Breathing
Issues
The material on this page is authored by
Dorothy and Julian Prager
If your dog is overheated and/or over
excited, it is critical to calm him down, bring down the body temperature, make
sure the throat is free of mucous, and minimize the swelling. Fast action is
essential and you generally will not have a real problem if you act quickly
rather then letting problems build. It is better to err on the side of caution
with these problems: you won't harm the dog with water, ice and aspirin he
doesn't need, but you can kill a dog by not acting when he needs help.
Many Bulldogs gag and/or vomit when excited. If this happens and he seems to be having a problem, clear the dog's throat of mucous with your finger and squirt lemon juice down his throat. (Real Lemon squeeze lemons are wonderful). He will gag and act like your torturing him (unless he's like the dog we had who loved lemon). Don't worry about it. Then give him ice cubes and hold his mouth shut to make him chew them if necessary. Get him to a spot where he can calm down.
Don't leave him outside in the hot sun. Don't have him sit around on a leash without access to water while you're socializing if it's warm. Never leave him in an enclosed car in the summer - cars turn into ovens really easily.
You should be aware of the sound and rhythm of the dog's normal breathing and panting. Bulldogs are normally noisy, so don't let that scare you . If he's over excited, his breathing will be abnormally fast and hard. If the dog is hyperventilating, his tongue will have a bluish cast instead of the normal pink and it will hang out unusually far. His panting will be heavy, probably with a rasping sound and he may look wild eyed. To treat him, you will need to use some or all of the following: water, ice, lemon juice, and aspirin suppositories.
You can immediately place him in a tub of cold (but not ice) water or in a cold shower. If you're outside, pour water over him - straight from a garden hose if possible. He won't like it, but do it anyway. It's important to get him wet down to the skin so evaporation of the water can speed bodily cooling. Then get him into the shade. You can clear then his throat with lemon juice. Give him ice cubes and hold a compress of ice cubes on his genitals and/or head. If he's overheated, give him an aspirin suppository.
Nostrils -- Breathing problems can start where the air first comes in - at the nostrils. Collapsed nostrils are seen more frequently in short-nosed breeds like the Bulldog. In this condition, the nasal cartilage of puppies is too soft and collapses under the pressure of breathing. Surgical enlargement of the nostrils will solve the problem. Nostrils of older Bulldogs come in a variety of sizes, some of which are too small to admit enough air. When coupled with problems in the soft palate tonsils or trachea, this can lead to problem breathing. Fortunately, this is not usually a problem. Nostrils can be surgically enlarged to increase air flow, but it is infrequent that it is necessary. Ideally, a Bulldog should have large, well-opened nostrils.
Soft Palate -- The next potential point of air blockage is the soft palate. The front part of the roof of the mouth is the hard palate and the rear, up until the windpipe, is the soft palate. When the soft palate is elongated, as it frequently is in brachiocephalic dogs, it can partially block the airway when the animal breathes. Treatment will depend on the amount of tissue, its location and the dog's temperament. A calm dog, with a slight elongation of the soft palate may need nothing more than extra attention during hot weather (when throats tend to swell).
By the age of four or five months, the Vet should be able to tell you if the soft palate is elongated. If he doesn't have it by that age, he won't suddenly develop it later in life. If it is elongated, by 6-8 months of age you'll know about how long it will be and whether it's a problem depending on your dog's activity level and your lifestyle. The soft palate can be surgically shortened if it causes serious problems, especially if the animal is excitable. This is because an excitable animal will breathe and pant harder, which causes swelling of the throat, which is already partially blocked by the soft palate.
Where surgery is indicated, it will generally be performed after the puppy has reached full growth - after 10-12 months. You must wait this long for two reasons. First to determine whether this is a real problem - you don't want your dog to have unnecessary surgery. Second, if done much earlier, it's harder to predict the final head size and the Vet may take off too much or too little.
Tonsils -- Yes, your dog has tonsils just like you do and they are subject to the same potential problems. Some dogs never have problems; some get tonsillitis and, if antibiotics don't work, have their tonsils taken out because of infection. Tonsils which are too large can be removed - it's a relatively minor operation. The dog can be home the same day and won't spend more than a night with the Vet.
Trachea -- The size of the trachea (windpipe) also varies. While a large windpipe makes breathing easier, dogs can do quite well with narrower openings. Bulldog windpipes are generally smaller compared to the size of the dog than in other breeds. The size of the windpipe cannot be corrected surgically. As long as the windpipe is big enough for the dog to function, it's not a big issue for you. For the Vet, the issue will center on the best way to anesthetize the dog if surgery is required for some other condition. You can discuss this with your Vet.
Bulldogs have relatively narrow windpipes for their size. The unusual construction of their nasal passages and soft palates, coupled with the narrower trachea, makes them exceptionally vulnerable to breathing problems in the heat. Over excitement, and the resulting hyperventilation, causes similar problems. This can result from swelling of the soft palate tissue, poor tissue tone, or too long a soft palate, each of which can block off the windpipe. In addition, prolonged problem breathing can cause eversion of the laryngeal saccules, causing them to close over the windpipe during breathing.
Reverse Sneezing --- This is a frightening, but harmless, condition seen fairly frequently in Bulldogs. When this happens, the dog pulls air into the nose fiercely, producing an incredible racket. It seems as though he was trying to clear his nasal passages. After the first few times, you will get used to this. The dog is entirely normal afterwards and no treatment is needed.
Allergic Reactions -- If the dog breaks out in welts or looks as though he has hives he is probably having an allergic reaction. Take him to the Vet without delay. He'll probably get shots to alleviate the problem. Then you have to identify the cause. Common causes are flea bites (some dogs are allergic to fleas). As a precaution, you can have your house sprayed for fleas twice a year by a professional. It doesn't cost much and provides a long lasting remedy for a potentially unpleasant problem. If you keep the flea population under control, you should reduce the chance of allergic reactions.
Some dogs are allergic to chemicals used to clean rugs or floors. One of our dogs was allergic to a supermarket brand of rug cleaner, so be careful of such things. Of course, one of our dogs likes to chase wasps and bees, whose stings cause an allergic reaction in her, so you can never be sure. If he is allergic, you have to be especially careful, since an allergic attack sometimes produces respiratory problems. Most Bulldoggers have an assortment of medications like Lasix and Benedryl and Depo-Medrol to administer in case of allergic reactions.