Boston Terrier Health Issues

What BOAS is. An umbrella term for upper-airway problems caused by short-snouted anatomy. Components your vet will look for: stenotic nares (narrow nostrils), elongated soft palate, everted laryngeal saccules, and sometimes a narrow trachea. Many Bostons have one or two; some have all four.

Signs in real life. Loud snoring at rest, noisy breathing on walks, frequent reverse sneezing, exercise intolerance on warm days, sleeping with the head propped up to breathe, easy overheating. Calgary chinooks (sudden warm, dry wind events) and summer heat both stress brachycephalic dogs disproportionately.

Diagnosis. A Calgary vet exam, sometimes supplemented by a referral to a specialty centre that uses the Cambridge BOAS Research Group exercise tolerance test for objective grading. Some Bostons live their whole life as mild grades with conservative management; others benefit from corrective surgery (nares widening, soft palate trim, saccule removal). The decision is your vet's, not the internet's.

What you can do at home. Keep your Boston lean. Walk in the cool parts of the day in summer. Use a back-clip harness, never a collar for leash attachment (tracheal pressure on a brachycephalic neck is risky). Avoid intense play on hot days. Watch the gums. Bluish or grey gums during exertion is an emergency.

Cherry eye. Prolapse of the third-eyelid gland. It shows up as a pink or red bulge in the inner corner of an eye. The Boston Terrier is one of the breeds most commonly diagnosed. The displaced gland produces a meaningful share of the eye's tears, so leaving it untreated raises the long-term risk of dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca, KCS) and secondary corneal damage. Current veterinary consensus favours surgical replacement (pocket or tacking technique) over removal because preserving the gland protects tear production. Gentle gland massage appears in online guides as a home fix; the evidence is weak and any massage should only be considered under direct guidance from your Calgary vet, not as a substitute for an exam. Both eyes can prolapse, sometimes months apart. Cost is directional. Book a vet consult for a real quote.

Cataracts. Both the AKC and the Boston Terrier Club of America list cataracts in the official breed profile. The OFA Eye Certification program (formerly CERF) includes the breed in its annual eye-screening recommendations for breeding stock, which is a useful signal that the breed has a documented genetic risk. Two patterns matter at home. Juvenile (hereditary, early-onset) cataracts can appear in young Bostons as early as a few months to 12 months. Senior cataracts develop later and often progress slowly. Watch for a cloudy or bluish-grey appearance to the lens, hesitation on stairs at dusk, or new clumsiness in dim light. Diagnosis is made by your vet or by a Calgary veterinary ophthalmologist on referral; some cataracts are surgical candidates (phacoemulsification at specialty), and many seniors do well without surgery with a familiar home environment and steady routines.

Other Boston eye risks worth knowing. Corneal ulcers from a foreign body or facial-hair rubbing (the prominent eye sits forward in a shallow socket), dry eye (chronic tear deficit), distichiasis (extra eyelashes scratching the cornea), and rare proptosis after head trauma. Any squinting, redness, or change in eye colour is a same-day vet call.

What it looks like. Paw licking and chewing, a red belly and groin, hot spots, recurring ear infections (the ear canal is part of the skin), an itchy face, hair loss in patches, and chronic yeast or bacterial skin infections. The favourite scratching spots tend to be feet, armpits, groin, and behind the ears. Calgary's dry winter indoor heating and chinook humidity swings both flare Boston skin.

Workup. Your Calgary vet will rule out parasites first (a quick skin scrape). Beyond that, an 8 to 12 week novel-protein elimination diet trial is the standard food-allergy test. Allergy serology or skin testing for environmental allergens is sometimes added or done at a veterinary dermatology referral. Calgary specialty dermatology exists and is the right next step for stubborn cases.

Treatment is management, not cure. Medicated shampoos, fatty acid supplements, prescription anti-itch therapy in moderate cases, and immunotherapy desensitization for severe atopy. This article does not list drug names or doses. Anti-itch drugs and steroids have real side-effect profiles, and your vet sets the plan. Annual allergy management is a real ongoing cost. Pet insurance helps if enrolled before symptoms appear.

Deafness can be bilateral (both ears) or unilateral (one ear). Unilateral is easy to miss because the dog still orients to sound from the working side. Signs at home: sleeps through normal noises, startles hard when touched without warning, no response to a whistle, missed recall in unfenced Calgary off-leash parks.

The reference diagnostic is the BAER (brainstem auditory evoked response) hearing test, available through Calgary veterinary specialty centres on referral. A deaf Boston can live an excellent life with consistent hand signals, vibration cues (a tap on the floor or shoulder), and a leash-on policy in any unfenced space. Calgary's Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw rewards owners with reliable recall in off-leash zones, and for a deaf dog that means long-line management until a hand-signal recall is rock-solid.

What you see at home. An intermittent skipping or hopping step on a hind leg, holding a back leg up for a few strides and then walking normally, or reluctance to jump up onto the couch. Many young Bostons show grade I luxation that never progresses; some show grade II to IV and benefit from surgery.

Diagnosis and grading. Your Calgary vet examines the knee in clinic and assigns a grade (I to IV). X-rays sometimes follow. Severe cases are referred to a veterinary surgeon for orthopaedic correction (trochleoplasty, tibial tuberosity transposition, etc.). The surgical decision belongs with your surgeon. Conservative management leans on weight control, joint supplements when your vet recommends them, and avoiding repeated couch jumps.

What to watch for in seniors. A new persistent cough, exercise intolerance that goes beyond normal slow-down, faster resting breathing rate (count breaths while your Boston is sleeping; trust your gut if it jumps), fainting spells, or sudden weight loss. Any of these warrant a vet visit.

Wellness baseline. Ask your Calgary vet about a cardiac auscultation around age 8 and discuss whether your individual dog should have a baseline cardiac workup (chest X-ray, NT-proBNP blood test, or referral cardiac ultrasound). Some Calgary specialty centres offer veterinary cardiology on referral. Cushing's disease, sometimes mentioned in the breed's long-tail health list, also tends to appear in middle-aged to senior Bostons (signs: drinking more, urinating more, pot-belly, hair thinning) and is diagnosed and managed by your vet.

Home prevention. Daily brushing with a dog-safe toothpaste (never human toothpaste) is the highest-ROI thing you can do for a Boston's lifetime dental health. Dental chews and water additives help around the edges; they do not replace brushing.

Professional cleaning. Calgary vets typically recommend a professional dental scale and polish under anesthesia every one to two years for the breed, plus extractions when periodontal disease has set in. Anesthesia in a brachycephalic dog is a real conversation, so ask your Calgary vet about brachycephalic-aware anesthesia monitoring before scheduling.

When it becomes a clinical problem. If hemivertebra appears in the mid or lower spine, compression of the spinal cord can develop, usually showing up by age 1 to 3. Signs: weakness in the back legs, dragging or knuckling a hind paw, urinary or faecal incontinence, or a hunched, painful posture. Any of these is a same-day vet call. Severe progressive cases sometimes need referral to a Calgary veterinary neurology service. Surgical decompression is one option; many milder cases are managed conservatively with weight control, anti-inflammatories under vet supervision, and lifestyle changes (no jumping off furniture, no high-impact stair runs). The decision is your vet's and a neurologist's, not a forum's.

Prevention: what works at home. Support the back when picking up your Boston (one hand under the chest, one under the hindquarters). Use ramps for couches and high beds. Keep your dog lean. Skip the “jump for the toy” games that load the spine repeatedly.