Cambridge BOAS Research Group

Calling all BOAS dog owners 🐾

If you are the owner of a brachycephalic (flat-faced) dog and have been supported by the Cambridge BOAS research group or treated at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, we need your voice now more than ever.

The BOAS clinic and research programme at Cambridge has been at the forefront of improving the health, welfare and quality of life of thousands of dogs. From life-changing surgeries to world-leading research that informs veterinary care globally, this work only exists because of the Veterinary School and Hospital.
With the future of the Cambridge Veterinary School under threat, this vital BOAS work risks being lost.

👉 Please take a moment to submit your message of support and share how the BOAS team has helped you and your dog:
🌐 savethevetschool.co.uk

Your lived experience as an owner matters. Your story matters. And your support could help protect the future of BOAS research and the dogs who need it most.

Thank you for standing with us 💙

We are truly overwhelmed and incredibly grateful for the support shown so far.

Over 800 support statements have already been submitted - every single one matters, and every voice is being heard.

Please keep sharing.
Please keep supporting.
Please keep standing with our staff, students, patients, and the future of veterinary medicine.

We still need your help.
Together, we can make a difference.



https://savethevetschool.co.uk

Cambridge vet school slams ‘hasty, unjustified and flawed’ closure recommendation The Department of Veterinary Medicine said the Cambridge vet school closure would represent “a great and irreparable injustice”.

Calm reassurance before a procedure is a vital part of patient care.

Here, one of our specialist anaesthetists takes time to comfort a patient ahead of their dental procedure… ensuring they are settled, warm and supported before their procedure. This attention to animal welfare is standard practice at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital (not to mention the excellent clinical standards).

With the future of the Veterinary School under threat, the specialist training, research and clinical excellence that underpin this level of care are also at risk.

We urge you to support the campaign and help protect the future of veterinary education, research and patient care.

🔗 savethevetschool.co.uk

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

The University of Cambridge’s Veterinary School are facing a recommendation of closure, and we urgently need your support to help prevent this from happening.

The Cambridge BOAS Research Group, based within the Veterinary School, carries out world-leading research that has already transformed the lives of countless dogs and their owners. Through this work, we have helped improve patients quality of life and long-term welfare and supported families through complex and often distressing times managing these cases.

If the Veterinary School and Hospital were to close, this vital BOAS research... along with the clinical care, patient follow-up and client support that underpin it - would stop.

THIS WORK MATTERS. It saves lives, improves welfare and sets standards that are followed far beyond Cambridge.

Please stand with us, share our message and add your voice in support of the Veterinary School. Together, we can help protect the future of this essential research and the animals and families it serves.

Save the Vet School A vital institution. A community in action. A future worth protecting.

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS)

BOAS Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, also known as BOAS, refers to a number of different anatomical and functional problems that cause breathing problems in certain breeds of dog. These problems include narrow nostrils, overcrowded tissue in the nose cavity, an overly long soft palate, collapse of the larynx and narrowed lower airways (trachea and bronchi). Pugs, French bulldogs and English bulldogs are the most commonly affected breeds in the UK.

Clinical signs:
Dogs with BOAS will frequently show increased breathing noise and effort, particularly when they are excited or exercising. Exercise intolerance, heat intolerance and disturbed sleep may also be noticed. Some dogs will also regurgitate frequently. Clinical signs will often progress with time, and can potentially lead to life-threatening breathing difficulties and collapse in the most severely affected dogs.

Diagnostic investigations:
At the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital (QVSH), brachycephalic dogs referred for investigations of BOAS will initially undergo the following non-invasive tests:
• Clinical examination in the consultation room
• Functional grading
• Whole-body barometric plethysmography
If the above tests are suggestive of clinically significant BOAS, the following are usually recommended:
• Airway examination under anaesthesia
• CT scan of the head, neck and chest
• Rhinoscopy

Many dogs referred to the QVSH for BOAS surgery will be undergoing investigations and surgery for the first time. However, we also accept referrals for dogs who have undergone surgery elsewhere already, but whose clinical signs have persisted. In many cases these dogs will need some further ‘conventional’ surgery, with or without laser turbinectomy, and it may be that this is done in one or two procedures depending on the amount of surgery required.

