FAQ: Nare/Palate Surgery for Brachycephalic Syndrome: Your Experience?

[nycbullymama]

Please post your experience with this surgery. Has it helped? Caused more problems? Hasn't changed anything?

I'll start with mine;

I have two bulldogs. Blue had his palate, saccules and tonsils removed when he was 9 months old. It was done at the same time his Cherry Eye surgery was done.
At the time, he was still young, and I hadn't noticed that much of a difference. But the vet said his palate wasn't too elongated to begin with so she didn't need to trim much.

In September, another Bulldog who we re-named Wellie was re-homed to us.

About two weeks later he was diagnosed with Aspiration/Pneumonia.
Wellie would gag and throw up after eating, or too much activity. Too much activity for Wellie meant walking just a few steps. Yeah, it was that bad. At some point, one of the times he regurgitated (whether it be foam,food or liquid) was inhaled it back into his lungs and caused Pneumonia.
This is a very serious condition that too often leads to death. We were lucky in that it was caught fast enough.

With Aspiration/Pneumonia you need to find the underlying cause or there's a high risk it will repeat.
Based oh his symptoms, our vet at the hospital thought it was caused due to an elongated palate.

December 8th 2014 Blue and Wellie went in to be neutered. Blue was also going to get his nares done, and Wellie was going to have his nares, palate, saccules and neuter done.

Fast forward today:

I now see the change in Blue. Much less panting, much more stamina.

Wellie though.. wow.. I can not even begin to express what a difference this surgery made for him.
He longer gags (at all!), he can breath, he doesn't pant, he can run, play and eat without regurgitating. He's a different dog.

I honestly believe this surgery was a life saver for him.

 

[Christie H]

We had Wheezie's nares done in November.. Its made a big difference in her breathing.I highly recommend it.

 

[2BullyMama]

We had ths procedure done for our first boy, Nitschke in 2006 and again for our French Bulldog, Cheli in 2013.

Nitshcke needed his palate, nares, and saccules addressed by a surgeon as our vet was not comfortable with all the work that needed to be done and the equipment he had at his facility so, he referred us to a great place that took fantastic care of our boy. Nitschke had issue just walking and his tongue would changes colors from lack of oxygen at times. He also suffered with sleep apnea, very loud snoring, if he ate or drank too fast he would throw up; he even at time would vomit during walks due to all the phelm build up in his throat. We used lemon juice and Benedyl to help him on most days, but for the most part there was not much to do but get the procedure done.

Even now, 9 yrs later, I still remember the difference in him after he recovered... no vomiting, walks were uneventful, tongue no longer changed colors, now, he did still snore like a champ, but the apnea seriously lessened and would only happen when his allergies kicked in during the spring and fall seasons.

In 2013, we again had the procedure done for our Frenchie, Cheli which we adopted at 8 months old from our vet office (owner surrender). Our vet told us the day we took him home, his nares and palate are going to need to be done, but lets wait till he is 2 yrs old. For the next year, Cheli suffered with sleep apnea, snoring and regurgitation, we also noticed heavy breathing during walks, but nothing overly concerning. Once he had his first procedure, he was doing well and recovered quickly. However, about 2 months after I noticed everything returning, especially the apnea... we took him in for a examine and we found out that the scar tissue had grown in a way that it was blocking his throat. First thing our vet asked, 'did he bark alot during recovery?' -- why, yes, he did -- we crate him while at work and he barks when we enter the house until we get to him. Well, all the barking caused issue with the healing, so he had to go under again. Second time, we learned our lesson... no crate for recovery. So we blocked him in the mater bedroom for two weeks and he healed up great. It is now almost 2 years since his procedure and the apnea is very litle and his sweet snoring is there, but not as loud as before the surgery.

Also, we recently added a new Bulldog to our family, Lambeau (11 weeks old) and during his first visit with our vet, he stated his nares are very tight. And, boy are they, little bugger can snore and I notice when he is sleeping that he seems to struggle to breathe at times. Our vet stated new studies have shown that addressing the nares at age of 4 months can lessen the impact on the palate therfore decreasing the need for additional surgery later in life. That being said, we are going to have the nares done next month as it is less invasive and in my opinion worth the shot at avoiding this when he is two years old.

Something to keep in mind, these procedures help lessen the breathing struggles, it does not eliminate the issue entirely.

 

[cefe13]

When Castor was 18 months old we realized his breathing had developed into a major problem for him; when he got excited he would threw up and play as well as walks became increasingly difficult. In November, we took him to a surgeon who said Castor was really loud and that he definitely needed to have his nares and soft palate done. A week later they took him in, and the surgeon widened his nares and reduced the elongated soft palate. When we picked Castor up the following day, they said the surgery had gone well but that he was one of the worst cases they had seen.

The vet prescribed medicines for acid reflux for one week, but no pain killers. We immediately noticed that he could breathe through his nose, but he was actually still quite loud for a week or two after the surgery. A day or two after the operation he threw up a lot so we put him on boiled rice/chicken for a week. Soon enough the difference was noticeable, though, and now, almost two months after the operation, the difference is absolutely amazing. Just like [MENTION=7457]Blueberrys Mom[/MENTION] describes Wellie’s surgery as a life saver, we too have got a new dog. The only visible sign of Castor’s previous problems, apart from a tiny little lingering suture in one of his nostrils, is his shaved neck (they shaved part of his neck/chest in case they would have to perform a tracheostomy).

An additional problem before the operation was Castor’s scratching his cheeks. He was bleeding and the cheeks were all sore. We believed the scratching could be related to the stress he probably felt not being able to breathe properly, but the vet thought it might be allergy. Interestingly enough, the scratching stopped right away after the operation, and a later visit to a dermatologist showed he has yeast but no severe allergy.

All in all, we are so happy that we took Castor to the vet as the operation no doubt has increased the quality of his life. He has a lovely personality, and it is such a joy to see him able to express his happiness and curiosity.