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Brachycephalic Dogs: Everything You Need to Know

Dogs with scrunched noses, cute wrinkles, and large eyes have become increasingly popular.  However, short-nosed breeds (also known as brachycephalic dogs), have additional needs versus a typical hound dog.  Here, everything you need to know about brachycephalic dogs will be discussed. What does Brachycephalic Mean? Brachycephalic generally means that an animal has a skull that is short and broad, with the width at least 80% of the length.  The general characteristics of a brachycephalic dog are a significantly shortened nasal pathway, an elongated soft palate, dramatically restricted nostrils (stenotic nares), a hypoplastic trachea (abnormal growth in the trachea that results in narrowing), and everted laryngeal saccules (i.e. saccules that grow into the airway and restrict respiration). Which Dog Breeds are Brachycephalic? There are a number of brachycephalic dog breeds.  The most common include: Affenpinscher American Bulldog Boston Terrier Boxer Brussels Griffon Cane Corso Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Chihuahua (apple-headed) Dogue...
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