Respiratory & GI Disease in Brachycephalic Dog Breeds

Petchell WHR, Noble P-JM, Broome HAO, Burrow R. Incidence of alimentary and respiratory disease in brachycephalic dogs presenting to primary care veterinary practices participating in the SAVSNET project. Vet Rec. 2022;191(7):e1685. doi:10.1002/vetr.1685

Dogs with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, particularly French bulldogs, have a high incidence of GI disease. This study analyzed records of 750 French bulldogs (n = 260), pugs (n = 252), and bulldogs (n = 238) to determine the incidence of respiratory and GI disease among brachycephalic breeds. French bulldogs had a higher incidence of esophageal, gastric, and intestinal disease compared with pugs and bulldogs, and pugs had the highest incidence of respiratory tract and miscellaneous (ie, exercise intolerance, syncope) diseases. These results demonstrate significant breed-specific differences in the incidence of respiratory and GI disease among brachycephalic dogs.