In addition to respiratory difficulties, exercise intolerance and impaired recovery are major signs of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Therefore, we investigated the correlations of the 6 min walk test (6MWT) or the 1000 m walk test results with a veterinary assessment of BOAS severity in a group of prospectively recruited 1–5 years old Pugs (n=35) and French Bulldogs (FBs) (n=42). For severity of BOAS, dogs graded as having no or mild signs of BOAS were referred to as the BOAS- group and those having moderate or severe signs as the BOAS+ group based on veterinary physical examination findings. The BOAS- Pugs walked longer distance (p=0.002) in 6MWT (mean 584±33 m, range 505–630) and shorter time (p=0.006) in 1000 m walk test (mean 10.17±0.67 min, range 9.39–11.94) than BOAS+ Pugs (6MWT 517±64 m, range 400–585; 1000 m test 12.26±2.23 min, range 10.25–17.55). Similarly, the BOAS- FBs walked longer distance (p=0.063) in 6MWT (639±51m, range 575–745) and shorter time (p=0.012) in 1000 m test (9.47±0.66 min, range 8.15–10.77), than BOAS+ FBs (6MWT 593±73 m, range 435–695; 1000 m test 10.72±1.25 min, range 8.42–12.15). BOAS- Pugs and FBs recovered also more quickly than BOAS+ Pugs and FBs (p=0.002; p=0.007). In conclusion, submaximal exercise test could be used as non-invasive tool for evaluation of severity of BOAS.

Disclosures

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