The Brachycephalic Dog – Beyond the Airway

Over four weeks, this course addresses a variety of health concerns in brachycephalic dogs, such as gastrointestinal, dermatological, orthopedic, and neurological conditions. It offers practical guidance, case studies, and the latest treatment strategies.

Dr Melissa Kozaruk The Brachycephalic Dog Beyond the Airway
Play Video about Dr Melissa Kozaruk The Brachycephalic Dog Beyond the Airway

COURSE FEE

AUD 667

Training 5 or more people?

Enroll 5 or more members of your practice and avail a special discount on the course fee!

This course includes:

Special Course Bonuses

In addition to the extensive course notes, live tutorials, SOPs and other resources being made available throughout the course, you will receive as a special bonus:

Consult physical exam checklist for brachycephalic dogs

Hospital / anaesthetic consent forms for brachycephalic dogs

Dental chart for
brachycephalic
dogs

What you'll learn

When you think of brachycephalic dogs and their health concerns, what comes to mind? For most veterinarians and vet nurses and technicians, the answer is often “their obstructed airway”… but it doesn’t stop there! From gastrointestinal issues, skin problems, eye issues, heart disease and musculoskeletal abnormalities, the brachycephalic dog can be a challenging patient to treat for both general practice veterinarians and specialists.

The second of two courses in 2024 focused on brachys, “The Brachycephalic Dog Part 2: Beyond the Airway” is a comprehensive four week online course that will focus on the multitude of co-morbidities commonly seen in brachycephalic dogs. You and your team will be able to provide the most comprehensive and up to date patient care for brachys, that considers the “whole” patient, from puppyhood to maturity, nose to tail (or lack/ thereof)!

Each week will include a combination of tutorials, case studies, and quizzes to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of health concerns for brachycephalic dogs. By the end of the course, participants should be able to perform a thorough physical exam on brachycephalic dogs, recognise clinical signs and disease syndromes commonly seen in brachycephalic dogs and counsel owners on preventative health measures. Course participants will be equipped with a range of management and treatment strategies for common disease syndromes, including the latest surgical techniques, to help improve the quality of life for brachycephalic dogs.

In week 1 of this course, you will be focusing on how to perform a thorough physical examination on brachycephalic dogs, key characteristics and “red flags” to look out for and how to communicate with owners on managing care of their dog over its lifetime. 

Learning Outcomes  

By the end of this week, course you will be able to:

  • Perform a thorough physical exam on brachycephalic patient and understand key physical characteristics that differ to mesocephalic breeds, that can predispose to disease syndromes; 
  • Understand how conformation-related comorbidities can impact the welfare of brachycephalic dogs; 
  • Implement low-stress / fear free handling techniques and pre-visit anxiolytics to reduce anxiety in hospitalised brachycephalic patients; 
  • Navigate client expectations and utilise the veterinary team for managing lifelong care of brachycephalic patients; 
  • Communicate with owners about anaesthesia risk and implement measures to reduce complications during and after anaesthesia; and
  • Awareness of cardiac disorders sometimes encountered in brachycephalic breeds and options for diagnostic investigation and treatment. 

In week 2 of the course, we will discuss the impact of having a “squishy face” on dental health, as well as revising common and not so common gastrointestinal tract disorders seen in brachycephalic dogs.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of week 2, you will be able to:

  • Understand the impact of dental and oral health issues commonly encountered in brachycephalic dogs, including malocclusions, crowding, rotation, unerupted teeth and oral neoplasia;
  • Recognise tips and tricks for performing dental procedures in brachycephalic dogs;
  • Perform local anaesthesia nerve blocks for dental procedures in brachycephalic dogs; 
  • Recognise differential diagnoses of gastrointestinal symptoms in some brachycephalic dogs, including:
    • Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
    • Hiatal hernia
    • Oesophageal disorders
    • Inflammatory bowel disease
    • Pyloric stenosis
    • Portosystemic shunts
  • Create a diagnostic plan for investigation of gastrointestinal symptoms in brachycephalic dogs;
  • Implement non-invasive interventions for chronic regurgitation and vomiting in brachycephalic dogs, including medications and lifestyle modifications;
  • Understand surgical treatment options for some gastrointestinal disorders commonly seen in brachycephalic dogs. 

