‘Heads and Tales: Stories of Dogs and Their Breathing Disorders’ 

Richard Mellanby and Jeff Schoenebeck, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

Dogs with flattened faces (brachycephalics) are becoming increasingly popular around the world. Since Victorian times, selective breeding of dogs has been a popular hobby that has created a body shape prone to several diseases and one of the most problematic is a difficulty in breathing. This condition can cause suffering and is under-recognised by some vets and owners. These breeds have proportionally more soft tissue in the head, filling the airways with excess tissue. But is that the whole story?

Join us to learn how genetic research has dramatically improved our understanding of the changes in body shape of brachycephalic dogs. Hear about how a recent investigation into a normal shaped dog (the Norwich terrier) with a different breathing problem is changing our understanding of brachycephalic upper airway disease and how we are improving the diagnosis, treatment and public awareness of breathing disease in dogs through the BREATHE clinic (Brachycephalic Research Education Assessment and Treatment, Hospital for Small Animals, Edinburgh).