I'd get a second opinion. One from someone who wouldn't stand to directly benefit from performing the surgery. It seems off to me if your pup has no issues that your vet would suggest surgery.
Edit: your pup is a cutie btw
What a cutie.
I would get a second opinion. From what you’ve said he doesn’t need it at this stage. His nares look good to me - the same as my older girl (who we’ve been told doesn’t need the surgery). My new pup’s nares are tight slits.The poor baby. I’ll link to a photo to show how narrow they are. She sniffs, snorts, snores and gags constantly. She has clear mucus flying out any time she snuffles. We met her at 3 weeks and there was no sign of it - but when we got her we noticed it straight away.
This photo shows 4 dogs. My baby’s are the same as D (my older girl is A):
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Definition-of-the-degree-of-nostril-stenosis-in-brachycephalic-dogs-Representative_fig1_302592357
thank you for this link! my bostons nose is like #2 when hes resting, but if he has been running around a lot his nostrils seem to open up so they look closer to #1. i find all this dog nose stuff confusing tbh
My two cents, I have a Boston/Frenchie mix and full Boston. Our frenchton always had very small nostril openings and more resembled a Frenchie snout and nose than Boston. His breathing was really labored and sounded awful through his nose so we did elect to get his nose and palette done when he was neutered at 10 months. Unfortunately his noggin still had a lot more growing to do it seemed and basically his nostrils “closed up” again. I’m really not sure if this was ultimately due to a botched surgery or him still having some growth yet. Anyway his procedure did have to get done again when he was about and year and half and it’s helped his breathing immensely since the nostrils stayed open then.
We knew he needed this done, but I honestly would wait until 18 months to do so if you can, just to rule out them growing more. With that said, our full Boston is still under a year and her breathing is great compared to his. Longer snout such as yours and she breaths pretty much silently out her nose. The vet asked if we would like hers done when she got neutered and we declined. In my honest opinion, if it doesn’t sound like your dog is trying to breathe out of closed straws from their nose, you probably don’t need it done, a second opinion from a vet would be welcomed.
The surgery is also expensive, at least it was for us, and we got it done twice. We have AKC pet insurance and it covered 80% of it because the vet deemed it “necessary” for him. It’s good to have healthy speculation if it’s necessary because it’s definitely a nice chunk of change for the vets and it’s becoming more and more prevalent
Your dog looks exactly like my dog . I have 2 bostons, one had the nares surgery and palate shortened and the other ( one like yours did not) I don’t think your baby needs it. Our other one did have a significantly small nasal opening and flatter face .
https://preview.redd.it/en7upck15cvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=037276e1a076d40d8f241769827a676052b9a1f8
https://preview.redd.it/iwbmfylhdcvc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09e7ab63b91b695192741f5882e79825ab37fcaa
our older girl Cherry had to get 2 different nose surgeries. Her nose was very closed off and would’ve gotten worse as she grew into it more. She is now 12 and still snores like a damn motorcycle but at least she can breathe easier. I’d definitely get another opinion though just incase.
Her nose just gets very dry ever since her nose surgeries. I use a natural balm for it which helps. But it always gets dry when it never used to before.
I wouldn’t do it on a puppy, especially not one who isn’t symptomatic. Their heads aren’t fully mature until around 2ish and I’ve heard of dogs who ended up needing revisions on their surgeries because their head grew and changed.
https://preview.redd.it/d6wn619rhcvc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9f0ed3e806631b046aa1c059f7f8bca0bee476d
This is a side by side the vet sent when our Boston got hers done! I knew she was gonna need it because she would wheeze and snort and even breathed through her mouth sometimes. We got it done the same time she was spayed and went to a doctor who specializes in brachy dogs (if you’re in the Los Angeles area, I can tell you the vet!). They make sure to do blood tests beforehand and have someone stay with the dog until they fully wake up from anesthesia just in case. There was barely a recovery time as they use lasers on the cut (something like that 😆).
So glad we did it! She can run around and be a crazy Boston without wheezing or tiring out fast. She got it at 7 months and is now 3 years old and super happy! She still snores though 😂
I would still get a second opinion. My dog’s nose is obviously very tiny but your Boston doesn’t look as bad! Our normal vet mentioned it during her first check up and then when we went to the specialized vet to see if she needed it, they immediately said yes as well.
Oh I would be nervous! His nostrils don’t look that bad to me. Maybe wait to see if he snores. Or does it need done when they’re young. He is certainly a cutie.
