Update on Castor's breathing issues

[cefe13]

A month or so ago, I posted about Castor's breathing. We're so grateful for all the comments and advice we got here and which helped us prepare for the appointment we made at an animal hospital. We've now seen a vet, who thinks Castor definitely needs an operation. He said Castor is very loud and that he needs to have his nares fixed and probably also the soft palate. It will happen next week. I feel worried about sending our dog to the hospital for surgery, but we believe it is needed. The vet we met will perform the surgery. He said we will probably be able to pick Castor up the same day unless there are breathing difficulties after the operation. That part sounded scary, as it might involve tracheostomy.

In addition to the breathing issues, Castor scratches himself a lot. We have lately thought that this could be related to the stress he probably feels not being able to breath properly. The vet thinks he might have allergy issues, though, so put him on a hypoallergenic kibble and recommended that we see a skin specialist too (which we will do after the surgery). Castor has done very well tummy wise on raw feeding, but his scratching has not stopped - rather the opposite the last month or so. So, no raw patties for Mr Castor for some time, then. Not sure what I think about this but we decided to trust the vet's recommendation and test this kibble to be able to rule out or later confirm allergy issues.

Poor Castor, who is snoring at my feet right now.

 

[ddnene]

I'm so sorry to hear about Castor, and all of his issues… I will tag some people that have dealt w/this surgery. I know you must be very anxious about your baby, but it sounds like your vet is being proactive about his care. Sending you both lots of hugs and prayers, and please keep us posted!!!

 

[aprilemari]

Lola had the palate and nares surgery and stayed (before and) overnight afterwards. It was just less stressful for her to just hang at the hospital until they were ready for her, instead of driving her home, and driving her back. At that point I was constantly terrified that Lola would get stressed out and overheat. She would have trouble calming down when she started panting and I'd have to dig into her mouth to get the phlegm out. So glad she had the surgery, she breathes so much better.

As for the food, we also deal with an itchy bulldog and it was food related. We moved to raw patties and found that beef made her lose her hair, so was on bison and boar for quite a long time. Now it's duck. She would itch uncontrollably, lick her paws, and it ended up not food related, as we've switched the protein many times. We now think it's environmental, and we have her on a low dose of steroid/anti-inflammatory for the summer/fall. We wean her off after the frost, and she is fine! I'm not a fan of vet foods, but our cat is doing great on the hyperthyroid version. If i were you, i'd keep my bully on raw food, and find a different protein. A short stint on steroids during the food switch can also help with the symptoms. (Two weeks high dose and wean down to nothing over two weeks). If you switch the protein entirely, and your bully is still itchy, it may just be environmental, and treatable with benedryl or the steroids as i mentioned.

bullies are hard work! but so happy to hear Castor is going to get the palate surgery. He will feel much better afterwards and you will feel like he's safer.

 

[rjisaterp]

Prayers and positive thought to you and Castor. Jewel had her soft palate shortened when she had knee surgery and was at the vet overnight. She breathes much better now and does not snore half as much as she did before the surgery.

 

[Manydogs]

Sending prayers and good thoughts for Castor,before, during, and after his surgery.

 

[schimpfy]

Fingers and Paws crossed aII though Castor should have no problems and hope they figures out the allergy

 

[2BullyMama]

sending lots of positive thoughts and hugs to you and castor... keep us posted and we will all be pacing the floor with you next week. as for coming home day of, that would concern me as well, both my boys stayed overnight with a vet tech monitoring them for any issues and they cam home the next day.

As for the food, i agree with aprilemarii.... change the protein as raw should be the better option when dealing with allergies.

 

[nycbullymama]

A month or so ago, I posted about Castor's breathing. We're so grateful for all the comments and advice we got here and which helped us prepare for the appointment we made at an animal hospital. We've now seen a vet, who thinks Castor definitely needs an operation. He said Castor is very loud and that he needs to have his nares fixed and probably also the soft palate. It will happen next week. I feel worried about sending our dog to the hospital for surgery, but we believe it is needed. The vet we met will perform the surgery. He said we will probably be able to pick Castor up the same day unless there are breathing difficulties after the operation. That part sounded scary, as it might involve tracheostomy.

