Is
your pet's snoring keeping you up at night? You aren't
alone, and there may be something you can do to help.
Many of the short faced breeds like Boston Terriers,
Pugs and Bull Dogs have nostril openings that are
too small. Imagine trying to breathe through your
nose if you squeeze your nostrils closed about 75%.
Since dogs breath predominantly through their noses,
this is what they are dealing with. This causes them
to work very hard to get air, and creates negative
pressure inside their throat and airways. Over time,
this can cause their trachea (windpipe) to flatten
out which makes the snoring even worse.
Newer research shows that if we open up their nostrils
when they are younger, we can decrease a lot of these
problems as they age, and yes, significantly decrease
the snoring. Opening up the nostrils is a safe easy
procedure. 
We
routinely recommend this be done at 6 months of age
when the dog is spayed or neutered.
With the dog under anesthesia, a small wedge is taken
from the nostril, and then sutured in such a way that
the nostril opening is significantly enlarged. This
is a very cosmetic procedure, and once it's healed,
you won't be able to tell that anything was done,
except by the amount of sleep your getting. Some pet's
that snore have more than one problem. Some have a
long soft palate that may need surgery too.
This procedure is more involved and expensive and
can be difficult to diagnose without special tools
like an endoscope. Often my clients elect to having
the nose done, and if the problem persists, then go
after the soft palate. Talk to us to see what's best
for your pet.
