How did you decide to opt for nare and soft palate surgery?

[KimDe]

Vet checkup today. Fezzik is doing great; although he has lost some weight this summer. It was probably due to the stress of vacation but we will be increasing his food amount now that we are home and watch his weight.

The vet did say that he could be a candidate for nare surgery because of his narrow nares. When he isn't excited his breathing is fine, but if he gets really worked up he does pant and we have to settle him down. I just wanted to know how others have decided to opt for surgery and what the indications are that it should be considered.

Here is a picture of his face.

 

[helsonwheels]

Does fezzik have really big issues for him to get that surgery? I have a rule of thumb when a vet says anything especially when it comes to bullies. Do like you're doing ask questions first. I would be curious seeing what others have to say.

 

[KimDe]

Does fezzik have really big issues for him to get that surgery? I have a rule of thumb when a vet says anything especially when it comes to bullies. Do like you're doing ask questions first. I would be curious seeing what others have to say.

Fezzik only has big issues when he is extremely excited, has been running around for awhile, or gets overheated. We usually have a calm timeout with petting and he is fine. Ice cubes help too. He has only been in a situation once where he didn't calm down after 10 minutes and that was because he became overheated. We now avoid walks above 70F (with humidity).

So I'm not sure how much of a problem it is and would like to see why others have opted for the surgery. I'm not one to opt for a procedure without considering the impact and well being of my dog.

As I said, the vet said he had narrow nares and could benefit from the procedure but wasn't necessarily pushing it.

 

[Manydogs]

I trust my vet, as he does not recommend anything that is not necessary-he is not money-hungry. I thought Maude,as she grew needed the nare surgery. He agreed,and she had entropion and nares done at the same time. You can pretty much tell if he needs it,by looking. How open are his nares. This is an example of the look- If his are like the after,then he doesn't need them done. [MENTION=15285]KimDe[/MENTION] From what I can see,it does look like his are narrow

He is your baby and it's totally your decision.

 

[helsonwheels]

Fezzik only has big issues when he is extremely excited, has been running around for awhile, or gets overheated. We usually have a calm timeout with petting and he is fine. Ice cubes help too. He has only been in a situation once where he didn't calm down after 10 minutes and that was because he became overheated. We now avoid walks above 70F (with humidity).

So I'm not sure how much of a problem it is and would like to see why others have opted for the surgery. I'm not one to opt for a procedure without considering the impact and well being of my dog.

As I said, the vet said he had narrow nares and could benefit from the procedure but wasn't necessarily pushing it.

Nyala is like Fezzik. When her cousins pitbulls come and play she is like dragging her tongue and all. But give her some time out she's back to normal. Like you said, keeping an eye out with the heat helps them alot

 

[Corine Pesantes]

I'll add a pic of mine. We did theirs same time as same spay and neuter. It's made a huge difference in their breathing . In the long run, puts less stress on their lungs, heart bc they get greater air flow. Helps when they are outside playing and walking too.

As you can see both mine had very narrow nares. Their parents had very wide nares though.

While the vet was doing all the other surgeries she looked at their palates and said they both had very normal looking palates. So we got lucky there.

Lockjaw:

Penny:

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[KimDe]

I'll add a pic of mine. We did theirs same time as same spay and neuter. It's made a huge difference in their breathing . In the long run, puts less stress on their lungs, heart bc they get greater air flow. Helps when they are outside playing and walking too.

As you can see both mine had very narrow nares. Their parents had very wide nares though.

While the vet was doing all the other surgeries she looked at their palates and said they both had very normal looking palates. So we got lucky there.

Lockjaw:

Penny:

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So his nares are definitely like the first pictures, but not as closed off. There is still some opening. So I would say they are narrow but not extreme.

 

[Corine Pesantes]

So his nares are definitely like the first pictures, but not as closed off. There is still some opening. So I would say they are narrow but not extreme.