In addition to the breathing issues, Castor scratches himself a lot. We have lately thought that this could be related to the stress he probably feels not being able to breath properly. The vet thinks he might have allergy issues, though, so put him on a hypoallergenic kibble and recommended that we see a skin specialist too (which we will do after the surgery). Castor has done very well tummy wise on raw feeding, but his scratching has not stopped - rather the opposite the last month or so. So, no raw patties for Mr Castor for some time, then. Not sure what I think about this but we decided to trust the vet's recommendation and test this kibble to be able to rule out or later confirm allergy issues.

Poor Castor, who is snoring at my feet right now.

Both of mine are going in next week too (November 19th). Blue for his neuter/nares, and Wellie for his neuter/nares/palate. We can worry together .

I would ask the vet to keep them over night though, provided of course someone's there to watch them. The reason I say this is because the palate surgery is a little more serious and swelling and aspiration can develop very quickly. It's just safer. I'm not saying this to worry you, because the chances are slim, but still, if possible, have him stay overnight. I understand it's not a common practice in Europe, doesn't hurt to ask though.

As far as the itching.. sigh.. I feel for you. Blue has terrible allergies and he's on the oral version of allergy shots. Wellie also has some, but he's not as bad as Blue. We have an appointment with a dermatologist for Wellie on 12/2 and we're hoping to stop it before it gets bad.

After Castors procedure, make an appointment as soon as you can with a specialist. The faster you can get any allergy under control, the easier it will be to handle it long term. This is the one thing I can not stress enough, make an appointment and do everything you can to get it under control.

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

@cefe13 and [MENTION=7457]Blueberrys Mom[/MENTION] hugs to both of you and your babies. Keeping you guys in my thoughts. Hope the 3 boys recover soon from their surgeries. Keep us posted.

 

[cefe13]

Dear all,
Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, and good advice - they mean a lot to us! [MENTION=7457]Blueberrys Mom[/MENTION] Castor's going in on the 18th, so will think of your boys too!

Concerning the going-home-the-same-day scenario, that worries us a bit so we will call the hospital later this week and talk about our concerns about this. It feels safer that he is with people who know how to deal with potential problems than having to rush him in if things are not ok.

Regarding the potential allergy issues, we have been discussing this back and forth here. I have been very keen on going for raw for Castor, whereas my husband has been more in favour of kibble. Now we decided to follow the vet's recommendation to test the special kibble and then to to set a meeting with a dermatologist after the operation. I suppose Castor will have to eat some bland diet after the operation anyway as it must be difficult for him to eat with a sore throat.

Once again, thanks for your feedback and support!

Here's a snapshot from an outing last weekend when Castor decided he needed a better view!

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

Castor is so handsome!!!

 

[nycbullymama]

Castor's gorgeous!! Love his coloring. Will be thinking of him next week.

 

[2BullyMama]

Dear all,
Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, and good advice - they mean a lot to us! @Blueberrys Mom Castor's going in on the 18th, so will think of your boys too!

Concerning the going-home-the-same-day scenario, that worries us a bit so we will call the hospital later this week and talk about our concerns about this. It feels safer that he is with people who know how to deal with potential problems than having to rush him in if things are not ok.

Regarding the potential allergy issues, we have been discussing this back and forth here. I have been very keen on going for raw for Castor, whereas my husband has been more in favour of kibble. Now we decided to follow the vet's recommendation to test the special kibble and then to to set a meeting with a dermatologist after the operation. I suppose Castor will have to eat some bland diet after the operation anyway as it must be difficult for him to eat with a sore throat.

Once again, thanks for your feedback and support!

Here's a snapshot from an outing last weekend when Castor decided he needed a better view!View attachment 80173

He is the King of the World!! love the photo... and yes, bland diet for about 3-5 days

 

[Rural mystic]

If corrective surgery is required for your dog then I trust that all will go well and your dog will make a complete and quick recovery. I wish you well as I am sure its a frightening prospect but its for the dog's well being. May all go well

 

[Christie H]

I can relate to your anxiety for sure.My Wheezie is going in on the 21st for her nare surgery.I'm very concerned about the breathing while undergoing this surgery but am trying to have only positive thoughts.But I'm a scared momma..goes with the territory I guess.Her nares are tiny.

You can kinda see in this pic.I'll be praying for your baby