Prognosis:
Most dogs undergoing BOAS surgery will have reduced breathing noise and effort, improved exercise and heat tolerance and better sleep quality after surgery. Regurgitation may also reduce in frequency. However, surgery is not curative for BOAS, and in some patients clinically significant airway obstruction may remain.

The images attached are of Yoda, a French bulldog who had BOAS surgery at the Queen’s Veterinary school hospital. The first image is before surgery and the second is 8-12 weeks later at his BOAS recheck. Yoda was graded as a grade 2 (moderate) pre surgery and has now come down to a grade 1 (mild) post surgery. His clinical symptoms have improved a great amount and his owner is very happy with the progress made.

Hypoplastic Trachea in Bulldog Puppies… What You Need to Know

Bulldogs are prone to certain health conditions… one of them being hypoplastic trachea. This is when the windpipe is narrower than normal and can be a significant component to brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). In puppies, it can lead to serious respiratory problems.

One common complication is aspiration pneumonia, which is when food, water or saliva accidentally enters the lungs causing an infection.

Symptoms to watch for include:

· Persistent coughing or gagging

· Noisy or laboured breathing

· Lethargy or reluctance to exercise

· Abnormal breathing whilst sleeping

· Blue-tinged gums or tongue

· Nasal discharge

· Fever

Important: It is not normal for bulldogs, even as a breed, to have noisy breathing, snoring when awake or visible breathing effort. These are signs that need to be investigated and are not “just a bulldog thing.”

If your puppy shows any of these signs listed above, seek veterinary advice immediately. Early diagnosis and management can save lives.

🐾 Reggie’s story:

Swipe to meet Reggie, the bulldog puppy pictured, was admitted to The Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital for urgent treatment of severe aspiration pneumonia caused by a hypoplastic trachea. With medical treatment, intense nursing care and careful home care following discharge, Reggie made a full recovery and is still doing well today. His story is a reminder that with prompt veterinary attention, these conditions can be managed successfully.

We are pleased to share that our new paper on Boston Terriers has now been published.

In this study we found that Boston Terriers had a significantly lower prevalence of BOAS than the other two screw-tailed breeds, French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs.

We also looked at conformational factors associated with BOAS. We found that features of more extreme brachycephalic conformation increased the risk of BOAS including:

- Narrowed nostrils

- Proportionately thicker neck

- A flatter face

- Abnormal scleral show (more white of the eyes visible)

However, with considerable overlap in conformational features of affected and unaffected dogs, there are limitations in identifying which dogs have BOAS from looks alone. Therefore use of respiratory function testing could help to identify which dogs have BOAS, both for enabling treatment and reduction of BOAS prevalence in breeding practices.

For the full article, follow the link below:

BOAS in the Boston Terrier: A healthier screw-tailed breed? Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is well documented in the three most popular brachycephalic dog breeds of the UK and several other countries: French Bulldogs, Pugs and Bulldogs. More extreme conformation has been found to be associated with increased risk of BOAS and other brachyce...

Happy New Year

We would like to better understand the impact of weight loss on signs of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) in pugs. If your pug has not previously undergone airway surgery, and if you think they may have some signs of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) – noisy breathing, regurgitation, disrupted sleep patterns – we welcome you to book a BOAS assessment with us. These assessments typically last around an hour, and will allow us to assign a Body Condition Score (BCS), BOAS grade, and deliver personalized management recommendations. The cost of this assessment is £120.

If we determine that your pug’s breathing may benefit from weight loss, we will provide a tailored weight loss plan and invite you to a follow-up assessment, which will be FREE OF CHARGE!

For more information or to book a BOAS assessment, please contact us at [email protected]

If you are interested, or have any questions, you are welcome to contact us on the vet boas e-mail address also: [email protected]