Brachycephalic syndrome in English bulldog : (Review of literature)

Abstract

The small and compact English bulldog was first bred in England in the 1600 century with the purpose of fighting bulls. Many changes were done to the English bulldog, which is descending from dogs like the mastiff, to make it as suitable for its task as possible. The face had to be broad, muscular and flat with a nose pointing upwards to make it easier for the dog to hang onto the bull for a long time without having to let go to breath. Short forelegs and longer hind leg made it easier for the dog to sprint up to the bull, attaching from below. The characteristic look of today’s English bulldog is a result of years of breeding. Unfortunately this has resulted in the English bulldog suffering from several illnesses, including the most obvious one of them all, the brachycephalic airway syndrome. This congenital condition is characterized by the dogs having an extremely flat nose, stenotic nostrils, elongated soft palate and laryngeal and tracheal hypoplasia. Everted laryngeal saccules are a consequence of the obstructive effect of the stenotic nares and elongated soft palate, and will worsen the ability of the animal to breathe even more. The UK kennel club and the American kennel club are favouring the morphological characteristics mentioned above, being responsible for the brachycephalic syndrome, which is causing the respiratory distress of the English bulldog.