Home from the vet, Gio needs surgery! Tail amputation.

[mcraven2]

So I brought Gio and Princess to a new vet today to get a few things checked out. Our normal vet doesn't perform a tail amputation surgery so we wanted to have another vet take a look at his tail to see if we needed it done. A lot of bulldog owners who we have met recommended us to the vet we saw today because she also breeds bulldogs and apparently has a very large clientele of bulldog owners who travel far to see her, luckily for us she is only a 30 minute drive!

I brought Princess because she has been squinting her right eye a lot since we adopted her and finally wanted to get it checked out. She does have something wrong with her eyelid, it's starting to bubble out a bit so we have her on eye drops hoping that this will help and maybe prevent her eye from getting worse. She also has a few teeth that could be pulled since they are loose but since she is older it's not imperative that we put her under to get them pulled. AND lastly she might have a hernia where she had her 4 C-sections from before we adopted her! She couldn't confirm if it was a hernia or a tumor or something else. It was smooth which she said was a good sign but we just need to keep an eye on it and feel it to make sure it doesn't change in size.

NOW for Gio!! So not only does he have a minor ear infection in his right ear (even though I clean them once a week!!!! ), but he needs to get his tail amputated !!! I'm so upset over this! The vet said that we have done everything we could to keep it clean but the fact that his tail is all bone and not cartilage screwed up in his little pocket, it will bother him the rest of his life. I am freaking out about him getting this surgery, I just hate the thought of him being put under. He was put under in February 2012 for his neuter and he was fine but I am still nervous. Please share stories, thoughts, or comments about this surgery! I want to be prepared for everything! Especially recovery and anything else that will help!


I think I remember [MENTION=4706]RaRett[/MENTION] had to get it done for Gizmo and [MENTION=572]Libra926[/MENTION] had to get it done for Vegas. Please feel free to tag anyone else who has gotten it done!

 

[santinomom]

I have also had it done to Santino and was a HUGE success and the best thing I could've done for my baby boy. He's sooooo much happier now and he had no complications whatsoever and was 5 yrs old when we did it. You will ask yourself why you didn't do it sooner

 

[Vikinggirl]

I'm sorry I'm absolutely no help for tail amputation surgery, but I'm sure there are others on here who can give you great advice. I'm sure there will be answers coming soon. I just want to let you know I'm sorry you and all your guys are going through all this and all you're dealing with. Sending you guys love, hugs and kisses your way. I hope everything goes smoothly. Please keep us posted.

 

[JeannieCO]

Oh Melissa so sorry to hear this. I've read here though, as I think you have, that the tail amputation has had some excellent results. Do you know when you may be getting this done?

 

[mcraven2]

[MENTION=7920]santinomom[/MENTION] Thank you this makes me feel better!! How was the recovery?
[MENTION=6311]Vikinggirl[/MENTION] Thank you!
[MENTION=2014]JeannieCO[/MENTION] It's scheduled for June 25. I am excited for him to finally be discomfort free, but that whole day I am going to be a nervous wreck! People saying that it was the best decision they made for their bully definitely makes me feel better!

 

[Bruno and Gidget]

So I brought Gio and Princess to a new vet today to get a few things checked out. Our normal vet doesn't perform a tail amputation surgery so we wanted to have another vet take a look at his tail to see if we needed it done. A lot of bulldog owners who we have met recommended us to the vet we saw today because she also breeds bulldogs and apparently has a very large clientele of bulldog owners who travel far to see her, luckily for us she is only a 30 minute drive!

I brought Princess because she has been squinting her right eye a lot since we adopted her and finally wanted to get it checked out. She does have something wrong with her eyelid, it's starting to bubble out a bit so we have her on eye drops hoping that this will help and maybe prevent her eye from getting worse. She also has a few teeth that could be pulled since they are loose but since she is older it's not imperative that we put her under to get them pulled. AND lastly she might have a hernia where she had her 4 C-sections from before we adopted her! She couldn't confirm if it was a hernia or a tumor or something else. It was smooth which she said was a good sign but we just need to keep an eye on it and feel it to make sure it doesn't change in size.

NOW for Gio!! So not only does he have a minor ear infection in his right ear (even though I clean them once a week!!!! ), but he needs to get his tail amputated !!! I'm so upset over this! The vet said that we have done everything we could to keep it clean but the fact that his tail is all bone and not cartilage screwed up in his little pocket, it will bother him the rest of his life. I am freaking out about him getting this surgery, I just hate the thought of him being put under. He was put under in February 2012 for his neuter and he was fine but I am still nervous. Please share stories, thoughts, or comments about this surgery! I want to be prepared for everything! Especially recovery and anything else that will help!


I think I remember @RaRett had to get it done for Gizmo and @Libra926 had to get it done for Vegas. Please feel free to tag anyone else who has gotten it done!

Awwww poor Gio. So sorry to hear this Melissa. Here's hoping everything goes well. I'll be thinking of him and you! He's such a beautiful bully.

 

[2BullyMama]

Crap what a H E double hackey sticks of a vet visit..... to the three of you....

 

[Texas Carol]

Oh Melissa, so much to deal with at one time, sending hugs for all of you.

Do y'all have pet insurance to help w/the expenses?

Keeping prayers going over each of your sweet babies that all will be well.

 

[RaRett]

NOW for Gio!! So not only does he have a minor ear infection in his right ear (even though I clean them once a week!!!! ), but he needs to get his tail amputated !!! I'm so upset over this! The vet said that we have done everything we could to keep it clean but the fact that his tail is all bone and not cartilage screwed up in his little pocket, it will bother him the rest of his life. I am freaking out about him getting this surgery, I just hate the thought of him being put under. He was put under in February 2012 for his neuter and he was fine but I am still nervous. Please share stories, thoughts, or comments about this surgery! I want to be prepared for everything! Especially recovery and anything else that will help!


