BOAS Surgery Shropshire
BOAS Surgery at Rock House Vets, near Shropshire
Owners travelling from Shropshire for BOAS surgery can access experienced brachycephalic care at Rock House Vets, our independent veterinary practice in Wolverhampton. We welcome Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs and other flat-faced breeds from Telford, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth and communities across the county. Our team understands how Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) can affect breathing, exercise and everyday comfort, with carefully planned surgery, close monitoring and supportive aftercare delivered at a fair, realistic price.
Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome
Dogs come to Rock House Vets from across Shropshire, including Telford, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Newport and surrounding areas, when noisy breathing, reduced stamina, restless sleep or difficulty in warmer weather starts to limit normal daily life. As BOAS can vary considerably between individual dogs, we assess more than breed alone, looking closely at symptoms, airway structure and overall comfort. Our experience with brachycephalic breeds helps us decide carefully whether BOAS surgery is likely to offer a meaningful improvement.
What our BOAS surgery involves
Before BOAS surgery, we take time to understand the wider clinical picture, not just the visible airway changes. Every patient is offered an X-ray to help identify conditions that could affect anaesthesia, surgery or recovery, including aspiration pneumonia and hiatal hernia. For owners travelling from Shropshire, this helps bring important investigations and treatment planning together in one pathway. Surgery is carried out by a veterinary surgeon experienced in brachycephalic breeds and BOAS surgery, with your dog’s individual assessment findings guiding the surgical approach.
Recovery planning is especially important when home is further away. Our head nurse closely oversees each BOAS patient as they wake from anaesthesia, monitoring breathing, comfort and early progress before discharge is considered. An overnight stay is also available when additional observation would be beneficial. For families travelling back towards Telford, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth or Newport, this provides extra reassurance and allows your dog more time to recover under veterinary supervision before the journey home.
Help Your Dog Breathe More Comfortably
Contact Rock House Vets to discuss your dog’s breathing, assessment and BOAS treatment options.
Respiratory Function Grading for Shropshire Dogs
Rock House Vets can provide Respiratory Function Grading (RFG) through the Kennel Club scheme, with assessments carried out by our Clinical Director Heather, an approved RFG Assessor. Available for French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs and Pugs, the grading gives owners a clearer, objective measure of breathing function and can help highlight when BOAS may warrant closer investigation or when BOAS surgery should be discussed.
For owners and breeders travelling from Shropshire, RFG grading is especially valuable when it is difficult to know whether noisy breathing or reduced stamina is simply being accepted as normal for the breed. We strongly recommend grading eligible dogs before breeding, as the result provides useful evidence to support more informed breeding decisions and wider efforts to reduce the prevalence and severity of BOAS in future generations.
How does brachycephalic anatomy cause BOAS?
BOAS is linked to the compact skull shape seen in brachycephalic breeds. The bones of the face are shortened, but the soft tissues of the nose and throat still occupy space within a much smaller airway. In some dogs, this can restrict airflow and make breathing require more effort, particularly when demand increases. The same conformational traits may also contribute to problems affecting other areas, including the spine and tail.
Owners across Shropshire may notice problems most clearly during longer walks, warm weather or periods of excitement, when a dog needs to move more air. Persistent snorting, heavy breathing, reduced stamina or taking longer to recover should not automatically be dismissed as normal for a flat-faced breed. Many brachycephalic dogs also have pronounced skin folds, where heat, moisture and friction can lead to irritation, so respiratory health and skin care may both need ongoing attention.
Could BOAS be affecting your dog’s comfort?
Talk to Rock House Vets about breathing assessment and BOAS care for dogs from Shropshire.
BOAS FAQs
What is BOAS in dogs, and when is BOAS surgery needed?
BOAS, or Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, affects how easily some flat-faced dogs can breathe because of their shortened airway anatomy. When breathing problems begin to interfere with exercise, restful sleep, coping with heat or normal recovery after activity, BOAS surgery may be appropriate. At Rock House Vets, we assess dogs travelling from Shropshire to understand the severity of their symptoms, how those symptoms are affecting everyday comfort and whether surgery could offer a worthwhile improvement in breathing and quality of life.
