Procedures we offer

Treatment tailored to your dog.

At Breathe, we assess each dog individually rather than relying on breed generalisations when considering treatment.

Dr Arthur House will recommend an approach based on your dog's airway, the severity of their breathing difficulties and the findings from their assessment.

From there, treatment may involve one or more procedures, tailored to what your dog actually needs.

Understanding your dog’s airway

Advanced imaging and rhinoscopy allow us to look more closely at your dog's airway and identify factors that may be contributing to their breathing difficulties.

CT Imaging

A detailed look at your dog’s head and chest.

We use CT to image your dog's head and chest. This allows us to identify additional structural issues within the airway, as well as pre-existing lung disease such as aspiration pneumonia.

CT can help us identify problems that may affect the expected outcome following surgery.

Rhinoscopy

Looking inside the nasal cavity.

We use a small camera to look inside your dog's nose and assess how congested the nasal cavity is.

In some cases, rhinoscopy can also be used to perform laser-assisted turbinectomy to relieve congestion. Occasionally, it may identify another cause of your dog's breathing difficulties.

Airway procedures

Depending on your dog's individual airway and breathing difficulties, one or more procedures may be recommended.

Breathe offers specialised procedures including laser-assisted turbinectomy and ala-vestibuloplasty, which are not commonly available in Australia.

  • Opening the outer and inner nostril to improve airflow.

    Ala-vestibuloplasty is a procedure that opens both the outer nostril and the vestibule, the area just inside the nose.

    This technique significantly increases the opening of the nostril and the space just inside the nose compared with traditional rhinoplasty techniques.

  • Managing the length and thickness of the soft palate.

    There are several ways to shorten the soft palate. The key is making sure it is shortened enough, but not too much.

    A modified folded palatoplasty removes the excess tissue before folding and suturing the palate lining onto itself. This allows accurate control of the palate length and creates a neat closure, while also helping to control bleeding that can contribute to post-operative swelling.

    Unlike techniques that use electrical devices to seal the palate after excess tissue is removed, this technique does not leave burnt tissue inside the mouth.

  • Removing tissue that is reducing the space available to breathe.

    Everted saccules are small pieces of fleshy tissue that protrude into the opening of the larynx, reducing the space available for breathing. Their presence represents an early stage of laryngeal collapse.

    When everted saccules are present, they are carefully removed to help increase the diameter of the airway. Care is taken to avoid damaging the vocal folds and causing excessive scarring.

  • Reducing enlarged tonsils that are contributing to airway obstruction.

    Many short-nose dogs have enlarged tonsils that extend from the sides of the throat into the airway, where they can contribute to obstruction.

    Rather than removing the entire tonsil and the pocket it sits within, Arthur prefers to remove only the part of the tonsil that is obstructing the airway. This is less invasive and avoids the need to suture the lining of the mouth.

  • Removing excess nasal tissue to improve airflow through the nose.

    Laser-assisted turbinectomy is a minimally invasive procedure for dogs with excessive nasal turbinates that are blocking airflow through the nose. Using a laser, excess turbinates are removed to help relieve the obstruction.

    This procedure can be useful for dogs that have had a poor response to traditional airway surgery, or dogs with marked nasal obstruction resulting in sleep apnoea or daytime fatigue.

    LATE is a specialised procedure with very limited availability in Australia. description

Recovery is part of the treatment

One-on-one brachycephalic recovery with a dedicated surgery nurse.

Keeping short-nose dogs calm in hospital is particularly important when recovering from anaesthesia. Careful one-on-one recovery helps reduce the risk of problems such as aspiration pneumonia and respiratory distress associated with anxiety.

Good pain relief and local anaesthetic blocks, together with a quiet, calm environment and carefully managed anti-anxiety medication, are all part of helping your dog wake from anaesthesia safely and with as little stress as possible.

Not sure what your dog needs?

You don’t need to know which procedure is right for your dog before making an appointment.

Your dog’s Breathe airway assessment gives you the opportunity to talk through your concerns with Dr Arthur House, understand your dog’s airway health and receive clear guidance about what, if anything, is recommended.

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