I think I remember @RaRett had to get it done for Gizmo and @Libra926 had to get it done for Vegas. Please feel free to tag anyone else who has gotten it done!

OK the good the bad and the ugly about this proceedure. This is not ment to scare anyone, however, it *IS* surgery, and it *IS* major surgery, PLEASE when in doubt, get a 2nd opinion. With that being said, if the Vet Highly recommends the surgery, (as ours did, due to our specific case with Gizmo) then find a vet who is

1) an Expert with Bullies
2) has done this proceedure ON BULLIES before (yea, I know, everyone has to start somewhere, however, NOT on my baby please!)
3) STRESS NO 'ACE' for anesthesia
4) PAIN MANAGEMENT ! ! ! ! this is a major proceedure, PAIN PILLS FOR ATLEAST 10-14 days MINIMUM ! (i'm a big wussie when it comes to pain, AND the pain pills help dope up the puppy, so they arent as active while they are healing)
5) Cost for surgery $1500-$3000
6) recovery time? really Gizmo was acting like a nut the 2nd day home, (her surgery was on Weds, we picked her up Friday, they wanted to keep her an extra night for observation, and just to be Sure) They bounce back from surgery surprisingly fast.



Gizmo went through the proceedure, and I was shocked as I didnt know what to expect post surgery, her wound looked horrible to me, I was like 'what did I do to my baby!' The incision was 8 inches long, and upsidedown smiley face, she had drain tubes on each side, they had to be kept clean, so they could drain properly.

**GRAPHIC PICTURE POST SURGERY** http://www.flickr.com/photos/rettinger/6726455097/

My wife has a stronger stomach than me, but after getting over the initial shock, Gizmo rebounded BEAUTIFULLY !

I agree with Santiomom 'You will ask yourself why you didnt do it sooner' Gizmo is SO much happier now, no more sore tail, no more infections. *IF* it is medically necessary, they will feel so much more comfortable.

Dont hesitate to Tag me again, as I get lost in all of the threads and I dont want to miss a question if you have one ! ! !

Keep us Posted 'McRaven'

 

[Libra926]

We also opted for the tail surgery. Vegas had a tight and deep tail pocket. It went way past the vet's second knuckle. EBN was not around then....and Vegas was my first bulldog. I didn't even know a tail pocket existed until I took him in to have his anal glands expressed. Vegas was in some serious discomfort....I was shocked when they informed me of the pocket. I tried my best to keep it dry and clean...but it was hard getting in there. We finally opted to "close the tail pocket" aka tail amp. This is a very serious surgery and it needs to be done by someone with experience. They are basically removing part of the "tail vertebrae".
It's one of the best decisions we made for him. He only has 1/4 inch of the tail vertebrae left.....which will twitch when he's excited. Which is ALWAYS. The actual aftermath of the surgery is brutal. They shave the lower half of their body...and it takes months to grow back. The incision went from above the existing tail, down past the anus in a zip swirl zag type incision. It will seep for about 2 days. Everything had to be covered with sheets and blankets to prevent seepage from getting all over our carpet and couches.

We are happy that we did it. He's happy and butt itch free. Vegas did not have any drain tubes....but definitely make sure you get good drugs. Vegas cried until we put him on tramadol on top of the other drugs. By the 2nd day...bouncing off the furniture. It was hard trying to get him to rest and settle down.

And make sure you have tons of sheets covering carpet and couches. Go to goodwill and grab a few!


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[mcraven2]

[MENTION=572]Libra926[/MENTION] [MENTION=4706]RaRett[/MENTION] Thank you both so much for the responses. Luckily this vet has done this surgery plenty of times, that was my first question and concern! She is known for having a lot of bulldog patients, she also used to breed bulldogs and show them so she knows the breed which makes me feel better. Unlike my regular vet who thought that Gio's tail should be fine with just cleaning it every night, the vet we went to today dug her hand right in there with no gloves and knew right away he needed surgery, we kind of saw this coming since he is SO uncomfortable all the time.

Question- She said that we need to come the night before so they can put on his pain patch then we would drop him off early the next day, we would get him that night since they do not keep any dogs overnight... should that be a concern that they wouldn't keep him overnight?? Did Gizmo and Vegas get a pain patch?

 

[RaRett]

This is the 1st I've heard of a 'Pain patch' So no, Gizmo did not get one the day before. When Gizmo was spayed she spent the night, so her spending an extra night at the vet didnt surprise us. But it was our Vets call. He actually refused to do her surgery, until she was 4 or 5 months POST spay. He was worried about surgeries so close together. Dr Beste's exact words 'If it can go wrong, it will with a Bully, I would rather take the extra precautions (like the time between surgeries and extra night before coming home). We love our Dr. Beste

 

[Libra926]

No pain patch for Vegas. My question would be..(since I'm thinking it's going to be fentanyl) why are they giving it to him before he needs it? It's a patch that dispenses pain meds for a solid 72 hours. (I can't think of any other one that they might use) I can understand if they apply it during surgery..but 8 to 10 hours before??? Also...it will have to be applied to a clean, dry, hairless area.

This is if it's fentanyl. Google it and read up on it just so you know if this is the drug they choose. I think it can lower blood pressure and heart rate and cause breathing problems for those that already have difficulties breathing (BULLDOGS!!!)

 

[cowsmom]

im wondering if its a lidocaine patch and havent heard of it being used before surgery but that doesnt mean anything. may want to ask on that one as i cannot imagine using a fentanyl patch i know nothing of this but wanted to throw well wishes from me and sarah to you.

 

[spenca7]

Hello

im from the Boston area. Who did you use for the surgery and were you happy with the results? Thanks so much