Summary
A technique for measuring upper airway resistance was developed in awake untrained dolichocephalic and mesaticephalic dogs. Twenty healthy dogs, 10 Collies (group A—dolichocephalic) and 10 mixed-breed dogs (group B—mesaticephalic), were studied. All dogs tolerated the procedure well, and adverse effects were not observed. Mean (± sem) value for upper airway resistance was 7.1 ± 0.50 cm of H2O/L/s. There was a trend toward lower upper airway resistance (Ruaw) values in group-A dogs, compared with those in group-B dogs. Values of Ruaw were reproducible for an individual dog. The mean individual dog coefficient of variation for Ruaw was 7.5%. The overall Ruaw coefficient of variation for all 20 dogs was 31.4%. This technique for measuring upper airway resistance in dogs is clinically applicable for objectively assessing response to treatment of obstructive upper airway disorders.
