Finally Scheduled Soft Palate Surgery

[Gromit]

Hey folks just wanted to give you all an update!

Pita had the surgery on Wednesday and recovered wonderfully. Had to have the tonsils out as well, but he sprung back from it almost immediately. He's not totally silent, but I would say that %90 of his issues are gone...which is such a massive success.

Thanks for all of your guys' advice/help!

 

[FrenchieDante]

Are soft palate surgeries and nares typically done at the time of neutering? Around 8-9 months?

 

[2bullymama]

Are soft palate surgeries and nares typically done at the time of neutering? Around 8-9 months?

Only if really really bad... You want, if possible to wait till two years if age since they are still griwing


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

[Gromit]

Are soft palate surgeries and nares typically done at the time of neutering? Around 8-9 months?

It's also my understanding that if it's done before 2 years the tissue can grow back, of at least there is a higher chance that it will.

 

[Gromit]

Hey so now I have another odd issue - ever since the surgery Pita farts probably every 10-15 minutes...there are periods where he doesn't but it's certainly happening quite a bit. I would be alarmed if they smelled foul or he wasn't eating, but they don't smell like anything - we just hear what we call "squeakers" quite a bit now. Nothing has changed since the surgery, but my assumption is maybe now that he is able to breathe well he is swallowing more air when eating and drinking and then it comes out the other end.

Has anyone else had an issue with this who has had the surgery? Should I be concerned?

 

[2bullymama]

Hey so now I have another odd issue - ever since the surgery Pita farts probably every 10-15 minutes...there are periods where he doesn't but it's certainly happening quite a bit. I would be alarmed if they smelled foul or he wasn't eating, but they don't smell like anything - we just hear what we call "squeakers" quite a bit now. Nothing has changed since the surgery, but my assumption is maybe now that he is able to breathe well he is swallowing more air when eating and drinking and then it comes out the other end.

Has anyone else had an issue with this who has had the surgery? Should I be concerned?

Never had this issue, but I agree could be swallowing more air now.... ask your vet when you go back for a check up

 

[Julie Stevenson]

I have a call into Southern California Veternary Speciality hospital in Irvine/Tustin to see how much it will cost to have Batty's soft palllete done. The older he gets the LOUDER he snores. Last night he woke up both myself and my husband. I feel so bad for the little guy.

Ollie had the surgery at 4months of age. He broke his leg so we figured we would just get it all done at the same time. Ollie has never really snored. Maybe a little every once and a while.....but poor batty he snores every time he falls asleep. I know that poor boy can't breath well.

 

[MadreDeMorty]

I have a call into Southern California Veternary Speciality hospital in Irvine/Tustin to see how much it will cost to have Batty's soft palllete done. The older he gets the LOUDER he snores. Last night he woke up both myself and my husband. I feel so bad for the little guy.

Ollie had the surgery at 4months of age. He broke his leg so we figured we would just get it all done at the same time. Ollie has never really snored. Maybe a little every once and a while.....but poor batty he snores every time he falls asleep. I know that poor boy can't breath well.

How much did they quote you for the entire surgery?

 

[MadreDeMorty]

Hey so now I have another odd issue - ever since the surgery Pita farts probably every 10-15 minutes...there are periods where he doesn't but it's certainly happening quite a bit. I would be alarmed if they smelled foul or he wasn't eating, but they don't smell like anything - we just hear what we call "squeakers" quite a bit now. Nothing has changed since the surgery, but my assumption is maybe now that he is able to breathe well he is swallowing more air when eating and drinking and then it comes out the other end.

Has anyone else had an issue with this who has had the surgery? Should I be concerned?

Who did you go to for the surgery? How much did it cost? I got a quote from Dr. Kraemer in Santa Ana for around $1,300 but that was a quote from last year so don't know the difference for 2015

 

[Mavis]

Good luck, Gromit. Pita is a doll. Lots of success stories here that hopefully will ease your mind somewhat. Please keep us posted.

 

[mhuinker]

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

I know this was posted some time ago, but thank you Christine..... your response was extremely helpful to me in trying to make a decision for my little girl, Molly......

