SÍNDROME BRAQUICEFÁLICA: relato de caso

Abstract

There are breeds of dogs with morphologies called craniofacial anomalies and this set of anomalies is called brachycephaly, being called brachycephalic due to its cranial conformation and facial bones. These breeds with shortened snouts have undergone modifications by man, presenting deformations in the skeleton and causing several problems, such as respiratory difficulty, which becomes severe when these dogs are excited and exercising. Brachycephalic breeds (pug, french bulldog and shih tzu) are on the rise these days, as tutors are very interested in the physical characteristics of these dogs. The artificial selection made in these dogs makes their respiratory system deficient due to the aesthetics sought by man. Among the abnormalities present in the syndrome are: development of primary abnormalities involving the upper respiratory system, such as stenosis of the nostrils, elongated soft palate, tracheal hypoplasia and everted laryngeal sacs, which may lead to secondary changes. Diagnosis is made in dogs aged between two and three years. This paper reports the case of Aruk, a five-year-old English Bulldog with grade three brachycephalic syndrome. He went through the palatoplasty procedure where after the surgery he had satisfactory results, all noises and clinical signs were resolved. There are two treatments for the syndrome, clinical and surgical. Clinical treatment is palliative and aims to reverse and reduce clinical signs. Surgical treatment is curative and aims to reverse primary and secondary anatomical changes, which are the major causes of the syndrome and clinical signs. The aim of this work was to describe the importance of early diagnosis and correct treatment of the syndrome, aiming at better survival for affected dogs.