayan cats and exotic shorthairs have similar breathing problems.

The most severely affected animals constantly struggle to get air into their narrowed and obstructed airways, but many owners assume this is normal for the breed and do not seek treatment.

“I tell my students to close their mouths and plug their noses when they try to breathe. What they feel when they do that is the amount of pressure they need to breathe against the blockage of their upper airways. “It's an increase in negative pressure, which is what brachycephalic dogs and cats feel,” Phillips said. “They take almost all their breaths every day.”

Also, as animals work hard to get air into their lungs, the negative pressure in the airways causes the lining of the tissue pockets in the larynx, called the laryngeal chambers, to turn inside out. These protrusions further restrict airflow.

From there, the physical problems get worse, Phillips said.

“Negative pressure can cause secondary changes that can further worsen oxygen levels,” she says. Many flat-faced dogs develop cancerous tumors in the oxygen and pressure sensors in the neck and at the base of the heart. Increased pressure from breathing difficulties can also lead to gastrointestinal problems such as hiatal hernias and acid reflux disease.

“We're also seeing changes in their lungs, what we call pulmonary hypertension or pulmonary hypertension,” Phillips said. “Blood takes longer to move through the arteries, which can cause right-sided heart failure.”

The most severely affected dogs also suffer from severe sleep apnea. People who sleep with bulldogs or pugs often wake up to the sound of their pet snoring or choking, and many of these pets and their owners get little rest.

Surgical intervention may address some of the disorder. Phillips is one of only three animals in the world to have undergone laser-assisted turbinectomy, an endoscopic surgery that uses a laser to open air passages into the blocked nasal passages of bulldogs and other flat dogs. One of his doctors.

Other new surgeries performed by Philips can increase the size of the nostrils and reduce the length and thickness of the soft palate. Each of these interventions can dramatically improve a dog's ability to breathe, but together they provide the greatest relief from the most severe symptoms and improve each dog's quality of life and overall health. improve the condition.

Perhaps the most effective way to address the problem is to breed only the healthiest bulldogs, pugs or other flat-faced breeds, Phillips said. She points to efforts by Dr. Jane Ludlow, a veterinary expert at the University of Cambridge, UK, to promote respiratory health screening for bulldogs, French bulldogs, and pugs.

This test, called the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme, evaluates your dog's symptoms of respiratory distress at rest and during exercise. Mr Ludlow worked with the British Kennel Club to develop the protocol.

In early 2023, the U.S.-based Animal Orthopedic Foundation approved the use of RFGS screening in the United States, but so far most U.S. breeders and owners are either unaware of the issue or are not using their pets. lack the necessary skills to screen for functional respiratory health and pets. Phillips said they use a grading scheme to assess the health of breeding pairs and their offspring.

“The feeling most owners have is that they didn't intend to buy a dog with breathing problems,” she says. “But they find themselves in a situation where their dog has a health issue and they want to do everything they can to save them.

“My approach is, let's apply science to see if we can maintain all the wonderful characteristics of these breeds while eliminating as much of the hardships these animals are experiencing as possible. .”