Boony is a 4 year old male pug whose owner, Nicchia, was concerned about his breathing. Boony had always had noisy breathing ever since he was a young puppy, however, now Nicchia felt that his breathing was worse. He was really struggling and lagging behind on walks – poor Boony couldn’t even walk 100m without stopping to catch his breath!

As you can imagine, Nicchia was concerned about Boony’s deteriorating condition and brought him down to Vetwest Yokine to see Dr Jana Kolichis for a check-up and physical examination.

On examination Boony was found to have significant upper airway stertor (noisy breathing) at rest. Dr Jana also noticed Boony needed a little dietary assistance, as he was also carrying a few extra kilograms. Dr Jana diagnosed Boony with Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome – a common condition affecting different aspects of the upper respiratory system in brachycephalic breeds causing various degrees of airway obstruction.

Brachycephalic dog breeds are purposely bred with short or pushed in noses and faces. These breeds include Pugs, Bulldogs and Pekingese. In the pursuit of developing the ideal breed trait (short noses/ flat faces) these dogs are prone to airway obstructions, heat stress, and other severe breathing problems. For more information visit our article on Brachycepahlic Obstructive Airway Syndrome.

In order to assess which conditions were affecting Boony, Dr Jana recommended that Boony have his airways assessed under general anaesthetic, and any correctable problems surgically treated. Dr Jana also requested Boony have a nutrition review, as maintaining a healthy weight range would assist in his treatment.

Boony was anaesthetised and found to have a number of problems. He had stenotic nares meaning his nostrils were severely narrowed leaving only a small opening to breathe. He also had an elongated soft palate, where the soft palate (which separates the nasal passage from the oral cavity) extends too far down the back of the throat, creating snorting and snoring sounds. And finally, Boony also had everted saccules which are a secondary problem occurring in dogs who have had an increased effort in breathing for a period of time.

The good news was his windpipe was a normal size and there was no evidence of laryngeal collapse, another common problem associated with Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome.

During the procedure Dr Jana set about widening Boony’s nostrils, his soft palate was resected (trimmed) and the everted saccules were excised (snipped).

Boony made a great recovery from his anaesthetic and was carefully monitored over the next 24 hours for any potential post operative swelling. Boony was kept quiet and rested for two weeks following his surgery.

Nicchia reports that Boony’s breathing has dramatically improved - he can now enjoy his walks and can happily run at the beach without getting puffed out!