Brachycephalic dog breeds are known to exhibit breathing difficulties from their birth, a condition called Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome. Unfortunately, this issue is progressive and if not treated properly, can threaten the life of your brachy. The skull deformity by birth in brachycephalic dogs leaves them with constricted upper jaws. Hence, the mouth of such dogs gets packed with an elongated soft palette, which contributes to the breathing difficulty.

If you own a brachycephalic dog, you need to understand the importance of being aware of the symptoms of brachycephalic health issues and responding to it as quickly as possible. This post will list some of the breathing difficulty signs in brachycephalic dogs that any respective parents should be aware of.

Noisy Breathing:

Noisy breathing is one of the major symptoms that you can observe with brachycephalic dogs. Such dog bsnore aggressively when they sleep and you might also observe doing the same when awake. On occasions, you can even sense your brachy additional effort to breathe.

Overheating:

Another breathing difficulty symptom that you can observe in your brachy, especially during warm weather condition is overheating. Talking your dog out even out for an evening walk during summer can trigger the symptoms of overheating. You need to look for signs like excessive panting, elevated pulse rate, vomiting and glazed eyes. If you come across any of these symptoms, make sure that your dog is given proper rest and try to get him hydrated gradually.

Abnormal Sleep Pattern:

Abnormal sleep patterns is another symptom that you can observe in a struggling brachycephalic dog. Most of the brachycephalic dogs find it difficult to sleep and more importantly a good position that lets in more air through their nostrils while sleeping. This is why most of such breeds tend to keep their heads in an upright position while sleeping. Such breeds can limit their sleeping duration as they wake up due to lack of breath.

Obesity is one of the other signs that you can observe with dog breeds. If you own a brachy, make sure that you keep a close eye on his diet pattern and he stays fit.

The seriousness of brachycephalic breathing distress

Most of the pet parents believe that brachycephalic dogs can cope with their breathing difficulties and some believe that they are designed to deal up with such issues. However, this is not the case, if you observe any of the symptoms with your brachy and if it seems progressive with time, waste no time in getting him to a veterinarian.

A veterinarian can perform a detailed check-up and offer some recommendations to get the concern reduced as per your dog’s health statistics. Unfortunately, there is no complete cure for brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome, if the issue seems to be out of hand, the only option is to go for a surgery. As a pet parent, it is necessary for you to understand that surgery doesn’t take off the breathing issue of your brachy from the charts. Even after the surgery, ensure that he is taken good care of and maintain a good working relationship with the veterinarian to ensure that your brachy remains safe.