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Posted On Nov 12, 2020

Updated On Jul 04, 2025

Norwich Terrier Upper Airway Syndrome - Q&A

Internal Medicine

Dr. Bryden Stanley - a board certified veterinary surgeon - and a panel of experts who have studied this condition in the Norwich Terrier answered audience questions from a past webinar on the topic. Panelists include Dr. Lynelle Johnson, Dr. Paige Winkler, and Dr. Grace Lai:


This is an excerpt from the transcript from that webinar in which the panelists addressed additional questions:

Question:
If my Norwich has this syndrome, is there higher risk of problems at higher altitude (Telluride Colorado specifically 9450 Ft)?

Answer:
High altitude can worsen any respiratory disease because of a decrease in inspired oxygen.

Question:
What is the risk in other terrier breeds with similar head shapes? Norfolk, Cairns, Westies?

Answer:
It does not affect Norfolk terriers and has not been described in other terrier types.

Question:
Any particular airway infections that NTs are at risk due to airway syndrome? Bordetella? Hemophillus?

Answer:
I have never found infection in these dogs.

Question:
I have Cairn terriers that have some respiratory issues. We have 2 puppies in a litter that show respiratory issues, so I feel this is genetic. However, we have are not sure if it is just elongated palate, or something else. Thoughts?

Answer:
Not sure what it could be without examining them, sorry.

Question:
To be clear, it is important to choose both dog & bitch that are as low scoring as possible. Correct? It's not enough just to choose a stud dog with a low score?

Answer:
Yes, it would be ideal to choose dog and bitch with low scores.

Learn more about Norwich Terrier Upper Airway Syndrome.