Sophie’s BOAS journey: a real-life account from Bonnie and Reggie
- Sophie Rose
- Oct 18, 2025
- 3 min read
Bonnie and Reggie are two frenchies owned by one of our group's great friends.
My two both had surgery in March 2021 when they were two years old, and it was a process I was scared to do. I was aware of BOAS in French bulldog and as puppies their noses where quite open and I remember the vet who did a health check on them when they were younger was really impressed with their noses. I was made aware as they grow, that the nostrils can change and close but this doesn’t happen to all.
A year later I noticed signs of BOAS. Have a look here for more about BOAS
I made the decision a year after to have my dogs assessed and booked into surgery. I was recommended a vet also to use, I didn’t use my registered vet and travelled to get this done.
The day it occurred I was a stressy mess! Waiting by the phone for a call to collect them, they didn’t stay in over night due to Covid.
On initial assessment the vet explained the procedure and reassured me if something didn’t need doing then it wouldn’t be done. Both my dogs had their palate shortened (my boys was a lot longer than my girls), saccules removed and nostrils widened.
They came home and were a little poorly in the night, I didn’t sleep, but the anaesthetic can have this effect of making anyone feel poorly. Also with having their palates shortened, they can collect a small amount of blood in their tummies which can make them sick. I was prepared with my slippery elm!
The first two days I fed bland foods like white fish and scrambled eggs (no milk or oil) and gave slippery elm also. Bone broth was a great food to give too, I let it melt and gave this by adding into food or by a syringe(😂). I then started to add back in their raw food and gave 3 small meals a day; this helped with giving there medication too.
Being aware of how medication can effect the gut/immune system, I gave Kiki probiotics in the morning to help support the antibiotics I was given.
I also contacted [Helios Homeopathy for their advice. They advised me of some natural medication to use to help with bruising, inflammation, general recovery etc... Please remember all dogs are different and it is best to speak to them when it comes to dosages and buying etc for your dog. It was my own personal choice too to use these instead of another medication I was given.
Two weeks have passed and I am so so happy for them both. They have had some small walks and we are building these up still as slow is better than rushing it. They are completely silent when breathing now, when sleeping and even on walks I see an improvement. We took a short walk in the sun yesterday, it was no more than 8 degrees and there was no panting, struggling or effort to walk.
Overall, I am so pleased for them! It is a risk with any operation but my decision maker was quality of life. As an owner it is your choice only and never feel pressured to do it 😊🐾
You can also opt to have you dog graded for BOAS where tests are done to determine the grade of how good or bad your dog BOAS is, it’s a small cost around £30-£90 and it is area dependent too:
Written by Sophie Rose, for No Bull Just Natural Health for Dogs