 

[Biancachula]

Hey folks just wanted to give you all an update!

Pita had the surgery on Wednesday and recovered wonderfully. Had to have the tonsils out as well, but he sprung back from it almost immediately. He's not totally silent, but I would say that %90 of his issues are gone...which is such a massive success.

Thanks for all of your guys' advice/help!

I will schedule an appointment at the same office you took your dog. May I ask how much did they charge for the surgery? My Ivan is having a hard time breathing and I am sure he will need to have surgery as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your response.

 

[TheButcher]

Who did you go to for the surgery? How much did it cost? I got a quote from Dr. Kraemer in Santa Ana for around $1,300 but that was a quote from last year so don't know the difference for 2015

sorry for the super necro bump, but I am hoping some people are still around and can help out. First of all, I got a quote from Dr Kraemers, $2765... My how times have changed.

Second, my little nugget is 10 months old, has trouble sleeping unless in the perfect position, throws up more than seems normal, and if he lays on his back he practically stops breathing. It seems like he would be a prime candidate for the surgery, but should I wait until he is older?

 

[2bullymama]

sorry for the super necro bump, but I am hoping some people are still around and can help out. First of all, I got a quote from Dr Kraemers, $2765... My how times have changed.

Second, my little nugget is 10 months old, has trouble sleeping unless in the perfect position, throws up more than seems normal, and if he lays on his back he practically stops breathing. It seems like he would be a prime candidate for the surgery, but should I wait until he is older?

I would not wait.... he may need it again as he ages but with what you describe he needs it done sooner than later.

Cheli had it done twice 10 mths and I think it was 3 yrs


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[oscarsmom]

My 10 month old just had the surgery done along with his neuter. We took him home and he immediately threw up, prob from the car ride, then seemed to have an appetite for some boiled chicken. We gave him his painkiller and then 7 hours later he looked uncomfortable again so we tried to give him another, as directed. He refused to eat anything and would not drink water. By this time, he had also thrown up about 3-4 times. We took him back to the vet late that night and they gave him an injectable pain killer and anti-nausea medication. They also did chest x-rays to make sure he did not aspirate. Everything was fine and they said not to be alarmed about not drinking because he received a lot of IV fluids. We took him home and thankfully he was able to go to sleep. He has been resting all day and is still not eating or drinking. At what point will he want to eat/drink again? Has anyone experienced this or know what to do? Should I take him back to the vet? That late night ER visit cost $750, but I will take him if he really needs it. They seemed to think fasting would help with his symptoms. It helped with the restlessness and pain, but not the eating.

 

[Frenchie Grrrl]

Poor little guy. I'm sure he'll be ok missing a few meals, but I would see if you could syringe a little water into his mouth, as long as there are no restrictions. Can you just call yourself vet that did the surgery to touch base, and see if they recommend bringing him in again?

Maybe he'd drink some goat's milk or eat a little yogurt?

I'm sure there are several members whose pups have had the surgery and can share their experience. Keep us updated

 

[YoureMyBoyBlue]

Hey guys,

Our 7mo, Blue, is having some symptoms of sleep apnea - while sleeping he usually always snores a bit but at times it seems like his breathing will pause for a few seconds, and then goes back to normal. I feel like this has always been the case, and maybe we are just noticing it more often then before.

Blue also will throw up sometimes, usually after he eats and then drinks too much water too fast. This is hit or miss, but usually happens about once a week. He is on kibble/soft food mix, and loves his food... but think this may be related to his breathing/ sleeping issues.

He has not been neutered yet, so we are taking him into the vet asap to get checked out and see what they say. Does anyone have a recommendation on when to do the surgery and when to get him neutered? Same time? One before the other? Wait for him to get a little older for the palate surgery?

We are just a little concerned and of course looking at things on Google, they can differ quite drastically.

Any info/tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,

--
Concerned/Worried.... Tyson + Jessica.

 

[2bullymama]

Hey guys,

Our 7mo, Blue, is having some symptoms of sleep apnea - while sleeping he usually always snores a bit but at times it seems like his breathing will pause for a few seconds, and then goes back to normal. I feel like this has always been the case, and maybe we are just noticing it more often then before.

