Brachycephalic airway and laryngeal paralysis surgery in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky

Brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds such as Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and Pugs are often born with narrow nostrils, an overly long soft palate, and other changes that make breathing harder. This is called brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Laryngeal paralysis is a different problem, most common in older large-breed dogs such as Labrador Retrievers, where the cartilages of the voice box no longer open fully when the dog breathes in.

For BOAS, surgery may include widening the nostrils (nares resection), shortening the soft palate, and removing everted laryngeal saccules. For laryngeal paralysis, the most common surgery is a unilateral arytenoid lateralization ("tie-back"), which holds one side of the larynx open. Dr. Bruce often uses a bipolar sealing device to shorten the soft palate (staphylectomy), and can also remove everted laryngeal saccules, perform tonsillectomies, correct narrowed nostrils, and perform laryngeal tie-backs for laryngeal paralysis.

Dogs are monitored closely as they wake up from anesthesia, since swelling in the back of the throat can occur and can become life-threatening. Many dogs can go home the same day after BOAS surgery, because most dogs get far less worked up and stressed at home than in the clinic, which helps their breathing. At home, keep your dog in a cool, low-humidity environment (a fan helps circulate the air) and calm; sedatives can help keep dogs from getting stressed or too active. For BOAS surgery, published studies report breathing complications after surgery in roughly 15–23% of dogs, and death around the time of surgery in about 2–7%. Risk is higher in older dogs, dogs with laryngeal collapse, and dogs that need emergency surgery, which is one reason earlier surgery is preferred. Soft food may be fed for a couple of days before returning to the normal diet, and leash walks with a harness rather than a neck collar are recommended. After tie-back surgery there is a lifelong risk of aspiration pneumonia, so feeding and swimming precautions are discussed. A recheck is scheduled at 2 weeks if your dog is doing well.