Finally Scheduled Soft Palate Surgery

[Gromit]

Hey all!

First post so bare with me, and I sure appreciate a community to be able to talk about my lil guy.

I finally decided to get the palate surgery for my 2 year old Pita on the 18th of June. I had been putting it off and fighting it for so long, but there are so many issues that I've been dealing with that are because of the palate. I sort of feel like I'm a horrible parent and being totally selfish (if something were to go wrong) . Therefore I've decided to go along with it.

I'm going to a vet specialist who uses a laser and primarily does this kind of surgery. Pita was a total wiggle worm when the doc was trying to examine him (he can really sense when I'm stressed out), but he said it looks like his snares are okay and wouldn't need to be fiddled with.

He's been having issues in the heat, with regurgitation, and sleep apnea - and it only looks like it's going to get worse.

I guess my questions sort of pertain to recovery time and some other issues to the folks around here who have experience with the surgery.

What did recovery time look like? What should my biggest concerns be in terms of the days after the surgery? I took a week off of work in order to be with him and make sure nothing goes wrong.

What's the worst case scenario?

Has anyone gotten the surgery and it wasn't all that effective? The doc seemed sort of unwilling to give certainty to whether or not it would help with regurgitation....but I sure hope so. Pita barfs almost every time after eating and it seems totally tied to his breathing. I've tried everything I can (elevating food, adding water, small amounts etc.) with minimal improvement....so my fingers are really crossed that this issue can be solved or at least gets a little better.

Thanks for baring with me! :whew:

-Jordan

 

[Gromit]

 

[Alice Kable]

Welcome to FBN. We would love to have you do an introduction and post some pictures of your handsome Pita.

I have had palate surgery done on 2 of my English Bulldogs. Laser is the way to go as it is so much easier on the dog. Recovery time depends on how much tissue needs to be removed. One of my boys was in surgery for an hour because he needed a lot of tissue removed. He had some swelling as result, and needed medication to control the swelling. His recovery time was about 10 days. The other boy's surgery took maybe 15 minutes, a textbook example, and had very little swelling afterward. His recovery time was maybe 2 days. I'm sure those are the extremes, and most cases would be somewhere in between. The main thing to watch for is swelling.

 

[Gromit]

Welcome to FBN. We would love to have you do an introduction and post some pictures of your handsome Pita.

I have had palate surgery done on 2 of my English Bulldogs. Laser is the way to go as it is so much easier on the dog. Recovery time depends on how much tissue needs to be removed. One of my boys was in surgery for an hour because he needed a lot of tissue removed. He had some swelling as result, and needed medication to control the swelling. His recovery time was about 10 days. The other boy's surgery took maybe 15 minutes, a textbook example, and had very little swelling afterward. His recovery time was maybe 2 days. I'm sure those are the extremes, and most cases would be somewhere in between. The main thing to watch for is swelling.

Thanks for the response! I'll head over to the introduction page after I post this!

Just considering how noisy he is now (I don't notice it anymore, but everyone else does) and since he's always had it I suspect he has a lot of tissue to remove, but I guess there's no way of knowing.

Did either of your English's have problems with regurgitation?

-J

 

[Alice Kable]

Thanks for the response! I'll head over to the introduction page after I post this!

Just considering how noisy he is now (I don't notice it anymore, but everyone else does) and since he's always had it I suspect he has a lot of tissue to remove, but I guess there's no way of knowing.

Did either of your English's have problems with regurgitation?

Jordan, that was 10 years ago and I don't remember any problems with regurgitation before or after the surgery. I know Chester, the one that needed lots of tissue removed, had a very small trachea so the swelling was a huge problem. He, too, was a very noisy breather. Your vet should be able to tell you if he needs a lot of tissue removed.

-J

OOPS! I started my answer too soon!

 

[Gromit]

Oops me too. Thanks for the info! It's something I can deal with if it doesn't improve, but just want him to be as comfortable as possible.

 

[2bullymama]

Hi Jordan.... :welcome3: to FBN!

I have experience with the surgery both with my EB and my Frenchie Cheli. Cheli, we waited until he was 2 yrs old as well, my vet insist on that unless there is a life threatening issue as the palate continues to grow. Cheli also had his nares done at the same time as the palate, and due to issues with his recovery he needed a second surgery a few months later.

Recovery -- biggest thing is try to limit barking as much as possible, this is what cause Cheli's second surgery. Cheli is not much of a barker, so it never occured to me, he barks to play and when I get home to let him out of the crate. Well, we were home with him the first two days after surgery, but day three we went back to normal schedule and Cheli is crated while we are away from home. He barks and whines as soon as we enter the house until we get to him and it caused swelling and scar tissue to form, so the palate had to be addressed a second time. Other than that.... he did great and his nares look fantastic, like they were never touched.

Somthing to keep in mind -- this procedure HELPS them breathe better and MIGHT lessen the snoring and apnea.... it does not eliminate the issues, it just lessens them. You still will hear the sweet lullabye of a snore, shortness of breath (at times), snorting and phelem build up.... it is just part of the breed. Not all of these babies will experience the issues, my female Bulldog (Banks) has none of these issues, not a one, does not even snore, but those that do have them, it is just part of who they are. I just wanted to make you are prepared for him to still have some of the above, Pita may end up with one issue totally going away, but chances are they are still around, just less of an issue. I am going to pray all his go away.