If he still needs to be neutered- I wild definitely do it. If it would just be elective, then that's a hard decision on your part. I've seen the benefits of it- but if his aren't extremely narrow and not causing any real problems, then it's kind of a toss up. In my opinion, it's worth doing.
Neither of mine has over heating problems. Example/ it's 100' outside today. We just took them out for 15 minutes and let them run around and chase their balls. Neither of them are panting. They are both calmly laying on the floor relaxed. BUT- I've also always had mine out playing in the heat since the day I got them and never had any issues. It helped both of them breathe better and not snore as loud. Now/ when it's hot, I don't walk them or over exhaust them. I wait until the evening after the sun goes down to walk them. I let them have a few short spurts of play to burn some of their energy.


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[2BullyMama]

We had it done for our first bulldog when he was about 18 months, but i wish i had done it sooner, knowing what I know now. Cheli our Frenchie had to have it done twice about a year after the first procedure, he was have trouble with sleep apnea, so we opted to open the nares more to help with the breathing while sleeping. We did Lambeau's nares at 16 weeks... new released study has shown doing them at a younger age has reduced the need for the palate surgery as they get older becasue there is less stress on the heart/lungs and palate since airflow is better throw the nostrils. Lambeau is almost two and he ha no issues with snoring or breathing

 

[1Chumly]

Our bully vet recommended it for Monty and I trust him completely.

 

[cefe13]

Castor had no problems his first year but during his second summer things changed, and he couldn't go for long walks or play without panting excessively and throwing up white foam. So in the autumn when he was about 1.5, we took him to a vet hospital for an evaluation and they said he definitely needed surgery. They did both nares and soft palate and it made such a huge difference. In Castor's case, surgery was absolutely necessary for his wellbeing; it was pretty obvious that he was suffering and that something had to be done.

 

[aprilemari]

We had Lola's palate reduced and her nares widened, but like yours, she was fine when calm. However, in any event she became agitated or exercised, we couldn't calm her down - it would take FOREVER. I'd have to dig down her throat to get the mucous out, she'd have panic in her eyes. We couldn't go for walks ever or even outside for more than a minute in the heat. Then one day she couldn't catch her breath and her tongue turned blue. She was about a year old. I made the decision right then she would have surgery and I had to change vets because my first was complacent and ignorant. Had to wait until she was 2 to actually have the surgery, so I'm understandably one of those over protective dog moms. Still am. Get it done.

 

[Christie H]

We had our Wheezie's nares done about 2 years ago because she barely had nose slits hence her name.lol We got it done and all was well until she kept licking her nose and she dissolved her stitches to soon,so it was restitched with a local and she didn't love that at all.She breathes better now but not 100% ,I've considered doing it again for her quality of life.So be sure to ask for super duper stitches.lol

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[Hankster]

good stuff right here Hank just went in to get hairs plucked from his lids and the jughead needed to be (relaxed,, cant think of the word) so while he was in that state, the dr checked his soft palate etc soooooooooooooooo, at that time. We now know we will go ahead with palate, and nares as anything that will help his comfort (he/we LOVE to play and walk) and will get etropian (how the heck ya spell that) as well. We now are waiting for hairs to come back some for accurate surgery.. three in one :/ He's such a precious boy, as all are, but he's mine and will do my best to do what is good for him..

 

[oscarmayer]

If nares are narrow, get them fixed when any other surgery is being done. If extremely narrow then get them done right away. If he's a candidate for Palate surgery then, if needed, do them at the same time. Enlarged palate is usually easy to ID. When the patient is hot and panting there will be a pronounced rumble(sounds like a loud snore) in their breathing. It gets worse with age as the tissue stretches and more blocks the airway. Any Vet should be able to tell for sure with a visual check. This is a surgery for a seasoned Bully vet, IMO...and requires diligent post-op observation by the owner. I recommend light meals of soft food for a couple of days after surgery. Recovery is quick.