Narrow nose in dogs with Brachycephalic syndrome (Boxers, Pugs, Bulldogs, etc.) - surgery of stenotic nares

Brachycephalic syndrome (dogs with abnormally short but wide heads) is a group of conditions that mainly predisposes animals to breathing difficulties. These abnormalities are: narrow nostrils (stenotic nares), elongated soft palate (that can get stuck partially or obstruct the entrance into the larynx), protrusion or eversion of the laryngeal saccules (2 sacs or membranes on each side of the larynx, near the vocal cords that can get sucked in and reduce the diameter of the larynx), thickened tongue (hyperglossia) and narrow/underdeveloped trachea (hypoplastic trachea).

Also, they can suffer from skin fold problems, gastrointestinal problems (mainly due to hiatal hernias, where some of the stomach gets through the diaphragm, into the chest), etc…

As it can be seen on the photograph, the holes or nostrils are extremely narrow in this dog, making more difficult to breath and inhale air, having to put more effort into sucking air in, every time they do, for the rest of their lives (in addition to the rest of the problems mentioned above).

This problem can potentially get worse overtime as the extra effort on the airway walls sucks in more tissue and causes inflammation, narrowing it and developing secondary, potentially, life-threatening problems, like laryngeal collapse (where the cartilage of the larynx fail to keep the airway open.

This is why it is important in these dogs to try to minimise this problem by tackling some of the abnormalities at a young age so they are less likely to develop more serious problem at a later date.

One of the things it can be done, and it is fairly straight forward, on the right hands, is a Rhinoplasty, or nostril surgery, in which they holes of the nose are made larger but leaving a good cosmetic result. This on its own won’t cure the problem but might help on the long term (more if other correctives surgeries of the palate, etc… are performed at the same time).

In addition, it is important on these dogs, to keep them slim and to avoid walking them when it is really hot, as they struggle more to regulate their temperature than other dogs and can end up with hyperthermia and collapse.