Chronic respiratory disease in cats and dogs causes significant welfare harm that responds to management and treatment.
Chronic respiratory disease in companion animals causes daily welfare impacts through reduced oxygenation, exercise intolerance, and respiratory distress that may be most apparent as labored breathing, coughing, or reduced activity. For cats with asthma, poorly managed disease results in acute crisis episodes that are genuinely terrifying — severe bronchospasm causing visible distress. For brachycephalic dogs, chronic low-grade hypoxia may be normalized but represents continuous welfare compromise. Management through medication, environmental modification, and in brachycephalic cases surgical correction can dramatically improve both objective respiratory function and daily quality of life.