Boston Terrier That little snort your Boston makes when he’s excited to see you? Adorable. The wet, wheezy wheeze after a quick lap around the yard? Worth paying attention to.
Boston Terriers are one of those breeds where the quirks you love most are sometimes the same ones that signal something deeper going on. Those big, expressive eyes. That smushed, irresistible face. The compact body packed with more personality than should be physically possible. All of it comes with a set of health considerations that make proactive screening less optional and more essential.
This isn’t about being a paranoid pet parent. It’s about knowing your dog well enough to catch problems before they become serious, expensive, or heartbreaking.
Here are the five screenings that matter most.
1. Ophthalmologic Exam (Yes, Those Eyes Need Checking)
Boston Terriers have some of the most expressive eyes in the dog world. They’re also some of the most vulnerable.
Because their eyes are large and set prominently in a flat face, Bostons are at significantly higher risk for conditions like corneal ulcers, cataracts, and cherry eye. Some of these conditions develop gradually. Others happen fast.
What the Exam Involves
An ophthalmologic screening is typically done by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist. They’ll check for early signs of corneal disease, assess pressure within the eye (to screen for glaucoma), and look for lens changes that might indicate developing cataracts.
"Catching an eye condition in its early stages can mean the difference between a simple treatment and a surgical procedure. For a breed this predisposed, routine screening isn’t precautionary; it’s practical."
The Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) recommends annual exams for breeds with known ocular predispositions. Boston Terriers are firmly on that list.
How Often?
Annually, starting around age one. If your dog has had any eye issues before, your vet may recommend more frequent checks.
2. Cardiac Evaluation
Heart disease in dogs doesn’t always announce itself loudly. That’s exactly what makes screening so important.
Bostons aren’t the highest-risk breed for cardiac conditions, but they’re not in the clear either. Pulmonic stenosis, a narrowing of the valve between the heart and the lungs, shows up in Boston Terriers at a higher rate than in many other breeds. Left untreated, it puts strain on the heart over time.
What to Expect
A basic cardiac screening starts with your vet listening to the heart during a routine exam. But a proper evaluation for breeding dogs (and increasingly recommended for all Bostons) involves an echocardiogram performed by a veterinary cardiologist.
This gives a real picture of how the heart is functioning, not just how it sounds.
The Timing Question
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends cardiac evaluations before breeding, but many vets suggest baseline echos for all Boston Terriers around age two or three. After that, any murmur or abnormality should trigger more frequent monitoring.
3. Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) Assessment
This one surprises some owners because the symptoms seem so… normal.
Snoring, snorting, reverse sneezing, heavy breathing after mild exercise. If you’ve had a Boston for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard all of it and chalked it up to breed personality. Sometimes that’s fair. Sometimes it’s not.
BOAS is a spectrum condition. On one end, you have dogs with mild anatomical quirks that cause minimal issues. On the other end, you have dogs struggling to breathe comfortably during everyday activities.
What Screening Looks Like
A BOAS assessment involves your vet evaluating the structure of your dog’s airway: the width of the nostrils, the length of the soft palate, and in some cases, the diameter of the trachea. Some specialists use a grading system to classify severity.
"A Boston who snores isn’t automatically a Boston who suffers. But a Boston who’s gasping after a short walk deserves a closer look. The difference matters."
Why It’s Worth Doing
Mild BOAS can be managed with lifestyle adjustments: avoiding heat, limiting intense exercise, keeping weight in check. More significant cases may benefit from corrective surgery, which is most effective when performed early. Knowing where your dog falls on that spectrum gives you the ability to act rather than react.
4. Hip and Patella (Kneecap) Evaluation
Boston Terriers aren’t typically associated with hip dysplasia the way larger breeds are. But patellar luxation, a condition where the kneecap slips out of place, is extremely common in the breed.
You might notice it as an occasional skip in your dog’s step, or a moment where they hold one back leg up briefly and then keep going like nothing happened. Easy to miss. Easy to dismiss.
The OFA Evaluation Process
Patella evaluations through the OFA involve a hands-on assessment by your veterinarian. The vet manually checks whether the patella can be moved out of the groove it sits in, and grades it on a scale from one to four based on severity.
Grade one: slips but goes back on its own.
Grade four: permanently out of position.
Most Bostons with luxating patellas fall somewhere in the middle, and many live comfortable lives with monitoring and appropriate management. But knowing the grade helps you understand your dog’s baseline and track any changes.
Hip Evaluation
Hip radiographs can also be done through the OFA. While Bostons don’t have the hip dysplasia rates that Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds do, it’s still worth having a baseline X-ray, especially if you ever plan to breed or if your dog shows any stiffness or reluctance to jump.
5. Hereditary Genetic Testing
This one isn’t a vet appointment in the traditional sense, but it belongs on this list.
Genetic testing has gotten remarkably accessible and useful in the last several years. For Boston Terriers specifically, there are a handful of inherited conditions worth screening for, including hereditary cataracts (separate from age-related ones), juvenile hereditary cataracts, and certain neurological conditions.
Why Genetic Testing Matters Even for Pet Owners
A lot of people assume genetic testing is only relevant for breeders. It’s not.
Knowing your dog carries a gene variant associated with early cataract development, for example, means you know to prioritize those annual ophthalmologic exams. It means you’re not caught off guard. It means your vet can tailor a monitoring plan specifically to your dog rather than a generic breed protocol.
"Your dog’s genetics don’t write a destiny, they write a roadmap. What you do with that information is entirely up to you."
Where to Start
Companies like Embark and Wisdom Panel offer comprehensive breed-specific panels. Your vet may also recommend testing through the OFA’s CHIC (Companion Animal Health) program, which maintains a database of tested dogs and their results.
For Boston Terriers, the CHIC requirements currently include CAER eye exams, cardiac evaluations, and patella assessments, making it a natural complement to everything else on this list.
Putting It All Together
The good news is that most of these screenings don’t need to happen all at once. Work with your vet to build a timeline that makes sense for your dog’s age, history, and risk factors.
A young, healthy Boston might start with genetic testing and a baseline patella evaluation at their first or second annual exam. Eye screenings get added in year one. A cardiac echo somewhere around age two or three. BOAS assessment whenever there’s any question about breathing.
The point isn’t to check boxes. It’s to build a picture of your specific dog over time so that you can advocate for them effectively, catch problems early, and make informed decisions about their care.
Boston Terriers are a lot of things: comedians, shadows, couch partners, chaos agents in tuxedos. They deserve owners who take the health side as seriously as they take the fun side.
These five screenings are a very good place to start.