Noodle's corner
Is my flat-faced puppy's breathing normal?
By Dr. Steve Pelton, DVM. Small-animal vet since 2000.
Your host
Noodle, a French Bulldog puppy
This corner is for
French Bulldogs, Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Shih Tzus, Boxers and other short noses.
Mixed breed? Read the corner that fits his body, not just the name on the paperwork. An 80-pound Lab-Shepherd mix belongs in Moose's corner.
The short answer
- Snoring and snorting are common in flat-faced puppies, but they aren't "just cute." It's the sound of air squeezing through a tight airway.
- Heat is the big danger. These dogs can't cool off well by panting.
- Ask your vet to check his airway at a puppy visit, keep him lean, and walk him in a harness.
- Struggling to breathe, blue or gray gums, or collapse: go now.
Same stuff inside, less room
A flat-faced dog has a shorter skull, but not less of the soft tissue that goes inside it. So it all gets squeezed: nostrils can be narrow, the soft palate at the back of the throat can be too long, and the windpipe can be small. Vets call it BOAS, brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome.
Picture breathing through a straw someone's pinching. You can do it, but it's work, and it gets harder when you're hot, excited or running. Plenty of flat-faced dogs live happily with a mild case. The goal is to know where yours is.
Heat, and Houston summers
In a study of more than 900,000 UK dogs, flat-faced breeds had about twice the odds of heat-related illness, and Bulldogs about 14 times the odds of Labradors. Where summer runs half the year, like here around Houston, that matters every day from May to October.
- Walk at dawn or after dark in summer. Hot pavement and still, humid air are the worst combination.
- Short play sessions, lots of shade and water, and a cool floor or fan at home (Noodle approves).
- Never leave him in a parked car, even for a minute.
- Talk to your vet before you book any flight with him.
Overheated? Start cooling right away, before you get in the car. Soak him with cool or cold water (any water that's cooler than he is) and get air moving over him with a fan, the AC or open windows. Keep cooling on the drive in. Skip ice. The emergency page has the other signs that mean go now.
Tap what you see
Listen to his breathing
Quiet breathing at rest is what you're hoping for. Keep listening as he grows.
Not sure which one fits? Call your vet. General education, not veterinary advice. Your vet's plan for your puppy comes first.
Questions for your vet
- Can you check his airway? How do his nostrils and breathing look?
- How do we keep him lean? Extra fat around the neck and chest makes the squeeze worse.
- Harness instead of collar?
- If he ever needs airway surgery, can it be timed with the spay or neuter?
Questions I get every day
Is it normal for a French Bulldog puppy to snore?
It's common, but it isn't normal. Noisy breathing is the sound of air squeezing through a tight airway, and researchers who grade flat-faced dogs count any airway noise as a sign of it. Many dogs live fine with a mild case. Ask your vet to check his airway so you know where he stands.
Why is heat so dangerous for flat-faced dogs?
Dogs cool off mostly by panting, and panting through a pinched airway doesn't work well. In a study of more than 900,000 UK dogs, flat-faced dogs had about twice the odds of heat-related illness, and Bulldogs about 14 times the odds of Labradors. Walk early or late, keep him cool, and never leave him in a parked car.
Should my Frenchie wear a harness or a collar?
Ask your vet, but most flat-faced dogs do better in a harness, which keeps pressure off the neck. Keeping him lean helps too, because extra fat around the neck and chest makes the squeeze worse.
Where this comes from
- Hall EJ, Carter AJ, O'Neill DG. Incidence and risk factors for heat-related illness (heatstroke) in UK dogs under primary veterinary care in 2016. Scientific Reports 2020;10:9128.
- University of Cambridge BOAS Research Group. Respiratory Function Grading scheme.
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Pets in vehicles.
General education, not veterinary advice. Your vet's plan for your puppy comes first.