Contact us for BOAS Surgery at our Veterinary Clinic near Shropshire
What symptoms can suggest my dog may need BOAS surgery?
The symptoms of BOAS can show up in several ways beyond obvious breathing distress. Some dogs snore loudly, make persistent breathing noises while awake, pant heavily or tire earlier than expected during exercise. Others struggle to settle at night, cope poorly in warm weather, gag or retch, or take longer to recover after play and excitement. Eating can also become uncomfortable in more affected dogs. If your French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Pug or another flat-faced breed is showing these signs, a BOAS assessment can help determine how significantly their airway may be affecting everyday comfort.
Which breeds are most affected by BOAS?
French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs and Pugs are especially prone to BOAS, but breathing problems can affect other brachycephalic breeds with similarly shortened skulls. Their compact upper airway leaves less room for air to move freely, so narrowing within the nostrils, nose or throat can have a greater effect on breathing efficiency. Maintaining a healthy body weight is also important, because excess weight can increase respiratory effort and make existing BOAS symptoms more difficult for a dog to manage.
Can BOAS get worse over time?
Yes. BOAS symptoms may become more noticeable over time, especially if age-related changes or weight gain increase the effort needed to breathe. Early signs such as snoring or noisy breathing can progress to poorer exercise tolerance, disturbed sleep, difficulty coping with heat or slower recovery after activity. A BOAS assessment for dogs from Shropshire can help determine how much these changes are affecting your dog and whether treatment could improve everyday comfort and breathing.
Are your vets experienced in BOAS assessment and treatment?
Rock House Vets brings together practical experience with brachycephalic breeds and a carefully structured approach to BOAS care. Our Clinical Director Heather is also an RFG Assessor, allowing respiratory grading to contribute to the wider assessment where appropriate. For owners travelling from Shropshire, this means access to a team experienced in identifying BOAS symptoms, discussing the significance of those findings and deciding whether ongoing monitoring, further investigation or BOAS surgery is the most suitable next step.
Click for a BOAS assessment at our veterinary clinic near Shropshire
What does BOAS surgery involve?
BOAS surgery is designed to improve airflow by addressing the structures contributing to obstruction. Depending on the individual dog, this may involve widening narrowed nostrils, shortening an elongated soft palate or treating everted laryngeal saccules or enlarged tonsils. At Rock House Vets, dogs travelling from Shropshire for BOAS treatment are also offered pre-operative X-rays, helping us check for related concerns such as aspiration pneumonia or a hiatal hernia and tailor the surgical plan more carefully.
How successful is BOAS surgery?
Many dogs experience meaningful improvements after BOAS surgery, including easier breathing, better stamina on walks, more restful sleep and greater comfort during normal daily activity. The degree of improvement varies between patients and depends on factors such as airway anatomy, body condition and how advanced the BOAS is before treatment. For owners travelling from Shropshire, our assessment process helps set realistic expectations and explain what a successful outcome may look like for their individual dog.
What is recovery like after BOAS surgery?
Most dogs recover from BOAS surgery over roughly one to two weeks, although healing time varies according to the individual patient and the airway procedures performed. The early stages are carefully monitored by our nursing team, with an overnight stay available when additional observation is appropriate. At home, exercise should remain gentle while healing continues, and we provide practical guidance on feeding, rest and signs to monitor. Owners travelling from Shropshire can also learn more about our wider surgical care at Rock House Vets in Wolverhampton.
Do you offer BOAS surgery near Shropshire for dogs from the wider West Midlands?
Yes. Rock House Vets is based in Wolverhampton, but we regularly see BOAS patients travelling from Shropshire for experienced assessment and surgical care. Owners come to us from Telford, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Newport, Much Wenlock, Market Drayton and surrounding communities for practical, breed-focused BOAS care delivered by a team familiar with the needs of brachycephalic dogs.