Assessment of tutors' knowledge about brachycephalic dogs aerial syndrome

Abstract

The present research aimed to certify the level of knowledge about the airway syndrome of brachycephalic dogs, which is more predisposed in the breeds obtained by the interviewed tutors. The brachycephalic airways syndrome is characterized by the set of upper respiratory tract abnormalities in brachycephalic animals, where we can evidence stenosis of the nostrils, soft palate extension and tracheal hypoplasia. Secondary changes may also occur such as edema and thickening of the soft palate, laryngeal dysfunction evolving into laryngeal collapse, pharyngeal and laryngeal edema, and laryngeal sagging. To carried-out this study, data were collected through anonymous online questionnaires, realized on google form, of eighty-three (83) tutors of brachycephalic dogs, conducted from January to June 2020, to attest their knowledge about the existence of this syndrome, its severity, whether there is a cure, whether the animal has the syndrome, and whether it manifests the characteristic clinical signs in a recurrent manner. According to the survey only 36.1% informed themselves about the disease by their veterinarian of choice, 34.9% said they did not know what it was, 18.1% informed themselves by internet, 7.2% informed themselves by a friend or family member and 3.6% by magazines or newspapers. Therefore, we can conclude that only 39.7% of the interviewed tutors informed themselves about the disease through reliable sources. Most tutors had already heard about Brachycephalic Dog Airways Syndrome, but they did not know if their animal had it or not, despite having one or more characteristic recurrent clinical signs. The present study has shown that the level of schooling is directly related to misinformation about the syndrome, due to the difficulty that the lack of schooling provides, making it difficult to look for safe sources of access to information about the syndrome.
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