As Louise suggested, panting is mouth-breathing and if he's having trouble with that, the two things to evaluate are the size of his trachea (hypoplastic trachea) or elongated palate (evaluated by experienced vet). Your vet may be experienced in general medicine for quite a while but unless he/she has dealt with Bulldogs for quite some time and volume, I would seek a second opinion as to the breathing concerns, and try to get to one of the vets recommended by the readers of this forum (see Home Page, near bottom where articles and references are listed). It is very seldom that the nostrils are surgically altered but the palate is not...most often its the other way around! And if the strained breathing has been ongoing for some time, the saccules in the throat (similar to tonsils for our discussion)may have become stretched/enlarged as well and they too should be surgically trimmed for maximum benefit to the dog...you need a very experienced surgeon for this task! Don't be bashful about asking a doctor how many bulldogs he has operated on for this condition and what his success rate is. Its your dog, your responsibility and your risk...there's no need to be apologetic for your concerns and the vet should be honest with you regarding this. We all understand that there are no guarantees with anesthesia on any animal or human, but you certainly want experience on your side.

As Louise suggested, panting is mouth-breathing and if he's having trouble with that, the two things to evaluate are the size of his trachea (hypoplastic trachea) or elongated palate (evaluated by experienced vet). Your vet may be experienced in general medicine for quite a while but unless he/she has dealt with Bulldogs for quite some time and volume, I would seek a second opinion as to the breathing concerns, and try to get to one of the vets recommended by the readers of this forum (see Home Page, near bottom where articles and references are listed). It is very seldom that the nostrils are surgically altered but the palate is not...most often its the other way around! And if the strained breathing has been ongoing for some time, the saccules in the throat (similar to tonsils for our discussion)may have become stretched/enlarged as well and they too should be surgically trimmed for maximum benefit to the dog...you need a very experienced surgeon for this task! Don't be bashful about asking a doctor how many bulldogs he has operated on for this condition and what his success rate is. Its your dog, your responsibility and your risk...there's no need to be apologetic for your concerns and the vet should be honest with you regarding this. We all understand that there are no guarantees with anesthesia on any animal or human, but you certainly want experience on your side.

Thank you Sue! He is already neutered If he were to get the stenotic nares corrected, would that help him get more oxygen and keep him from panting as quickly? He does sound like a freight train when he pants!

Braden

Thank you Sue! He is already neutered If he were to get the stenotic nares corrected, would that help him get more oxygen and keep him from panting as quickly? He does sound like a freight train when he pants!

Braden

you can have the nose done at the same time. The term is "stenotic nares" meaning nostrils pinched shut. It is common in bulldogs and easily fixed.

The closed nostrils has nothing to do with the heavy panting (because he's breathing through his mouth). He will get winded more easily if he has a small trachea.

If he's very noisy (like a freight train) when he's panting heavily it means that he has an elongated soft palate.

Just make sure that your vet is very familiar with bulldogs and their high sensitivity to anesthesia.

Good luck,
Sue

you can have the nose done at the same time. The term is "stenotic nares" meaning nostrils pinched shut. It is common in bulldogs and easily fixed.

The closed nostrils has nothing to do with the heavy panting (because he's breathing through his mouth). He will get winded more easily if he has a small trachea.

If he's very noisy (like a freight train) when he's panting heavily it means that he has an elongated soft palate.

Just make sure that your vet is very familiar with bulldogs and their high sensitivity to anesthesia.

Good luck,
Sue