Medical director of Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital, Dr. Boaz Man DVM, is on a mission to help improve breathing in flat faced dog breeds.
The French Bulldog recently became the most popular dog breed in the nation (they dethroned the Labrador retriever after 30 years).
Unfortunately, they are also the most likely to suffer from respiratory stress, respiratory obstruction, heatstroke, and collapse due to oxygen deprivation. “With record heat waves spreading through Florida, we have seen too many flat faced dogs who suffer because they can’t breathe,” says Dr. Man.
French bulldogs, pugs & bulldogs are more than 17 times more likely to suffer from life-threatening breathing issues than any other breed.
“Unfortunately, these breeds fall into a category of Extreme Brachycephalic Breeds, which means not only do they have a flat face, but it is extremely flat,” says Man. “People love to say, ‘Oh it’s so cute how they snore or grunt & hack like a little pig,’ but it’s not funny and it’s not cute—it means they are having a problem breathing.”
Dr. Man is helping flat faced dogs avoid emergency vet visits for heat stroke by performing a minimally invasive procedure to open up the airways in flat faced dog breeds with a laser—no stitches or cones are required.
“It is an outpatient procedure, they come in that morning & go home that night,” he explains. “They start breathing better shortly after the corrective airway surgery. The benefit of using a carbon dioxide laser is we don’t have the bleeding that usually takes place with a scalpel blade.”
Dr. Man uses the laser to open a dog’s nostrils & remove excess tissue in their windpipe. “It’s not only the nose that has to be fixed, there is something called an elongated soft palate in the throat that creates an obstruction,” says Dr. Man.
For a free consultation with Dr. Man, please text photos & videos of your flat faced dog to (954) 399-1569
Dr. Man says he understands why dogs like French bulldogs have gained so much popularity and he hopes for more responsible breeding in the future.
“We need to do a better job of breeding them for better features,” he says. “That is so important because we have a responsibility as pet parents to make sure they have the best quality of life possible.”
Dr. Man regularly shares stories of pets that they help through educational videos on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and has a dedicated pet blog page as well.
To watch Dr. Boaz Man & a Frenchie named Merci that he recently helped breathe better on ABC news check out the video below:
This post is sponsored by Boca Midtowne Animal Hospital
