The English Bulldog Puppy Blog

What is a brachycephalic breed?
English bulldog is a good example of a bradycephalic breed. It means that this dog breed have flat faces, wide heads and pushed-in noses. As mentioned above they must have the folds of skin around their eyes and noses cleaned, often on a daily basis.

In addition, they are quite susceptible to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Thus, it is not a good idea to let your bulldog out in the sun for too long. Bradycephalic breeds have short air passages making it harder to release this heat. English bulldogs do not sweat they release heat through their nasal passages.

What is a brachycephalic syndrome?

Bradycephalic syndrome is a group of conditions that cause resistance to airflow through the upper respiratory tract such as the nose and larynx. It is very common in short-nosed breeds of dogs.

The cause of this syndrome is the anatomic abnormalities related to the shortened bones of these dogs’ compressed faces without the same proportionate shortening of the overlying soft tissues. The excess soft tissue leads to airway compromise.

How bradycephalic syndrome affects the respiratory system?

English bulldogs encounter usual conditions such as stenotic nares or pinched nostrils, overlong soft palate and everted laryngeal saccules. These physical abnormalities are present during birth but clinical signs of difficulty often start in the early middle age. When airway resistance increases over time, it can lead to progressive respiratory difficulty.

The larynx and trachea gradually gets weaker as the large negative pressure of the greater effort on inspiration continually draws them in. It will eventually collapse causing critical airway obstruction, cyanosis or blueness, and possibly death.

What are the signs of bradycephalic syndrome?

• Noisy breathing (especially on inspiration)
• Exercise intolerance
• Cyanosis (blue appearance of the gums due to lack of oxygen)
• Syncope (fainting)

How to diagnose bradycephalic syndrome?

Test to diagnose bradycephalic syndrome are based on the breed of dog and clinical signs. Other diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

• A complete physical examination, including auscultation or listening of the chest with a stethoscope. It will help exclude other causes of respiratory difficulty

• Thoracic radiographs (x-rays) to determine if heart or lung disease is present

• Visual inspection of the nostrils to determine the presence of pinched nostrils

• Examination (under sedation) of the mouth and larynx to diagnose an overlong soft palate and/or laryngeal saccules that are turned outward

What is the treatment of bradycephalic syndrome?

Mild cases can be managed conservatively without surgery. Mild cases or sudden bouts of airway obstruction though may be managed medically. It can relieve by tranquilization, administration of oxygen, hospital use of anti-inflammatory steroids. Though the risk for progression of severe airway disease remains to exist.

• Close monitoring of your dog for worsening of clinical signs is imperative.

• Surgical management before severe clinical signs develop is relatively easy and carries a much more favorable prognosis than attempted treatment for very severe signs. Possible surgeries (depending on which abnormalities are present in your dog) include removal of a portion of the nostril to allow increased airflow, shortening the soft palate and removal of the everted laryngeal saccules.

What home care can you do?
• If medical management is pursued, closely watch your dog for worsening of clinical signs.
• Keep your bulldog in shape, as obesity will make it more difficult to breathe easily.
• Avoid excessively stressful situations, such as exercise during hot, humid weather.
• Avoid using a neck collar. Use a harness instead.
• Visit your veterinarian immediately when your dog has trouble breathing, becomes cyanotic, or collapses.
• If surgical therapy is done no special care may be required once healing is complete; however, you should continue to monitor your dog for recurrence of clinical signs.

Are there other diseases that mimic bradycephalic syndrome?

• Laryngeal disease. Laryngeal paralysis is a relatively common neurologic disorder of dogs that lead to inability to open or abduct the muscles of the larynx or voice box. Laryngeal collapse is a very severe, end-stage condition of the larynx caused by chronic increased inspiratory effort and subsequent weakening of the laryngeal cartilages that would normally hold the walls of the larynx out of the airway.

• Upper respiratory cancer or mass lesions. Tumors, masses or foreign material lodged within the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx or trachea (windpipe) can cause respiratory difficulty as the air passage is partially obstructed by the mass.

• Tracheal collapse. It is usually found in small breed dogs caused by weakness of the cartilage rings that normally hold the trachea open during breathing leading to a severe “honking” cough and dyspnea or difficult breathing.

• Bronchial obstructions. These are caused by primary bronchial collapse that compresses the left bronchus (airway).

• Heart failure. Heart failure develops due to the accumulation of fluid in the chest or lungs that leads to breathing difficulties.

• Pulmonary (lung) disease. This is ineffective oxygenation of the blood caused by lung disease. It causes shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, including bronchitis, pneumonia and lung cancer.

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