Archibald – BOAS surgery

Archibald is a lovely 3 and a half year old French Bulldog.  His owner booked an appointment with one of our Veterinary Surgeons, Penny Barnard-Brown for assessment for BOAS (Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome) after reporting he had significant respiratory noises at rest, some exercise intolerance and loud snoring.  This is due to the shape of his head.

French bulldogs have a short head with a normal lower jaw and an abnormally short upper jaw.  This unfortunately makes them pre-disposed to airway obstruction and respiratory distress.  They can have an overlong, thickened soft palate which can cause snoring sounds, especially when sleeping.  They can have a narrow larynx and very narrow nares (nostrils).  This can limit heat exchange and therefore they can be more likely to over-heat during exercise and suffer from heat stroke.  A restricted airway means they may not be able to meet oxygen demands which can lead to cyanosis (blue tone to skin) and collapse.

Penny examined Archibald and graded him as a Grade II.  She recommended resection of his soft palate and rhinoplasty with a triangle of tissue to be removed from each nare (nostril).  His owners went ahead with the procedure and we are pleased to report Archibald recovered very well.

A week post-operatively his owners had already reported how much quieter he was during the day!

For further information on the clinical signs associated with Brachycephalic breeds please download the following information sheet