Emergency room

[thett]

I am just now seeing this thread for the first time.. sitting at work and crying my eyes out.
The kind where you just can’t make it stop! Lol!! Seeing your baby in pain and not being able to stop it is so incredibly hard.

I was so happy to read on and hear of crabcakes progress!

You are a wonderful dad and he is a beautiful boy! You are lucky to have one another. I will pray for your baby and you for continued healing and wonderful times ahead.

Keep giving him all the love you so clearly do! Know that others are here for you and support you.
Please keep updating us [emoji3590]

Ps... Stella sends her love!


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[Manydogs]

[MENTION=16802]crabcake[/MENTION] So good to see that crabcake is feeling much better. Daddy has taken care of him very well. I see his cute happy face in the pictures, and so glad he can smile now! Continued good wishes and prayer that he doesn't have another "episode". Stay calm and take it easy Crabcake!! We love you!

 

[crabcake]

Thanks for all of the well wishes and prayers, really made me feel great. Feels like the drama is never fully over. I took crabcake to the vet just as a general checkup. Vet was running 15 minutes late so I just let him walk around outside and meet some people at the surrounding stores. After the checkup and before his spa day (because bulldogs are always spoiled), my vet who owns two english bullies said that I really need to see a surgeon about getting soft palate surgery. I tried to explain to him that he went for a walk and is just excited to see everyone but he was quite adamant about it. He said that he only recommends this surgery to about 5% of bulldogs (don't think this is an accurate evaluate but lets say 1 out of 4), and not getting it is taking a big chance later in his life. I have researched it a lot from the first time that he saw the vet at 3 months old and was told there is a good chance he would need it, and was rather confident in my decision to not get it, based mainly on his overall high energy levels even though he will start panting at the drop of a hat. I suppose its not something I thought about after his back problems, but his energy levels are down following the two months of almost no movement, and maybe I am paranoid or maybe it is over analyzing but it does feel like he is panting and out of breath faster than in the past. I am going to go for a consultation to see what the surgeon says regardless in the next few weeks. Last thing I want is for him to have problems later in life that could be prevented now, but at same time any surgery worries me.

 

[cefe13]

Thanks for all of the well wishes and prayers, really made me feel great. Feels like the drama is never fully over. I took crabcake to the vet just as a general checkup. Vet was running 15 minutes late so I just let him walk around outside and meet some people at the surrounding stores. After the checkup and before his spa day (because bulldogs are always spoiled), my vet who owns two english bullies said that I really need to see a surgeon about getting soft palate surgery. I tried to explain to him that he went for a walk and is just excited to see everyone but he was quite adamant about it. He said that he only recommends this surgery to about 5% of bulldogs (don't think this is an accurate evaluate but lets say 1 out of 4), and not getting it is taking a big chance later in his life. I have researched it a lot from the first time that he saw the vet at 3 months old and was told there is a good chance he would need it, and was rather confident in my decision to not get it, based mainly on his overall high energy levels even though he will start panting at the drop of a hat. I suppose its not something I thought about after his back problems, but his energy levels are down following the two months of almost no movement, and maybe I am paranoid or maybe it is over analyzing but it does feel like he is panting and out of breath faster than in the past. I am going to go for a consultation to see what the surgeon says regardless in the next few weeks. Last thing I want is for him to have problems later in life that could be prevented now, but at same time any surgery worries me.

I fully understand your worry. Castor went through that surgery 4.5 years ago at 18 months and has been doing very well until the last months when the loudness has come back. I have only recently learned (here on EBN!) that some dogs in fact need to have the procedure done again. This worries me as he is not that young anymore. Castor's surgery last time went very well. If you decide to have it done, I have two pieces of advice: 1) go for an experienced clinic with 24/7 facilities so that crabcake can stay over night and they monitor him, and 2) serve bland/soft food for a week or so after surgery as not to irritate the throat.

 

[2BullyMama]

Thanks for all of the well wishes and prayers, really made me feel great. Feels like the drama is never fully over. I took crabcake to the vet just as a general checkup. Vet was running 15 minutes late so I just let him walk around outside and meet some people at the surrounding stores. After the checkup and before his spa day (because bulldogs are always spoiled), my vet who owns two english bullies said that I really need to see a surgeon about getting soft palate surgery. I tried to explain to him that he went for a walk and is just excited to see everyone but he was quite adamant about it. He said that he only recommends this surgery to about 5% of bulldogs (don't think this is an accurate evaluate but lets say 1 out of 4), and not getting it is taking a big chance later in his life. I have researched it a lot from the first time that he saw the vet at 3 months old and was told there is a good chance he would need it, and was rather confident in my decision to not get it, based mainly on his overall high energy levels even though he will start panting at the drop of a hat. I suppose its not something I thought about after his back problems, but his energy levels are down following the two months of almost no movement, and maybe I am paranoid or maybe it is over analyzing but it does feel like he is panting and out of breath faster than in the past. I am going to go for a consultation to see what the surgeon says regardless in the next few weeks. Last thing I want is for him to have problems later in life that could be prevented now, but at same time any surgery worries me.

