Disease overview

Brachycephaly and the associated brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) results from the shortening of the noses and skulls of certain 'flat-faced' dog breeds, leading to inability to breathe normally. These dogs have elongated and thickened soft palate, stenotic nares and laryngeal collapse. It is estimated that roughly half of all Bulldogs and Pugs suffer from clinically significant signs of BOAS.

Gene name

BMP3

Inheritance

Complex

Signs and symptoms

Clinical signs of BOAS include dyspnea, noisy breathing, exercise intolerance, and vomiting. Overheating is also a common problem since brachycephalic breeds have a decreased thermoregulation capacity.

How is it diagnosed

Oro-pharyngeal examination is the most commonly used diagnostic tool. Exercise tolerance tests can also be used, as well as CT of the head and posterior rhinoscopy.

Breeds at higher risk

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Citations

Schoenebeck JJ, Hutchinson SA, Byers A, Beale HC, Carrington B, Faden DL, Rimbault M, Decker B, Kidd JM, Sood R, Boyko AR, Fondon JW 3rd, Wayne RK, Bustamante CD, Ciruna B, Ostrander EA. Variation of BMP3 contributes to dog breed skull diversity. PLoS Genet. 2012;8(8):e1002849. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002849. Epub 2012 Aug 2. PMID: 22876193; PMCID: PMC3410846.

Marchant TW, Johnson EJ, McTeir L, Johnson CI, Gow A, Liuti T, Kuehn D, Svenson K, Bermingham ML, Drögemüller M, Nussbaumer M, Davey MG, Argyle DJ, Powell RM, Guilherme S, Lang J, Ter Haar G, Leeb T, Schwarz T, Mellanby RJ, Clements DN, Schoenebeck JJ. Canine Brachycephaly Is Associated with a Retrotransposon-Mediated Missplicing of SMOC2. Curr Biol. 2017 Jun 5;27(11):1573-1584.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.057. Epub 2017 May 25. PMID: 28552356; PMCID: PMC5462623.

Disclaimer

Disease diagnosis and treatment should always be performed by a veterinarian. The following information is for educational purposes only.