Elongated Soft Palate

A problem that is frequently seen in French Bulldogs is called, elongated soft palate. The soft palate is a flap of mucousal tissue which closes off the animal's airway (nasopharynx) during swallowing to prevent foods and liquids from going into their lungs.

In the figure to the left, you can see the soft palate just above the Esophagus. In animals with a normal soft palate, it touches or slightly overlaps the epiglottis.

In dogs with an elongated soft palate, the palate overlaps the epiglottis to a considerable degree, partially obstructing the animal's airway during breathing. This is manifested by snorting, snoring, strider, gurgling and gagging. The obstruction is worse with exercise.

In time, stretched ligaments in the larynx leads to labored breathing and laryngeal collapse. Laryngeal collapse is a late stage in airway obstruction. Pressure changes caused by the elongated soft palate bring about the stretching of the ligaments that support the laryngeal cartilages. These cartilages gradually collapse inward and block the airway. (See the drawing below).


In the diagram you can see that more air moves freely in and out of the lungs in the normal dog's airway, but the dog with the collapsed airway has less air flowing through it. At this stage any changes in the dog's need for air can cause acute respiratory insufficiency and cardiac arrest.

TREATMENT: An elongated soft palate is treated by surgically shortening the palate so that the edge opposes or slightly overlaps the epiglottis. Results are good and can extend the life of your French Bulldog by years if the operation is done before destructive changes occur in the larynx. It is for that reason that you have your French Bulldog checked by a veterinarian who is familiar with French Bulldogs and is skilled in identifying this abnormality.