Diagnosing Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome in Dogs

We included client-owned brachycephalic dogs of three breeds: FB, P, and BST. Dogs without signs of BOAS were diagnosed based on the absence of clinical signs (stertor, stridor, exercise, heat intolerance at rest and during daily activities, including running) and visible abnormalities such as stenotic nares. Dogs with signs of BOAS were classified based on clinical signs of exercise intolerance and other signs of BOAS. In dogs with signs of BOAS, abnormalities consistent with BOAS were confirmed under anesthesia by endoscopy by an experienced veterinary surgeon (VE) and the disease was graded as described previously [35 (link), 62 (link)]. The control group consisted of healthy non-brachycephalic dogs with normal cardiac auscultation invited to participate in the study. All owners signed an informed consent form to participate in the study.