Muzzle Length

Trait overview

Muzzle Length 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

More common in the following breeds

Bulldogs (French and English), Boxer Dogs, Boston Terriers, Pekingese, Chinese Pugs, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus, and Bull Mastiffs

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.