So worried about Dublin...again

[Dubbiedog]

Hi all, some of you know Dublin's history of breathing issues. She had to have her soft palate surgery and nasal nare sugery before she was 12 months because of the serverity of the problem. We nearly lost her after the surgery due to complications. It was so incredibly scary. Her vet said that she has the smallest trachea he has seen in his 30 years of treating bulldogs. Well we have spent this whole year "battling" severe allergies which doesn't help the breathing problem. She is such an outdoor dog and loves to get in the pool (yes she swims) and go boating with us. Most of all she loves her evening walk to go look for "froggies and bunnies" As we live in Florida we have to be really careful of the temperatures. Our house is air conditioned so that is great, but she sits begging at the door to go out. Poor baby The severe breathing issue has crept up on us again and now she is in bad shape. Every little bit of activity causes her to choke and gag and she is contstantly throwing up. She spends the whole night doing the same. Even playing with a toy, should it go into her mouth just a little bit too far we have the choking and gagging and retching. It is so painful to hear her and watch her. you can tell by her face that she is in distress. Well the Vet is taking her in on Monday to sedate her and do some exploration and see what he finds. I know he is worried about her also. He did say at the time of her last surgery that he didnt' want to take too much palate as she was so young and that she might need the surgry again ( he said he would do it for free) We are terrified if that is the conclusion he comes to as we know how sick she was the last time, but then again we are terrified if we don't do something. I know she could have a heart attack with so much stress on her heart and lungs. She has impacted our lifes in a way we never believed especially my husband Mike. He is totally besotted by her which drives my two boys crazy but I love it.... He is "sick" about her having to go through this all over again. he won't even leave her alone for one night which drives me nuts Anyway, you can tell we are beside ourselves with worry but I am so glad I have this forum to to put my feelings somewhere. I appreciate any feedback anyone has. As Dr. Phil says " this is not my first rodeo" but all advice welcome. Thanks so much

 

[RescueMe]

Im so sorry to hear this. Hugs to you guys and healing thoughts to Dublin

 

[kim n the guys]

prayers for poor Dublin and hugs for momma and daddy

 

[LisaMarie]

[MENTION=4786]Dubbiedog[/MENTION] , I know its hard not to worry but it sounds to me like you guys are lucky to have such a great Vet. He will advice you of what is best for your baby. Its hard to see your bully want to go out and run and play and have to say no. But you are being a very good momma and you are doing the best you can!!

 

[bullmama]

I will pray for good news on Monday I hope you and your vet can get to the bottom of this... Surely it is not fun for Your baby or your family...


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[Dubbiedog]

Hi all, some of you know Dublin's history of breathing issues. She had to have her soft palate surgery and nasal nare sugery before she was 12 months because of the serverity of the problem. We nearly lost her after the surgery due to complications. It was so incredibly scary. Her vet said that she has the smallest trachea he has seen in his 30 years of treating bulldogs. Well we have spent this whole year "battling" severe allergies which doesn't help the breathing problem. She is such an outdoor dog and loves to get in the pool (yes she swims) and go boating with us. Most of all she loves her evening walk to go look for "froggies and bunnies" As we live in Florida we have to be really careful of the temperatures. Our house is air conditioned so that is great, but she sits begging at the door to go out. Poor baby The severe breathing issue has crept up on us again and now she is in bad shape. Every little bit of activity causes her to choke and gag and she is contstantly throwing up. She spends the whole night doing the same. Even playing with a toy, should it go into her mouth just a little bit too far we have the choking and gagging and retching. It is so painful to hear her and watch her. you can tell by her face that she is in distress. Well the Vet is taking her in on Monday to sedate her and do some exploration and see what he finds. I know he is worried about her also. He did say at the time of her last surgery that he didnt' want to take too much palate as she was so young and that she might need the surgry again ( he said he would do it for free) We are terrified if that is the conclusion he comes to as we know how sick she was the last time, but then again we are terrified if we don't do something. I know she could have a heart attack with so much stress on her heart and lungs. She has impacted our lifes in a way we never believed especially my husband Mike. He is totally besotted by her which drives my two boys crazy but I love it.... He is "sick" about her having to go through this all over again. he won't even leave her alone for one night which drives me nuts Anyway, you can tell we are beside ourselves with worry but I am so glad I have this forum to to put my feelings somewhere. I appreciate any feedback anyone has. As Dr. Phil says " this is not my first rodeo" but all advice welcome. Thanks so much

Thanks to all who have responded so far. Has anyone out there had to deal with the same situation at this severity?

 

[cali~jenn]

Wish I could help but have no words aside from . Poor baby. Hope Monday brings good news. Maybe this surgery will be her saving grace, although I understand just how scary that is too. I am sorry.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[Davidh]

Poor girl, we will keep her in our thoughts and praying the vet will find a solution to help her.