How old is Crabcake now?

I fully understand your worry. Castor went through that surgery 4.5 years ago at 18 months and has been doing very well until the last months when the loudness has come back. I have only recently learned (here on EBN!) that some dogs in fact need to have the procedure done again. This worries me as he is not that young anymore. Castor's surgery last time went very well. If you decide to have it done, I have two pieces of advice: 1) go for an experienced clinic with 24/7 facilities so that crabcake can stay over night and they monitor him, and 2) serve bland/soft food for a week or so after surgery as not to irritate the throat.

Excellent advice!!

 

[crabcake]

I fully understand your worry. Castor went through that surgery 4.5 years ago at 18 months and has been doing very well until the last months when the loudness has come back. I have only recently learned (here on EBN!) that some dogs in fact need to have the procedure done again. This worries me as he is not that young anymore. Castor's surgery last time went very well. If you decide to have it done, I have two pieces of advice: 1) go for an experienced clinic with 24/7 facilities so that crabcake can stay over night and they monitor him, and 2) serve bland/soft food for a week or so after surgery as not to irritate the throat.

Really appreciate the advice! Crabcake is 2 year and 4 months.

 

[crabcake]

Can’t imagine dogs love being around people more than he does, so he was in heaven with my sister staying here for the weekend.

 

[2BullyMama]

Can’t imagine dogs love being around people more than he does, so he was in heaven with my sister staying here for the weekend. View attachment 116117

He is a very happy boy!!

Most dogs, from my experience and a lot of books I’ve read , want human interaction more than other dog interaction..


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[crabcake]

Sorry wanted to give a follow up for what was going on. So I immediately went to a specialist recommended by my vet who himself owns two english bullies. Was left with a really sour taste in my mouth. The specialist examined crabcake for a maximum of 7 minutes, talked to me for maybe 3 to 5 minutes, and I was charged a $180 bill. I tried to ask as many pointed questions as possible, but really left with almost no concrete answers. She said that she didn't have a strong recommendation for the procedure, leaving it as pretty much 50/50 with positives and negatives. She also said that it was not something that needed to happen immediately, but besides that I was left with almost the exact same amount of information that I went in there with. Additionally, I just didn't get a great impression of her. The bill to me seemed really extreme for the time spent, and I also am rather worried that when people see bulldogs they do have a tendency to see money signs (there is a bulldog in my apartment complex who is clearly mixed but the woman spent top dollar for as an example).

I have switched him to a daily dose of benadryl which is something I should have been doing probably from day 1. His activity and energy level is certainly way down from December when I had to keep him in his crate with no activity for 2 months after his injury, but in general he does seem quite happy and probably more affectionate than he was previously. He does sleep a ton, I mean really a ton!, but a lot of times he loves falling asleep with his tennis ball in his mouth and leaning up against me on the couch which I love. I am concerned that he does pant a ton when people are over and he gets so super excited. If the surgery would drastically help him breathe better, or reduce panting when he is super excited I would be on board for that, but the specialist said that there were no guarantees of that. The problem I have right now is that if I had unlimited money, I think I would just go ahead with the surgery, so I am sort of at a loss of what to do. It took me a long time to decide not to neuter him because it seemed so 50/50ish, and in the end I was happy I didn't do that, the same goes for getting his tear ducts done. In this situation I am a little less sure of what to do. Since it is summer in Las Vegas, I never allow him outside for really any exercise anyway, so I think the current plan is to wait till the fall and see how he is responding to a little more activity. Any other thoughts on soft palate surgery are always appreciated to help in this decision.

 

[1Chumly]

My bully vet recommended it when we first got Monty, (at 4 yrs old), we also had his nares widened. It made a big difference. He still puffs and pants, he's a bulldog, but it is not laboured like before. It made me feel better knowing he could breathe better and easier and breathing is very important, wouldn't you say?!! I would definitely get a vet that you feel comfortable with though. There must be more than one in Las Vegas.

