Thornbury – July 2017
Meet Humphrey the Bulldog, who is just 5 months old. Although still so young, he has become a regular visitor here at Thornbury.
Humphrey came to see us when he was only 3 months old after his owners noticed some issues with his breathing. He was showing increased effort when taking breaths, as well as snoring and extending his head while lying down. Sadly many Bulldogs have problems breathing, due to malformed airways. Because so many of the breed have this problem, many people have come to view snoring as normal. In fact, it is often a symptom of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome. This is also a common problem in other short faced breeds, such as French Bulldogs and Pugs.
After discussing options with Humphrey’s owners, we decided that he would benefit from surgery on his throat and nose, to open up his airways more and to help him breathe better.
Humphrey underwent surgery with Matt and Ginette at the beginning of July and has since recovered well. This surgery should allow Humphrey to breathe far more easily. It should also allow him to exercise more freely and snore less. Intervention at this stage of Humphrey’s life should also reduce the risk of further damage to his larynx as he gets older.
After having significant surgery at such a young age, along with lots of visits to the practice, we think Humphrey is a worthy winner of our Pet of the Month award. Well done Humphrey!
