A question about nare surgery

[WeeDex]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading up on here and online about nare surgery, as it was suggested by the vet that it would benefit Dexter both now and in the future, and could be done at neutering time. This was when he was 9 weeks old.

He's now 8 months, and will be going in to be neutered in the near future as he has spent the holidays practicing his humping skills on my parents Bichon - who is thankfully male!

My question is really - how do you know if your Frenchie really needs this done?

He snores very loudly sometimes, and if he's up beside me I can hear him breathing. He doesn't have much of a chance to overheat as it's never that warm here, but when he's playing he does seem to get out of breath quite fast in comparison to other dogs.

One side of his nose is much more open than the other, which you can hopefully see in the picture below. Is there anything else I should be looking out for before I go to the vet? I don't want him to undergo surgery unnecessarily - I'm worried enough about him being neutered!

Thanks everyone

 

[2bullymama]

His nares are very tight..... snoring is part of the issue, but what it really does it makes it difficult for them to take in air which causes stress on the heart and lungs -- makes them work harder and can impact them in the long run. Cheli had his done twice (age 2 and 4) as the first time did not make much of a difference and he was still having apnea issues (stopped breathing)... he is doing really good now.

We also have a Bulldog and we did his at age of 16 weeks.... what a difference.... going forward if it needs to be one, I will be doing it at the younger age as it can lessen the impact to the palet and major organs.

 

[WeeDex]

[MENTION=2]2bullymama[/MENTION] Thank you, this had made me feel better about getting his nares corrected. I would hate to think of his heart and lungs being put under stress. How did you find the recovery process? Did the wounds heal quite quickly?

 

[2bullymama]

@2bullymama Thank you, this had made me feel better about getting his nares corrected. I would hate to think of his heart and lungs being put under stress. How did you find the recovery process? Did the wounds heal quite quickly?

Both times, Cheli bounced back like a champ --only the first day after was he tired, after that I had to keep him calm.

 

[palmetto]

The nares should help him breath better and its usually a cheaper/easier surgery. If you can hear him breathing/snoring there may be additional breathing problems as well (soft palate and everted saccules that can only be diagnosed under anesthesia). The higher pitched breathing sounds indicate the back of the throat (palate/larynx) and the snorting sounds are more nasal.