Clinical Study: Brachycephalic Breeds of Dog

At the Small Animal Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Ljubljana a study is underway to determine the impact of brachycephalic syndrome on the development of heart disease. In the research we want to include a group of brachycephalic breeds of dogs (pugs, French and English Bulldogs, Boston terriers) that have pronounced brachycephalic syndrome.

Typical problems of dogs with brachycephalic syndrome are:

loud breathing
hissing and wheezing noises due to narrowing of the upper airways (stertor),
increased effort when inhaling
quick and difficult exhalation
difficulty sleeping
snoring
frequent choking
trouble swallowing
vomiting
wide front leg stance
inability to exert physical effort
bluish discolouration of skin or mucous membrane (cyanosis)
loss of consciousness (collapse)

Inclusion in the study will mean a reduced financial burden for owners, since any eventual surgery will be free of charge, and owners will only be charged for the cost of anesthesia and analgesia and basic blood tests. All dogs included in the study will undergo the same procedures as regular patients; for the purposes of the study just a little more blood will be taken, which will be further analysed.

If you would like to include your brachycephalic dog in the study, please email vladimira.erjavec@vf.uni-lj.si or phone Dr. Vladimira Erjavec on 01/477-9292, with whom you will agree on the exact date of a short examination at the Small Animal Clinic to determine if your dog has brachycephalic syndrome and needs surgical treatment.

At the same time, we want to include clinically healthy dogs of the aforementioned breeds in the research, those which, therefore, do not have brachycephalic syndrome. These animals will be included in the control group, blood samples will be taken, and a number of analyses will be performed, all of which will be completely free of charge for owners.
It is foreseen that the control group will include 8-10 dogs.

Author: Assist. Prof. Vladimira Erjavec