Puppy breathing issues and clearing throat

[Miss Molly]

Molly is quite the loud breather and snorer, compared to my last bullie. She seems to get a pleghmy and tries to clear her throat every so often. Sometimes is makes her cough. It doesn't sound like kennel cough or anything.

I am wondering if she is just a noisy breather? Or if she has an issue.

I just got her last Tuesday (she is 6 mo old), and she is going to my vet today to get her cherry eyes fixed and for a checkup. So I will ask him then, but I like to kind of be prepared and know about any issues she may have before I go to the vet. I took some video I am currently uploading, I can try and attach it when it's done.

 

[BullyB]

My older bully Bruno is a much louder snorer and breather than my younger bully Bunker. Bruno gets phlegmy quite often (especially when playing) and often coughs (sometimes coughs up a little phlegm/mucus). I have yet to see this with Bunker. We took Bruno to the vet because of this...we were afraid he had an elongated soft palate, but the vet didn't seem to think so (yay!). But I will tell you that when we changed Bruno's food to Fromm Salmon a la Veg, this problem has lessened quite significantly. I think some bully's, especially those with a more pushed in face, are just louder breathers. I know some bully's also have a problem with the nares being to small, requiring a surgery to enlarge them. Other than those things, I can't think of anything else! Good luck to your little Molly!

 

[bullmama]

She could have an elongated soft palette or tight nares- but it could also be salty food. I would definitely talk to your vet about it and have them check those two things. Just be sure that (if) the vet says yes on either, that it would be a NECESSARY surgery. Some vets see $$$ and want to do these things just for another buck when the problem is not necessarily something they cannot live with comfortably.

 

[Miss Molly]

Thanks for the info. The previous owners told me she had her palate trimmed down when she was spayed, I am wondering if she might need that re-done as she grows since it was done at such a young age. Her nostrils look big enough, but I'm not an expert, so maybe that is the case. It's good to know that other people have noisier bullies too.

My vet is definitely not the kind of guy who recommends uneccesary surgeries for $$. I had vets like that when I first got my last bullie General. I don't mind her being noisier, I just want to make sure she is comfortable.

So I will let everyone know what he says when I take her in this afternoon.

 

[lexterwayne]

lex is going in march to have his nasal passage opened up his are very very narrow, he gets out of breath very very easy even on cool days look at her opening and see how big the opening is if its normal then it might be her soft pallete or of course food. what are you feeding her

 

[cali~jenn]

No help here but I am curious what the vet says. Hopefully she is just a loud pup. I do want to add that if the vet does say she needs a surgery to make sure o get a second opinion. You can never be too sure when it comes to surgery for these pups since it is such a serious thing to be put under.

 

[Miss Molly]

Yep, I would always get a second opinion before doing a surgery. She was on Science Diet with the previous owners, I don't like that food, so I was planning on switching to Natural Balance. But Petsmart didn't have it, so I got Blue Buffalo, one of the store employees said it was good. But then I found out that Blue Buffalo was bought by P&G, so I am looking at switching to Natural Balance again. I was going to order a bag online.

So yes, food could be the issue since she had been eating Science Diet.

 

[crystalmcr]

My last (and also my 1st) bully had that problem. After 3 trips to the emergancy room, I got him in to see a Vet who's specilty(sp) is bulldog. He ened up having the surgery for elongated palet. The cut almost an inch!!! He was like a new dog after that. Yea, it's not cheep but I am sooo glad I did it!

 

[Alice Kable]

Both Mack and Chester had palate clips when they were 1 year old. I was told to wait until they were 1 so it wouldn't need to be done again. We had the surgery done by laser because it is so much easier on the dog. I would ask what size trach tube they were able to use. A Bulldog should be at least a 7, better yet an 8 or 9. A small trachea also causes heavy breathing.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

I don't have any experience with this so I am no help, sorry, but by the looks of it you got alot of good advice already. I hope its not something serious!

 

[kazzy220]

[MENTION=1871]Miss Molly[/MENTION] As already mentioned it could be a number of things which I am sure you will find out when you go to the vets. I will say that although Maggie has a much narrower trachea than bullys normally have that she too was very phlegmy ... coughing it up when she had been asleep for a while in paticular. This congestion/phlegm problem has totally gone since we switched from the Beneful she was ( - food) to the Fromm. Yes, she's still noisy sometimes when she breathes and snores like a freight-train going through the house but the congestion and the phlegm has gone. A few weeks ago we tried the Fromm chicken and she han an allergic reaction with interdigital cysts, bumps on one side of her face and weeping eyes. Then the congestion started to come back. We have immediately switched her back onto the salmon when we worked out what was happening and that phlegm has gone again. Hope that helps!

 

[Miss Molly]

Back from the vet- she checked out fine, her palate and nostrils look fine. No hypoplastic trachea. She's just a noisy breather and he said just really watch her in the summer and don't let her stay outside and get overheated. Which I already know to do with bullie. So YAY! And her cherry eyes were fixed. She's now snoring away on her favorite bed.

 

[Lacey28]

Awwe! That is good!

 

[bullmama]

Great news!

 

[lexterwayne]

so glad she got a A o ok from the vet