Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Breathing test detects airway blockage in pugs French bulldogs
By Liu, N-C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Whole-Body Barometric Plethysmography Characterizes Upper Airway Obstruction in 3 Brachycephalic Breeds of Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a new test called whole-body barometric plethysmography (WBBP) can help diagnose brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) in breeds like French bulldogs, pugs, and bulldogs. These breeds often have breathing problems due to their short noses, and the test showed that even healthy-looking dogs had reduced airflow compared to other breeds. The results indicated that obesity and narrow nostrils increase the risk of BOAS. This test could help veterinarians identify dogs at risk for breathing issues without needing invasive procedures.
People also search for: French bulldog breathing problems · pug airway obstruction symptoms · bulldog obesity treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A novel test using whole-body barometric plethysmography (WBBP) was developed recently to diagnose brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) in unsedated French bulldogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: The hypotheses of this study were: (1) respiratory characteristics are different between healthy nonbrachycephalic dogs and brachycephalic dogs; and among pugs, French bulldogs, and bulldogs; and (2) obesity and stenotic nares are risk factors for BOAS. The main objective was to establish a diagnostic test for BOAS in these 3 breeds. ANIMALS: A total of 266 brachycephalic dogs (100 pugs, 100 French bulldogs, and 66 bulldogs) and 28 nonbrachycephalic dogs. METHODS: Prospective study. Exercise tolerance tests with respiratory functional grading, and WBBP were performed on all dogs. Data from WBBP were associated with functional grades to train quadratic discriminant analysis tools to assign dogs to BOAS+ and BOAS- groups. A BOAS index (0-100%) was calculated for each dog. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate classification ability. RESULTS: Minute volume was decreased significantly in asymptomatic pugs (P = .009), French bulldogs (P = .026), and bulldogs (P < .0001) when compared to nonbrachycephalic controls. Respiratory characteristics were different among breeds and affected dogs had a significant increase in trace variation. The BOAS index predicted BOAS status for each breed with 94-97% (95% confidence interval [CI], 88.9-100%) accuracy (area under the ROC curve). Both obesity (P = .04) and stenotic nares (P = .004) were significantly associated with BOAS. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The WBBP can be used as a clinical tool to diagnose BOAS noninvasively and objectively.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27159898/