Blue also will throw up sometimes, usually after he eats and then drinks too much water too fast. This is hit or miss, but usually happens about once a week. He is on kibble/soft food mix, and loves his food... but think this may be related to his breathing/ sleeping issues.

He has not been neutered yet, so we are taking him into the vet asap to get checked out and see what they say. Does anyone have a recommendation on when to do the surgery and when to get him neutered? Same time? One before the other? Wait for him to get a little older for the palate surgery?

We are just a little concerned and of course looking at things on Google, they can differ quite drastically.

Any info/tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,

--
Concerned/Worried.... Tyson + Jessica.

if he needs the surgery, do them both at the same time so he is only under once, Depending on how he grows and the palate reduction takes, he MIGHT need it done again. My guy was done twice first at 10 months and again around 3 yrs.

 

[oscarsmom]

Poor little guy. I'm sure he'll be ok missing a few meals, but I would see if you could syringe a little water into his mouth, as long as there are no restrictions. Can you just call yourself vet that did the surgery to touch base, and see if they recommend bringing him in again?

Maybe he'd drink some goat's milk or eat a little yogurt?

I'm sure there are several members whose pups have had the surgery and can share their experience. Keep us updated

So after about 4-5 days, Oscar started returing back to his old self, but not without drama. Made another trip to the emergency vet 2 days after the first trip because he threw up dark brown liquid (hadn't eaten anything brown). I called the vet and they said it could possibly be an ulcer and to take him in. Turns out he just needed to get food in his stomach and they also recommended some pepcid AC. They did give him some IV fluids just in case because I told them he wasn't drinking or peeing much and I was worried about dehydration and kidney damage. After that night, he slowly started eating more and was finally drinking! A day later he was rolling over for belly rubs and trying to nip at my fingers.. I never thought I would be so happy to have him try to bite me! His snoring is also much quieter and his breathing in general sounds much better. The fact that it is sometimes silent scares me and I have to make sure his chest goes up and down. He was never silent like that. Still a little bit of a whistling sound soemtimes, but he's still healing. I don't expect, nor do I want, all of his frenchie sounds to go away. Overall, I don't regret having the surgery if it makes breathing easier for him in the long run. The thought of him struggling for air kills me.

Here's my advice for anyone considering the surgery for their pet:

- The first few days will be rough. Oscar doesn't tolerate pain meds very well and the doctor said sometimes the meds make it worse for them. It's important to just let them sleep and make them as comfortable as possible. The fact that we kept trying to force him to take his meds probably made things so much worse because he would throw them up every time. If your dog is like mine, ask about injectable pain meds, or they mentioned a pain patch they sometimes use.

- Pet insurance is a must. I have Healthy Paws and they have been fantastic. They covered 90% of the costs of the surgery (not including neuter or surgical consulation) and ER visits.

- Everyone says laser is better, but my doctor did not use a laser. However, he did use some kind of cauterizing device to stop the bleeding (essentially what the laser does). There are pro's and con's to laser vs. scalpel, so ask your vet lots of questions and do your research.

- Give your dog some probiotics, if you're not doing so already. I don't know why, but after any procedure Oscar gets really gassy for like a week or two. He always takes a probiotic, but I guess his system needs time to get back in balance. He usually isn't gassy at all, but he can clear the room right now. I also try to sneak in some pumpkin but he's not a big fan.

- I just ordered Oscar the Enhanced Bowl and stand, because now that his airway is more open I am worried about regurgitation leading to aspiration pneumonia. It was not cheap, so I am not saying to also buy it. Just be conscious and aware of the signs, just in case. I'm curious if anyone else has tried it and what they think.

 

[Frenchie Grrrl]

Glad Oscar is doing so much better!!

We have the Enhanced Pet Bowl and stand. I love it, and even though it is designed for kibble, it works great with Gus' raw grinds. He can lick the bowl clean, which was impossible for him with a traditional bowl. We also ordered an extra stand to put his ceramic water bowl in. Fit very nicely.