In week 3 of this course, we will be discussing common skin and eye problems seen in brachycephalic dogs and understand treatment and management options to improve patient welfare.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this week, you will be able to:

  • Understand the impact of extreme conformation in brachycephalic dogs for predisposing to skin and ocular disease; 
  • Recognise clinical signs of dermatological problems in brachycephalic dogs;
  • Perform a dermatological workup for a brachycephalic patient; 
  • Understand both medical and surgical treatment options for common dermatological conditions for brachycephalic patients, including:
    • Skin fold reduction surgery
    • Vulvoplasty for “hooded vulva”
    • Corkscrew tail amputation
    • Interdigital cysts
    • Intertrigo
    • Otitis externa and otitis media
    • Skin tumours e.g. mast cell tumours 
  • Recognise clinical signs of common ophthalmological problems in brachycephalic dogs;
  • Perform a thorough eye examination for a brachycephalic patient; 
  • Understand both medical and surgical treatment options for common ophthalmological conditions for brachycephalic patients, including:
    • Proptosis
    • Cherry eye (third eyelid prolapse) 
    • Eyelid abnormalities (entropion, ectropion & diamond eye) 
    • Cilia abnormalities
    • Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (KCS) 
    • Corneal ulcer management 
    • Ocular neoplasia 

Finally in week 4 of the course, we will be discussing orthopaedic and neurological disorders that are associated with brachycephaly. Do you know when to recognise the warning signs of IVDD in a French Bulldog? Why is it that frenchie puppies fracture their elbows more than other breeds? This week will have those questions answered… plus more! 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this week,you will be able to:

  • Perform a thorough neurological, orthopaedic and spinal exam in brachycephalic breeds;
  • Recognise breed related conformation that can predispose to:
    • Vertebral malformations including hemivertebrae
    • Kyphosis and scoliosis
    • Corkscrew tail and tail fold pyoderma
    • Intervertebral disc disease
    • Syringomyelia and chiari-like malformation
    • Hydrocephalus
    • Humeral condular fracture
    • Caudal articular process dysplasia
    • Medial patella luxation 
    • Hip dysplasia 
  • Understand the benefits and limitations of screening programs for vertebral malformations and hip dysplasia in breeding dogs; 
  • Recognise the clinical signs of idiopathic head tremors in brachycephalic breeds. 
  • Awareness of common neoplastic conditions seen in brachycephalic dogs. 

Speaker

BVSc(Hons) GCert(U/S)

10% early bird discount

Dr Melissa Kozaruk The Brachycephalic Dog Beyond the Airway
Play Video about Dr Melissa Kozaruk The Brachycephalic Dog Beyond the Airway

COURSE FEE

AUD 667

Looking to Enroll Groups of 5 or More?

Enroll 5 or more members of your practice and avail a special discount on the course fee!

Course Reviews

"Hello Phil and thank you so much for another wonderful course! I really enjoy learning from you - your teaching technique is fabulous and the resources and notes you provide are just so informative!"
Robert Green
Veterinarian, United States
"Thanks so much for all your advice and teaching. With so much information around these days, your evidence-based clarification goes a long way! You and your work are very valued at this practice."
Julian Smithers
Veterinarian, Australia
"Thank you for your wonderful resources and course. It is fantastic to be able to access it in such a flexible manner. I got a lot out of your notes, presentations and extras that I will refer to often in my work."
Rose Crooke
Veterinarian, New Zealand
"I want to acknowledge and thank you for the tremendous amount of quality information you have imparted to us during this course."
Bethany Reeves
Veterinarian, United Kingdom

Don't miss out on this exciting learning opportunity!

GET IN TOUCH

to avail group
enrolment discount
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Details have been submitted successfully.
Name(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Melissa Kozaruk

BVSc(Hons) GCert(U/S)

Melissa graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (First class honours) from the University of Sydney in 2012. Currently, Melissa is the hospital director of a busy small animal GP clinic on the Central Coast, NSW Australia, and works relief in emergency and critical care.
Melissa has completed further post graduate training in soft tissue surgery, emergency medicine and endocrinology through Massey University, New Zealand. Melissa has a Graduate Certificate in Small Animal Abdominal Ultrasound through Melbourne University.

Melissa has a particular clinical interest in improving the health and welfare of dogs with brachycephaly (flat-faced dogs) and performs advanced surgeries including BOAS surgery.

Melissa offers modern, evidence-based veterinary care, with an emphasis on great communication and collaboration with pet parents, breeders and other veterinary professionals, to achieve the best quality of life for her patients.

Melissa has been an educator with VetEducation for a number of years and has a passion for teaching and mentoring fellow veterinary professionals.

GET IN TOUCH

to avail group
enrolment discount

Before you go, grab your FREE Brachycephalic Examination Form!

Streamline your patient care with this 12-point ‘Nose to Tail’ Brachycephalic Examination Form. Use it to track critical clinical details and provide top-tier care for brachycephalic breeds.