Dogs with short snouts are more prone to seizures because the length of their snout impacts the amount of air they can receive to breath due to the shape of their skulls known as brachycephalic syndrome. Breathing is one of the ways dogs regulate body temperature and overheating can lead to dehydration, heat stroke, and other symptoms that can result in seizures.
The shape of their skulls may lead to tooth infections and might result in specific digestive issues, and both of these have also been linked to seizures. Let’s start with tooth infections since that is one thing you can control.
Short snouts on dogs leads to more tartar and plaque buildup according to River Landings Animal Clinic. Plaque can lead to tooth rot in dogs, and teeth are directly connected to the brain in both humans and canines.
Seizures being caused by tooth rot are rare, but they have been seen for both humans and canines in studies like this one on humans with seizure severity, and as Beyond Pets Animal Hospital shares. It's important to note that the dental disease does not cause the seizure on its own, but can lead to seizures, or impact the severity of the seizure similar to the human study.
This is one of the many reasons you cannot skip dental hygiene routines with your dog, especially if they have short snouts like pugs, bull dogs, Pomeranians, boxers, and other short snout breeds. But there’s more to it. Their snout size impacts the amount of air that can pass through, and breathing is one of the ways their bodies regulate heat and temperature.
Panting is a natural way dogs help prevent themselves from getting heat stroke, and as many veterinary professionals like Arrow Dog & Cat Hospital know, the tract structure makes it harder for them to breath and pant which makes body temperature regulation more difficult. One of the ways heat stroke impacts dogs are seizures according to VCA Animal Hospitals.
In addition to body temperature related issues, multiple short snout breeds like French bulldogs are predisposed to a thickening of the pylorus structure. This is the structure that allows food to pass from the stomach to the intestines which can cause dehydration. Dehydration is one of the most common causes of seizures in dogs according to Pewaukee Veterinary Services.
Digestive issues are being studied in both humans and dogs like this one from the NIH, including dogs with longer snouts, and this one with a look at gut microbiome and epileptic dogs which results in inflammation. You can find other studies like this one in Frontiers which have similar findings that inflammation and gut microbiomes may be associated with seizures as they impact the communication with the enteric nervous system (ENS).
The size of the snout doesn’t impact the gut microbiome directly, but if your dog is not eating healthy because it is having trouble breathing, etc… digestive issues can be a side effect. If your dog or their breed are more prone to seizures, this is something to ask your veterinarian about.
As you can see, dogs with short snouts are more seizure prone than dogs with longer snouts because they have more trouble breathing and cooling down, they may get dehydrated more easily, they’re more prone to plaque and tooth decay, and may have digestive issues that lead to inflammation. All of these can be a cause of or something that leads to seizures.
If you think your dog is at risk, reach out to their veterinarian and share your concerns, they’ll be able to do a risk assessment based on your dog’s health history. Did this article help you? Join our newsletter list below and we’ll email you our newsletter once we create more content just like it.
