Small Nostrils (stenotic Nares) in Papillons

Stenotic nares happens when the cartilage of the nostril is too soft or too narrow, so the nostril opening collapses inward on each breath instead of staying open, forcing the dog to work harder to pull air in through the nose. It is one part of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, a cluster of airway problems that develop together because a shortened muzzle compresses soft tissue that a longer muzzle has enough room to accommodate normally.

A Papillon's muzzle is not shortened in this way. The breed has a fine, proportionate head with a normal-length nose, which is part of why stenotic nares does not appear on this breed's documented list of common health issues. Searching for this specific condition in a Papillon is, for most dogs, simply the wrong question, in the same way that searching for a giant-breed joint disease in a five-pound dog usually points you toward the wrong page.

What the search usually is actually about is noisy breathing, snoring, snorting, or a honking sound, and in a Papillon that symptom much more often points toward the breed's own documented airway concern: a weakened, collapsing trachea, the windpipe itself losing rigidity and partially caving in in a ring-shaped pattern as the dog breathes. This produces a dry, honking cough and can include noisy or labored breathing, especially with excitement, heat, or pressure on the neck from a collar, and it is a genuinely documented issue in this breed rather than an imported one.

The honest answer for an owner arriving worried about stenotic nares is usually to redirect the question: check whether the nostrils themselves visibly pinch inward and narrow with each inhale, which is the actual visual sign of stenotic nares and is uncommon in this breed, versus a cough or wheeze coming from lower in the throat, which is far more consistent with tracheal collapse. A vet exam, rather than either self-diagnosis, is what actually settles it, but knowing which condition the breed's own documented profile supports is a useful starting point.

A short video clip of the actual sound and the nostrils during a breathing episode is often more useful to a vet than any written description, and it takes only a moment to capture on a phone.

If you think your Papillon has small nostrils (stenotic nares), the plan is three steps: write down what you have seen and when it started, book a veterinary appointment rather than waiting for the next flare, and take video of the behaviour or symptom before you go — the thing you are worried about rarely happens in the consulting room. Screening in the parents covers patellar luxation, progressive retinal atrophy, dental disease.

What the vet visit should produce is a diagnosis and a written plan, not just reassurance: what is being ruled out, what the monitoring interval is, and which signs mean you come back sooner. Ask what the treatment costs across a year rather than per visit, because that is the number that decides whether you are managing this condition or reacting to it.

Between appointments, keep a short log — dates, what you saw, what changed. It is the single most useful thing an owner brings to a follow-up, and for small nostrils (stenotic nares) it is often what separates a clear pattern from a guess.