As for the rehurgitation, my male Bulldog had this issue with his palate before surgery and it went away after the procedure. If it is still an issue after, does Pita eat real fast? If yes, try measures to slow him down -- slow feed bowl or add a little bit of water to the food to make him lap the food instead of gobble (have to do this for Banks... she INHALES). Also, on hot days or when you notice phelem build up... a little squirt of real lemon juice to the throat will help break it up and clear it out.

Keep us posted and I hope my long winded response makes sense.... let me know if you have any questions

 

[winginit66]

I don't have any advice, just wanted to say good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Gromit]

[MENTION=2]2bullymama[/MENTION] - Thanks for your detailed response! I'm not expecting it to go away completely (and admittedly would be kind of sad if he didn't make ANY sound anymore) but at this point even a marginal improvement would make me pretty happy. We're fortunate as Frenchie owners because they don't really seem to bark all that much, and Pita hardly ever does. It's once in a blue moon, and actually a pleasant surprise when he does :mansfriend: although I will definitely keep an eye on him to make sure nothing provokes him to bark.

In terms of eating - food is a rather contentious issue. Sometimes he won't eat at all (he's picky) or eats too fast. I've started adding water to all of his food and that seems to help the issue to some degree; I would say 25%.

Did your surgeon use a laser?

Thanks for all the advice guys.

 

[lkclark]

I see that you're in Southern California. Do you mind if I ask you which surgeon you are going to? Just in case for future reference.

 

[Gromit]

I see that you're in Southern California. Do you mind if I ask you which surgeon you are going to? Just in case for future reference.

Do problem! Dr. Cambridge and he works out of Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Tustin.

 

[2bullymama]

@2bullymama - Thanks for your detailed response! I'm not expecting it to go away completely (and admittedly would be kind of sad if he didn't make ANY sound anymore) but at this point even a marginal improvement would make me pretty happy. We're fortunate as Frenchie owners because they don't really seem to bark all that much, and Pita hardly ever does. It's once in a blue moon, and actually a pleasant surprise when he does :mansfriend: although I will definitely keep an eye on him to make sure nothing provokes him to bark.

In terms of eating - food is a rather contentious issue. Sometimes he won't eat at all (he's picky) or eats too fast. I've started adding water to all of his food and that seems to help the issue to some degree; I would say 25%.

Did your surgeon use a laser?

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Eating -- 25% better is definitely better than nothing, stay with it and after surgery it may be even a bit better. Also, he will be on soft diet for a few days after the procedure, (bland diet basically - groundbeef or chicken and rice)

Laser - no, due to the amount of tissue needing to be removed, our vet opted to not use the laser.

 

[davidh]

We had one of our English go through this surgery, and he did very well after. The recovery was great, we tried to keep him quiet for a few days, but the day after the surgery, you could not even tell he had surgery. He was acting normal and his appetite was back to normal. After about a few days his breathing was much better and he snored less, so we know it was helping him. Hope you baby does well and has a speedy recovery.

 

[sah006]

My husband and I took Nacho for his soft palate surgery in early March. We decided to also get him nutered and microchipped at the same time. The surgery was a total success and was also done with a laser. The laser is definitely the way to go. I don't feel as if Nacho was in any pain what so ever from that. He was sore from the neutering though.

Nacho was vomiting at least 3 times a day, some days more and some days less. It was awful! He couldn't run or play and I definitely couldn't take him for walks at all. Any time he drank a large portion of water he vomitied. We took him to a specialists who also used a laser and they took about 1.5 inches of his soft palate out. He is a different dog! Since March he has thrown up/regurgitated three times. Nacho is also able to drink as much as he wants and play for a long as he wants.


Nacho had to stay at the Vet's longer than normal because he couldn't keep his food down. Since he had vomited so much his throat was very sore and with the soft palate gone (it acted as a make shift barrier before) anything swallowed he immediately threw up. Once we got him home we had to give him three doses per day of a lidocane mixture to help coat his throat. He was on a soft diet for about 2 weeks and then we eased him back to his normal kibble diet.

Good luck to you and your baby!

 

[kim]

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[jessicae091]

I've been putting off Chewys soft palate surgery.. He actually stopped breathing on me when we were playing last week, it was very scary. I am scheduling his surgery asap


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[lkclark]

Does pet insurance typically cover this?

 

[eeturk]

Does pet insurance typically cover this?

I think it depends on the insurance. It is important to check if "known breed specific problems" (like hips and soft palates in frenchies) are covered.




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[lkclark]

I think it depends on the insurance. It is important to check if "known breed specific problems" (like hips and soft palates in frenchies) are covered.




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I just didn't know whether or not an elongated palette in Frenchies is considered a 'pre-existing' condition from the moment that they are born.

 

[Gromit]

I just didn't know whether or not an elongated palette in Frenchies is considered a 'pre-existing' condition from the moment that they are born.

I doubt most would cover it because it's technically considered an 'elective surgery'