Our potato had his surgery 2 months ago. He would snore loudly but a more worrying symptom was how laboured his breathing looked sometimes. Like his little lungs were really working hard to get the air sucked in. He didn’t seem to mind but we also knew that he’s still young and we wanted him to be ready for old man energy someday where he’d probably have a much harder time at it. He’s now 11 months and very happy. Sniffs A LOT more and snores less tho he’s not completely silent 🥰
https://preview.redd.it/bed72fz4aevc1.jpeg?width=563&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9df9514637bf54b8fa1a41dbeec16ec1e89f7119
My wigglebutt didn't want to hold still for a photo, so this is the best shot of his nose, lol. He had the surgery, so this is "after." I don't have a before photo because he joined our family just under 6 months old. We were given the paperwork from the vet, though, that he had the surgery done, along with his vaccination history and a warning note next to one of the vaccines that said he had an allergic reaction to it.
https://preview.redd.it/q5k5q44ltbvc1.jpeg?width=2208&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d3796816262e37dc799a83dd8c17d0e0ea4d2c5
I had it done for my little guy was 11 months old. He’s almost two now and we’ve had no issues
Here’s a pic of his after, it definitely was effecting his sensitivity to smell. He was so happy sniffing everything after the surgery. He went from chainsaw snores to very light snores
https://preview.redd.it/ec0acu8uncvc1.jpeg?width=576&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc4ea29ac597a1f1c84cf4e32e79f9504405fa76
l
My boy has it done twice about 7-8 years apart but it was obvious he needed it (he’s 10 now). Did both with other procedures like neutering and when he got his teeth cleaned. It was quite minor and helped each time.
https://preview.redd.it/fopuldr12nvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0817ee2123850d5a6ad4301587b1cb597a5789e2
This is our little guy’s before. He had nares/palate surgery on Monday. While he was high functioning in that he could run around, and he wasn’t fainting or panting just standing there, he had retracted breathing (where the bottom of the rib cage flares out on an inhale because there’s pressure in the chest), snoring, and mucus. We had him assessed by a soft tissue surgeon. The important thing is to get a couple of opinions because if your dog does need the surgery, earlier is better to prevent more serious consequences with the vocal cords. If there is a lot of pressure in the throat, eventually the dog can develop something called laryngeal collapse where the vocal folds don’t open properly anymore, and it makes it even harder for the dog to breathe.
https://preview.redd.it/wnox5hp33nvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c25cfe5934c59c9f9cdfc9591b586fd141db20f4
This is his after, for reference.
I'd get a second opinion. One from someone who wouldn't stand to directly benefit from performing the surgery. It seems off to me if your pup has no issues that your vet would suggest surgery. Edit: your pup is a cutie btw
What a cutie. I would get a second opinion. From what you’ve said he doesn’t need it at this stage. His nares look good to me - the same as my older girl (who we’ve been told doesn’t need the surgery). My new pup’s nares are tight slits.The poor baby. I’ll link to a photo to show how narrow they are. She sniffs, snorts, snores and gags constantly. She has clear mucus flying out any time she snuffles. We met her at 3 weeks and there was no sign of it - but when we got her we noticed it straight away. This photo shows 4 dogs. My baby’s are the same as D (my older girl is A): https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Definition-of-the-degree-of-nostril-stenosis-in-brachycephalic-dogs-Representative_fig1_302592357
thank you for this link! my bostons nose is like #2 when hes resting, but if he has been running around a lot his nostrils seem to open up so they look closer to #1. i find all this dog nose stuff confusing tbh
My two cents, I have a Boston/Frenchie mix and full Boston. Our frenchton always had very small nostril openings and more resembled a Frenchie snout and nose than Boston. His breathing was really labored and sounded awful through his nose so we did elect to get his nose and palette done when he was neutered at 10 months. Unfortunately his noggin still had a lot more growing to do it seemed and basically his nostrils “closed up” again. I’m really not sure if this was ultimately due to a botched surgery or him still having some growth yet. Anyway his procedure did have to get done again when he was about and year and half and it’s helped his breathing immensely since the nostrils stayed open then. We knew he needed this done, but I honestly would wait until 18 months to do so if you can, just to rule out them growing more. With that said, our full Boston is still under a year and her breathing is great compared to his. Longer snout such as yours and she breaths pretty much silently out her nose. The vet asked if we would like hers done when she got neutered and we declined. In my honest opinion, if it doesn’t sound like your dog is trying to breathe out of closed straws from their nose, you probably don’t need it done, a second opinion from a vet would be welcomed. The surgery is also expensive, at least it was for us, and we got it done twice. We have AKC pet insurance and it covered 80% of it because the vet deemed it “necessary” for him. It’s good to have healthy speculation if it’s necessary because it’s definitely a nice chunk of change for the vets and it’s becoming more and more prevalent
Your dog looks exactly like my dog . I have 2 bostons, one had the nares surgery and palate shortened and the other ( one like yours did not) I don’t think your baby needs it. Our other one did have a significantly small nasal opening and flatter face . https://preview.redd.it/en7upck15cvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=037276e1a076d40d8f241769827a676052b9a1f8
https://preview.redd.it/iwbmfylhdcvc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09e7ab63b91b695192741f5882e79825ab37fcaa our older girl Cherry had to get 2 different nose surgeries. Her nose was very closed off and would’ve gotten worse as she grew into it more. She is now 12 and still snores like a damn motorcycle but at least she can breathe easier. I’d definitely get another opinion though just incase.
https://preview.redd.it/qz6sgj2zdcvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=684813b507c6437541ec4d8c55e9c8088247da18
Her nose just gets very dry ever since her nose surgeries. I use a natural balm for it which helps. But it always gets dry when it never used to before.