 

[Dubbiedog]

Hi all, some of you know Dublin's history of breathing issues. She had to have her soft palate surgery and nasal nare sugery before she was 12 months because of the serverity of the problem. We nearly lost her after the surgery due to complications. It was so incredibly scary. Her vet said that she has the smallest trachea he has seen in his 30 years of treating bulldogs. Well we have spent this whole year "battling" severe allergies which doesn't help the breathing problem. She is such an outdoor dog and loves to get in the pool (yes she swims) and go boating with us. Most of all she loves her evening walk to go look for "froggies and bunnies" As we live in Florida we have to be really careful of the temperatures. Our house is air conditioned so that is great, but she sits begging at the door to go out. Poor baby The severe breathing issue has crept up on us again and now she is in bad shape. Every little bit of activity causes her to choke and gag and she is contstantly throwing up. She spends the whole night doing the same. Even playing with a toy, should it go into her mouth just a little bit too far we have the choking and gagging and retching. It is so painful to hear her and watch her. you can tell by her face that she is in distress. Well the Vet is taking her in on Monday to sedate her and do some exploration and see what he finds. I know he is worried about her also. He did say at the time of her last surgery that he didnt' want to take too much palate as she was so young and that she might need the surgry again ( he said he would do it for free) We are terrified if that is the conclusion he comes to as we know how sick she was the last time, but then again we are terrified if we don't do something. I know she could have a heart attack with so much stress on her heart and lungs. She has impacted our lifes in a way we never believed especially my husband Mike. He is totally besotted by her which drives my two boys crazy but I love it.... He is "sick" about her having to go through this all over again. he won't even leave her alone for one night which drives me nuts Anyway, you can tell we are beside ourselves with worry but I am so glad I have this forum to to put my feelings somewhere. I appreciate any feedback anyone has. As Dr. Phil says " this is not my first rodeo" but all advice welcome. Thanks so much

Well have an update on Dublin. Just picked her up from the vet and of course one of my first fears confirmed...She is going to need another surgery for "Everted Laryngeal Saccules" I have added an explanation here for those of you who have not heard of it. I am also hoping that someone has had experience with this issue (not that I wish it on anyone)

Everted Laryngeal Saccules occur in dogs that have compromised upper airway flow. These dogs must work harder to fill their lungs with air, which results in the laryngeal saccules being pulled down into the airway. The laryngeal saccules are small bags of tissue that are positioned in front of the vocal cords. When they are pulled into the airway, they block the opening to the trachea. The treatment for this problem is to remove the saccule tissue.

As I said previously she has already had the soft palate and stenotic nare surgery. Dr. Koch did not remove the saccules at that time as they were fine. Unfortunately they have swollen so badly that she can hardly breathe and they are causing all kinds of other issues. He doesn't do the surgery so he is contacting a specialist that he works with to see if he will do it, otherwise we will have to go to Tampa for the surgery. We really have no choice here as they could completely block her airway and the outcome would be that we would lose her quickly. She is on Prednisone until we can have the surgery done. Poor baby she has been through so much and she is not two until August. I am hoping for a good outcome so that she can do the things she loves without choking, gagging and throwing up. A good note though. When Dr. Koch did her surgery last year he said her trachea was the smallest he has seen in 30 years of working with EB breed but today he discovered that it has grown and is now within "normal range" though on the low side of normal but all in all that is wonderful news.
If anyone has anything to add I will be so appreciative. Otherwise just keep us in your thoughts and I will let you know how things progress from here. Thanks

 

[agingermom]

I have nothing to add since I have been very fortunate in the bullie health dept but you and Dublin are in my thoughts and heart!!

 

[Biogirl71]

I too am lucky enough to not have had to ever deal with this, but I am sending positive thoughts and hugs to you and Dublin.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I hope someone here can give you some experienced advice. I, like others before me can only let you know how sorry I am for the worry you feel for Sweet Dublin and the discomfort she has. But I feel so thankful she has you and it sounds like you have a good vet to guide you. Give her a Big Bully from us...will keep you nd her in our thoughts.

 

[RiiSi]

Positive and healing thoughts coming your way

 

[Dubbiedog]

Well have an update on Dublin. Just picked her up from the vet and of course one of my first fears confirmed...She is going to need another surgery for "Everted Laryngeal Saccules" I have added an explanation here for those of you who have not heard of it. I am also hoping that someone has had experience with this issue (not that I wish it on anyone)

Everted Laryngeal Saccules occur in dogs that have compromised upper airway flow. These dogs must work harder to fill their lungs with air, which results in the laryngeal saccules being pulled down into the airway. The laryngeal saccules are small bags of tissue that are positioned in front of the vocal cords. When they are pulled into the airway, they block the opening to the trachea. The treatment for this problem is to remove the saccule tissue.

As I said previously she has already had the soft palate and stenotic nare surgery. Dr. Koch did not remove the saccules at that time as they were fine. Unfortunately they have swollen so badly that she can hardly breathe and they are causing all kinds of other issues. He doesn't do the surgery so he is contacting a specialist that he works with to see if he will do it, otherwise we will have to go to Tampa for the surgery. We really have no choice here as they could completely block her airway and the outcome would be that we would lose her quickly. She is on Prednisone until we can have the surgery done. Poor baby she has been through so much and she is not two until August. I am hoping for a good outcome so that she can do the things she loves without choking, gagging and throwing up. A good note though. When Dr. Koch did her surgery last year he said her trachea was the smallest he has seen in 30 years of working with EB breed but today he discovered that it has grown and is now within "normal range" though on the low side of normal but all in all that is wonderful news.
If anyone has anything to add I will be so appreciative. Otherwise just keep us in your thoughts and I will let you know how things progress from here. Thanks

It will be a true miracle to have her breathe normally. She has been so unfortunate and just knowing there is hope for her to live a life that is full and fun will mean everything to us. She is the sweetest girl and she fills our hearts with joy and laughter and we just want to return that gift as best we can. As you can imagine we have spent thousands on her prior issues and am terrified to find out what this surgery will cost, but we would do anything for her. it so wonderful to have the support of everyone on EBN. Thank you all.

 

[Saalwi]

Can only add my prayers and support for your little girl....hope this surgery is successful and she can draw breath freely.