Nare and Soft Palate Surgery

MickieBlue · Apr 17, 2015

Hi all,

For those who have had the nare and/or soft palate surgery on their pups, what made their dog a good candidate?

Is it simply something that is determined with an exam? Its hard to tell with my boy because he doesn't have issues breathing normally. He does snort and snore, etc. He does seem to get hot pant pretty easily after about 10-20 minutes of running with dogs at the dog park, so I have to give him breaks.

Is this normal? I will ultimately consult his vet, but was curious what everyone thought?

Barbara Bilder · Apr 18, 2015

Your Frenchie must be anesthetized so the vet can see whether he needs surgery. My Alfie's breathing was nor bad, but it was clear his nares needed opening and when his palette was examined it turned out he needed everything. I am really happy I had the surgery done as he loves agility and now can safely run at full speed for his whole lesson.

Barbara Bilder · Apr 18, 2015

I forgot to mention that it is important that your vet is very ecperienced in treating Frenchies.

MickieBlue · Apr 18, 2015

Barbara Bilder said:
Your Frenchie must be anesthetized so the vet can see whether he needs surgery. My Alfie's breathing was nor bad, but it was clear his nares needed opening and when his palette was examined it turned out he needed everything. I am really happy I had the surgery done as he loves agility and now can safely run at full speed for his whole lesson.

Thank you for the response. Mick was just introduced to agility at the end of his obedience class and loved it. I will definitely have him examined.

Alice Kable · Apr 18, 2015

Two of my English Bulldogs had pallet surgery done. They did not have to be anesthetized for the exam that indicated they would benefit from the surgery. We did have it done by laser because it is so much easier on the dog and there is a shorter recovery time.

2bullymama · Apr 18, 2015

it depends on the severity of the issue... some are very apparent, others need to be placed under to do a full exam. I had a Bulldog and our Frenchie needing it, both were examed during their neutering

chubbybunnymax · Apr 18, 2015

Hey [MENTION=1007]MickieBlue[/MENTION]. I'm going through something similar with my pup. Maximus pants pretty quickly while walking/at dog run. Sometimes we are ten minutes into the walk and notice the panting. This can't be normal! He is always panting in the dog run and when he is excited to see people and jump on them. He will be evaluated by a vet this Tuesday. We are thinking if surgery needs to be done, we could maybe do it with his neuter. He is 10 months old and we were hoping to neuter him after 1 year but it might have to be sooner if nare/soft palate needs to be done.

davidh · Apr 19, 2015

You can usually tell when they need it done, as they will have a hard time breathing, and the long pallate can also give them problems when they eat as well. I have never had a Frenchie with this problem, but we had an English that did, and he was much better after the surgery.

thepbjgang · Jan 24, 2016

Last night my male Frenchie had an episode where he got too excited and was
Panting heavily and he was having a really hard time getting air. He kept hacking
And occasionally would cough up a little frothy spit.. We took him to the emergency
Vet and for nowhere. By the time they saw him his breathing had eased and he was calm so
He wasn't struggling to breathe anymore but it is apparent that he may need the surgery for
Elongated soft palate. It seems he has aggravated it cuz now every time he gets worked
Up or plays he gets to the point he is gasping for air. We are
Taking him to the vet obviously but we hoping someone had any words of advice on this??
Thank u in advance

2bullymama · Jan 24, 2016

thepbjgang said:
Last night my male Frenchie had an episode where he got too excited and was
Panting heavily and he was having a really hard time getting air. He kept hacking
And occasionally would cough up a little frothy spit.. We took him to the emergency
Vet and for nowhere. By the time they saw him his breathing had eased and he was calm so
He wasn't struggling to breathe anymore but it is apparent that he may need the surgery for
Elongated soft palate. It seems he has aggravated it cuz now every time he gets worked
Up or plays he gets to the point he is gasping for air. We are
Taking him to the vet obviously but we hoping someone had any words of advice on this??
Thank u in advance

Sounds like he needs it... Find a good bully vet that is good with the breed--- try to not let him get overly excited but if he does just get him settled and keep him cool

palmetto · Feb 16, 2016

The bad news is that if the dog is a Frenchie, a soft palate surgery is probably recommended. It's a fault of their breed that their nose and mouth tissues are so compacted that breathing problems are inevitable.

Some symptoms:
-higher pitched sound when breathing (not the snoring/snorting as much)
-small nasal openings
-trouble breathing
-panting after only moderate exercise
-exercise intolerance
-tongue out and curled up - warning sign to get them cool off asap

It's best to get the nares done as early as possible, as this helps relieve pressure inside the nose that can lead to later problems. The nares is also cheaper and quite easy on the dog.

Soft palate may also be needed and possible everted laryngeal saccules if more serious. Both these conditions make it very hard for your dog to breath and can ultimately lead to laryngeal collapse if not taken care of. These would require a vet or surgeon to examine the throat to see if required under anesthesia.