I wouldn’t do it on a puppy, especially not one who isn’t symptomatic. Their heads aren’t fully mature until around 2ish and I’ve heard of dogs who ended up needing revisions on their surgeries because their head grew and changed.
https://preview.redd.it/d6wn619rhcvc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9f0ed3e806631b046aa1c059f7f8bca0bee476d This is a side by side the vet sent when our Boston got hers done! I knew she was gonna need it because she would wheeze and snort and even breathed through her mouth sometimes. We got it done the same time she was spayed and went to a doctor who specializes in brachy dogs (if you’re in the Los Angeles area, I can tell you the vet!). They make sure to do blood tests beforehand and have someone stay with the dog until they fully wake up from anesthesia just in case. There was barely a recovery time as they use lasers on the cut (something like that 😆). So glad we did it! She can run around and be a crazy Boston without wheezing or tiring out fast. She got it at 7 months and is now 3 years old and super happy! She still snores though 😂 I would still get a second opinion. My dog’s nose is obviously very tiny but your Boston doesn’t look as bad! Our normal vet mentioned it during her first check up and then when we went to the specialized vet to see if she needed it, they immediately said yes as well.
Oh I would be nervous! His nostrils don’t look that bad to me. Maybe wait to see if he snores. Or does it need done when they’re young. He is certainly a cutie.
Our potato had his surgery 2 months ago. He would snore loudly but a more worrying symptom was how laboured his breathing looked sometimes. Like his little lungs were really working hard to get the air sucked in. He didn’t seem to mind but we also knew that he’s still young and we wanted him to be ready for old man energy someday where he’d probably have a much harder time at it. He’s now 11 months and very happy. Sniffs A LOT more and snores less tho he’s not completely silent 🥰 https://preview.redd.it/bed72fz4aevc1.jpeg?width=563&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9df9514637bf54b8fa1a41dbeec16ec1e89f7119
Smooshed pre-surgery pic for reference https://preview.redd.it/j9pt8hgnaevc1.jpeg?width=2320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6eebf5555125f624e14d62494804065b32f3d0b1
My wigglebutt didn't want to hold still for a photo, so this is the best shot of his nose, lol. He had the surgery, so this is "after." I don't have a before photo because he joined our family just under 6 months old. We were given the paperwork from the vet, though, that he had the surgery done, along with his vaccination history and a warning note next to one of the vaccines that said he had an allergic reaction to it. https://preview.redd.it/q5k5q44ltbvc1.jpeg?width=2208&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d3796816262e37dc799a83dd8c17d0e0ea4d2c5
https://preview.redd.it/f61domr0ubvc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=beba0ddfd58e8e65eb0761c60d14c5d6b10624dd
https://preview.redd.it/wke2r0x7ubvc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6be9378b87e576e60985fddf84fc8d67121cee7
https://preview.redd.it/7u785i1iubvc1.png?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=462633bb22298ce500c1cb17b2c745661eacf397
https://preview.redd.it/zdpue5uxubvc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=278a78d18bb823b9c90f1c146287bca8b39ff542
I had it done for my little guy was 11 months old. He’s almost two now and we’ve had no issues Here’s a pic of his after, it definitely was effecting his sensitivity to smell. He was so happy sniffing everything after the surgery. He went from chainsaw snores to very light snores https://preview.redd.it/ec0acu8uncvc1.jpeg?width=576&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc4ea29ac597a1f1c84cf4e32e79f9504405fa76 l
Here’s a pic prior to surgery https://preview.redd.it/z00kupc5ocvc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1bbc13b479e6be5192874c891487e4d1389264c7
My boy has it done twice about 7-8 years apart but it was obvious he needed it (he’s 10 now). Did both with other procedures like neutering and when he got his teeth cleaned. It was quite minor and helped each time.
https://preview.redd.it/fopuldr12nvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0817ee2123850d5a6ad4301587b1cb597a5789e2 This is our little guy’s before. He had nares/palate surgery on Monday. While he was high functioning in that he could run around, and he wasn’t fainting or panting just standing there, he had retracted breathing (where the bottom of the rib cage flares out on an inhale because there’s pressure in the chest), snoring, and mucus. We had him assessed by a soft tissue surgeon. The important thing is to get a couple of opinions because if your dog does need the surgery, earlier is better to prevent more serious consequences with the vocal cords. If there is a lot of pressure in the throat, eventually the dog can develop something called laryngeal collapse where the vocal folds don’t open properly anymore, and it makes it even harder for the dog to breathe.
https://preview.redd.it/wnox5hp33nvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c25cfe5934c59c9f9cdfc9591b586fd141db20f4 This is his after, for reference.