Just curious, why are you giving him Benedryl daily? Does he have allergies? If so Cetirizine (Zyrtec) would probably be a better choice. Benedryl is not the benign OTC drug people think it is. It would only be used in an emergency such as a bee sting and swelling in our house.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[helsonwheels]

Duke as you all know was full of energy and just like that out of nowhere, his tongue was blue. Why n how idk. Yes a soft palate issue creep up within 2 months time. He had his checkup this winter all was perfect even had the vet check for a soft palate. I saw it myself and nothing was wrong in there. Great entrance. And look what happened. So I sure wouldn’t mess around with a soft palate issue. Get it done. Jake, Duke’s brother is going in for surgery for his vasectomy n getting his soft palate done cause there isn’t much entrance. I’m not going to accept “it can wait”. His nostril are on the medium side. My vet said “dogs don’t die cause of narrow nostrils but will die cause of a soft palate.” He doesn’t like doing both at the same time cause there will be too much swelling around the same area. Will start with the soft palate and see how that goes. But take my advice, get it done! There is no 50/50 here.

 

[crabcake]

My bully vet recommended it when we first got Monty, (at 4 yrs old), we also had his nares widened. It made a big difference. He still puffs and pants, he's a bulldog, but it is not laboured like before. It made me feel better knowing he could breathe better and easier and breathing is very important, wouldn't you say?!! I would definitely get a vet that you feel comfortable with though. There must be more than one in Las Vegas.

Just curious, why are you giving him Benedryl daily? Does he have allergies? If so Cetirizine (Zyrtec) would probably be a better choice. Benedryl is not the benign OTC drug people think it is. It would only be used in an emergency such as a bee sting and swelling in our house.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Both my Vet and the surgeon recommended that I give him 2 doses a day, and scale it back if he was super lethargic. I don't believe he has allergies but they felt strongly it would help his breathing and prevent allergies.

 

[helsonwheels]

Both my Vet and the surgeon recommended that I give him 2 doses a day, and scale it back if he was super lethargic. I don't believe he has allergies but they felt strongly it would help his breathing and prevent allergies.

Sorry but this doesn’t make sense to me. A lot of Benadryl for: scale back, prevent allergies when you know he does have any. Soft palate is basically skin that covers the entrance of the airways. Benadryl won’t do anything for excess skin.

 

[oscarmayer]

Based on what I've read in this thread...the use of Benadryl is pointless.

""Elongated Soft Palate

It is difficult to fit the soft tissues of the canine mouth and throat into the brachycephalic's short face. As a result, the soft palate, which separates the nasal passage from the oral cavity, flaps loosely down into the throat, creating snorting sounds. Virtually all brachycephalics suffer from this but actual respiratory distress is rare except in English Bulldogs. The English Bulldog tends to have more severe symptoms in almost all aspects of brachycephalic syndrome. Excess barking or panting may lead to swelling in the throat that can, in turn, lead to trouble. Again, the soft palate can be surgically trimmed.

Tracheal Stenosis/Hypoplastic Trachea

The trachea is also known as the windpipe. The brachycephalic dog's windpipe may be dangerously narrowed in places. This condition creates tremendous anesthetic risk and should be ruled out by chest radiographs prior to any surgical procedures as anesthetic safety depends on placement of a tube in the windpipe to secure air passage. If the trachea is too small, intubation may not be possible and it is important to know this in advance of any planned procedure. The English bulldog is particularly predisposed to this anatomical defect.

A dog with a more conventional face and throat is able to pass air quickly over the tongue through panting. Saliva evaporates from the tongue as air is passed across and the blood circulating through the tongue is efficiently cooled and circulated back to the rest of the body.

In the brachycephalic dog, so much extra work is required to move the same amount of air that the airways become inflamed and swollen. This leads to a more severe obstruction, distress, and further over-heating.

Brachycephalic dogs are the most likely candidates for heat stroke.

Altogether, the upper airways of the brachycephalic dog compromise the ability to take in air. Under normal conditions the compromise is not great enough to cause a problem; however, an owner should take care not to let the dog become grossly overweight or get too hot in the summer. Be aware of what degree of snorting and sputtering is usual for your pet, and should your dog require general anesthesia or sedation, your vet may want to take extra precautions or take radiographs beforehand to assess the severity of the syndrome. Anesthetic risk is higher than usual in these breeds, though under most circumstances the necessary extra precautions are readily managed by most animal hospitals.

To be clear, brachycephalic syndrome can be progressive if it is not corrected at an early stage..."

I would never take a chance on an enlarged soft palate. The palate NEVER gets better(smaller) and they typically worsen with age.

 

[1Chumly]

Both my Vet and the surgeon recommended that I give him 2 doses a day, and scale it back if he was super lethargic. I don't believe he has allergies but they felt strongly it would help his breathing and prevent allergies.

Hmm.

You may want to have a read of this thread. This is why Monty isn't on Benedryl any more but it is probably too late with him.
http://www.englishbulldognews.com/f.../60324-benedryl-dementia-risk.html#post757444