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The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Abstract

Brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS) is an anatomical abnormality of the upper airway commonly found in brachycephalic breeds leading to clinical signs and physical capacity impairment. The purposes of this study were to objectively assess the severity of the clinical signs and physical capacity in French Bulldogs with BAOS using questionnaire and 6-minute walk test (6-MWT), respectively. A total of 26 French Bulldogs were enrolled in this study and divided into a normal group (n = 7), a moderate BAOS group (n = 8) and a severe BAOS group (n = 11). After history taking and physical examination, the questionnaire was answered by the owners and 6-MWT was performed in all dogs. The severity of the clinical signs from the total questionnaire scores in the moderate and severe BAOS groups were significantly higher than the normal group (P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively). The 6-MWTdistance of the normal group (521 ± 35 m) was significantly longer than the moderate BAOS group (422 ± 37 m) and the severe BAOS group (392 ± 50 m) (P<0.001). Serious adverse clinical signs were not found during and after 6-MWT. Moreover, negative correlations were found between 6-MWT distance and questionnaire scores with the strongest negative correlation with the breathing sound scores (r = -0.757, P<0.001). In conclusion, dogs with moderate to severe BAOS had a higher severity of clinical signs with lower physical capacity compared with normal dogs, both of which could be objectively assessed and presented as numerical data by questionnaire and 6-MWT. Thus, questionnaire and 6-MWT can provide clinical severity in detail for BAOS management.

DOI

10.56808/2985-1130.3035

First Page

337

Last Page

343

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