24/09/2026
Have you heard of BOAS?
Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome is a combination of anatomical changes which occur in brachycephalic dog breeds (those with squashed faces!) like pugs, bulldogs, french bulldogs, shih tzus and some cavalier king charles spaniels. It most commonly includes very narrow slit-like nostrils (stenotic nares) and an extra long soft palate which occludes their airway (elongated soft palate). Some cases also suffer from a narrow, under developed windpipe and/or overgrown, crowded bone structures inside the nasal passages that further block airflow (aberrant nasal turbinates).
The combination of the above results in noisy breathing, snorting, or snoring while awake, exercise intolerance, severe difficulty coping with hot or humid weather (leading to a high risk of heatstroke) as well as gagging, retching, or vomiting (often caused by the intense pressure created when trying to inhale), sleep problems and even fainting or collapsing in severe cases!
Luckily, there is a surgical procedure available which can help these dogs breathe more easily! Here, our vet Annabel has carried out a two-part procedure on the handsome 'Gustav', widening his narrow nostrils as well as shortening his elongated soft palate.
Gustav used to be a very noisy breather, struggle to interact with other dogs without hyperventilating, sometimes to the point of collapse and could only manage a 15-20minute walk at a time at only 2 years of age. After surgery he is like a new dog! Loving his walks, playing with other dogs and sleeping soundly! See the BEFORE and AFTER photos --->
We encourage responsible breeding when it comes to brachycephalic dogs so that we can try to breed out these significant breathing issues. To learn more about responsible breeding of bracycephalic dogs visit the link below;
https://www.royalkennelclub.com/about-us/about-the-rkc/campaigns/brachycephalic-breeds/
