A Review of Clinical Outcomes, Owner Understanding and Satisfaction following Medial Canthoplasty in Brachycephalic Dogs in a UK Referral Setting (2016-2021)

Brachycephalic breeds have increased in popularity despite growing awareness of their predisposition to a wide range of conformation-related diseases. The extreme facial conformation of many popular brachycephalic breeds compromises their ocular surface health, increasing the risk of painful corneal ulceration. Medial canthoplasty (MC) is a surgical procedure to address ocular abnormalities in brachycephalic dogs, which are collectively referred to as brachycephalic ocular syndrome (BOS). This study retrospectively reviewed the records of dogs recommended MC at a referral hospital between 2016 and 2021. A questionnaire was designed to identify owners' perceptions pre- and post-operatively. From 271 brachycephalic dogs recommended MC, 43.5% (118/271) underwent surgery and 72.0% (85/118) were Pugs. The majority of dogs (73.7%, 87/118) that underwent surgery had current or historical corneal ulceration. Follow-up was available in 104 dogs, of which 5.7% (6/104) had corneal ulceration post-operatively. Sixty-four owners completed the questionnaire and reported post-operative corneal ulceration in 12.5% of dogs (8/64), reduced ocular discharge (70.8%, 34/48), reduced ocular irritation (67.7%, 21/31) and less periocular cleaning (52.5%, 32/61). Owners were satisfied with the clinical (85.9%, 55/64) and cosmetic (87.5%, 56/64) outcome. In conclusion, MC has high clinical relevance for the surgical management of BOS, restoring functional conformation and improving the quality of life of affected dogs.

Two Types of Management for the Noninvasive Treatment of Pectus Excavatum in Neonatal Puppies-Case Reports

Pectus excavatum is a deformity of the thorax characterized by ventrodorsal narrowing of the sternum bone and costal cartilages, which can lead to compression and cardiopulmonary alterations in dogs, presenting a high prevalence in brachycephalic breeds. The aim of this report was to describe two types of management for the noninvasive treatment of pectus excavatum in newborn puppies of the breeds French Bulldog and American Bully. The puppies presented dyspnea, cyanosis and substernal retraction during inspiration. The diagnosis was performed by physical examination and confirmed by chest X-ray. Two types of splints were performed (a circular splint with plastic pipe and a paper box splint on the chest), aiming at thoracic lateral compression and frontal chest remodeling. The management was effective for the conservative treatment of mild-grade pectus excavatum, resulting in the repositioning of the thorax and improvement of the respiratory pattern.