Bear had his BOAS surgery!

summerep

Member
May 20, 2021
32
30
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United Kingdom
Bulldog(s) Names
Bear
Hi guys,
So Iā€™ve posted on here before about my EB Bear due to have his BOAS surgery.
Well long story short he had it! Weā€™re now 2 weeks post op and heā€™s recovering so well!šŸ˜Š I canā€™t believe how well heā€™s recovering and how quickly aswell.
I actually just wanted to do a little post about the surgery and the recovery, Iā€™m a proper worrier and if anyone is like me looking for info then I hope this is the post for them and will maybe reassure them!

So Bear had his surgery (BOAS and castration) on 4th January he had to be at the 24hr vets at 8:30am because of the breed he is they wanted to get him done first thing so they had more time with him in the day with more staff - which I thought was brilliant and really reassured me. The vet we used was amazing and I couldnā€™t fault her she was recommended to us by a fellow bulldog owner. The vet is a fan of the breed and also ā€œenjoysā€ does BOAS surgery. Sadly I caught covid so my mum had to drop him off to the vets for his op, the vet discussed with us beforehand that they would keep him in overnight aswell to be on safe side. My mum dropped him off and he didnā€™t look back off he went with the nurse (I think heā€™s the only dog who loves the vets (or just anyone in general)).
Around 1:30pm we received a call from the vet who did the surgery to say that the surgery had gone really well and Bear was recovering really well aswell, she said we could call at any time to check up on him.
Around tea time we called to check on him and we were told he was with all the nurses having chicken and cuddles šŸ™ˆ.
My mum and dad picked him up at 12:30pm the next day and brought him home, I was expecting him to be a lot worse than what he was. He was just very spaced out bless him.

So recovery wise we were told by the vet to feed him boiled chicken for the next 5 days - small and regular meals which we hand fed for the first couple days. I have never seen Bear so hungry in all my life! He had a check up on day 2 of recovery and my mum discussed with the vet at how hungry he is and how we were struggling to get the tablets in him with the chicken. The vet suggested that we could try giving him ham or even eggs to help get the tablets in him. After the 5 days we started introducing his wet food again.
Tablet wise he was on 2 types (I canā€™t remember the names) but one tablet was for his stomach and to try prevent him from being sick. The other tablet was of course for the pain.
Restriction wise the vet recommended when ever going outside to the toilet to put him on the harness and lead however whenever we take him for walks and grab the harness he tends to do a runner so we decided to not do this and just be outside with him and keep an eye on him. Bear doesnā€™t tend to run around the garden luckily for us. By day 2 of being at home he was back to himself trying to play and attacking our feet - we found removing ourselves from the situation worked for us thankfully. Although as the days have gone on heā€™s been trying more and more to play which we have found tricky and have just had to put him in his bed - heā€™s definitely finding it hard not going for walks.
The vet recommended waiting 2-3 weeks to start introducing small walks I definitely feel heā€™s ready for small walks around the block so we are going to be starting that.

Overall Bear has amazed me at how well heā€™s recovered and I am so relieved itā€™s all over and done with now. His breathing has improved dramatically to the point when he first came home and was asleep me and my mum had to keep checking he was breathing šŸ™ˆ his breathing is so much quieter now. He also seems to have more energy although Iā€™m not sure if thatā€™s because heā€™s not being walked at the moment. He seems a lot happier in himself and if your dog needs the surgery then I really do recommend it. It got to the point where Bear was getting ill every week due to his elongated palate and now itā€™s been 2 weeks and we have had no problems. The surgery cost around Ā£2500 which insurance covered Ā£2000 of it.
I hope I have answered some questions that people may have and if not then fire away! I was just trying to think of questions that I had before the surgery.

Iā€™m writing this now after a day of celebrating Bearā€™s 1st Birthday!šŸ„³šŸŽ‰
Sorry for the long postšŸ™ˆ
 

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ladywebb

Active member
Feb 12, 2021
191
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Midwest
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Gilbert
YAY!! So glad to hear that everything went well with Bear's surgery and he is recovering nicely!!
Also...:birthday: Bear!! Gilbert and I hope you have a great day!!
 
OP
summerep

summerep

Member
May 20, 2021
32
30
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United Kingdom
Bulldog(s) Names
Bear
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YAY!! So glad to hear that everything went well with Bear's surgery and he is recovering nicely!!
Also...:birthday: Bear!! Gilbert and I hope you have a great day!!
Thank you so much, such a relief itā€™s over and done with! Bear also says thank you for birthday wishes šŸ˜†
 

oscarmayer

Have Bulldog Will Travel
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Jan 20, 2016
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Great News!!
I think what you should notice most(besides a quieter breathing boy) is that his stamina will be WAY up. This doesn't mean, however, that he won't overheat...so you'll still have to be careful about that. Thanks for posting up his story.
Again...Great News!!
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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What a great post! Wonderful news for Bear and great info for those in the future!

he is a very handsome fella
 
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summerep

summerep

Member
May 20, 2021
32
30
Country
United Kingdom
Bulldog(s) Names
Bear
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  • Thread starter
  • #6
Great News!!
I think what you should notice most(besides a quieter breathing boy) is that his stamina will be WAY up. This doesn't mean, however, that he won't overheat...so you'll still have to be careful about that. Thanks for posting up his story.
Again...Great News!!
Yes Iā€™ve already noticed his stamina is up, heā€™s been hopping around like a crazy boy tonight, heā€™s played with his toys like never before! So lovely, it feels like we can enjoy having him now with no worries. We will definitely be careful with him overheating, thank you! :)
 

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