Help Needed! UPDATE on Winston's eyes...

[ddnene]

I took Winston in for his recheck yesterday, his eye ulcer has healed but the vet still believes he will need Entropion surgery on the one eye & maybe the other one. He said we should wait till he's at least over a year old before the surgery is done...

My question is this... I'm really leaning towards a specialist to do this surgery, especially since it's the eye area. Do they have eye specialists for dogs? I googled a little bit last night & found a vet hospital but it didn't mention anything about eye specialists.

My second question is... Would it be a good idea to neuter him at the same time? I'm still on the fence w/the neutering... I know this is a hot topic on here. I'm just not sure if doing 2 surgeries is such a great idea...

As always I appreciate any & all input... I'm a nervous wreck even thinking about surgery for Winston. I think they will have to sedate me as well...

 

[LynnA]

Good morning - I would say yes to both surgeries at the same time, you always want to ensure the least possible times under anesthesia, as far as the specialist - I would atleast want a bulldog savvy vet that has done the surgery hundreds of times. Best of luck to you......

 

[brutus77]

I agree with Lynn. Both surgeries at the same time. My regular vet did both of Brutus' cherry surgeries and he did a beautiful job. It depends how comfortable you are with your vet.

 

[ddnene]

[MENTION=4763]LynnA[/MENTION] [MENTION=9370]brutus77[/MENTION]
I'm having some serious second thoughts about my vet... he made what I believe to be a fatal judgement call on my Bella, and to be honest I'm having a hard time dealing w/it. I'm considering getting a second opinion regarding this whole eye business, but I haven't heard of a great bully vet in my area. This is causing a lot of anxiety for me because I really trusted my vet, and I hate it that I now second guess him constantly

 

[LynnA]

@LynnA @brutus77
I'm having some serious second thoughts about my vet... he made what I believe to be a fatal judgement call on my Bella, and to be honest I'm having a hard time dealing w/it. I'm considering getting a second opinion regarding this whole eye business, but I haven't heard of a great bully vet in my area. This is causing a lot of anxiety for me because I really trusted my vet, and I hate it that I now second guess him constantly

It's unfortunate, I too am going through the same thing but not regarding a surgery - just don't like antibiotics and using one to see if it helps and when it doesn't switching to another. I am actually going to being Otis to a holistic vet in December (she is booked solid til then) can you reach out to your local bulldog rescue and ask for vet suggestion?

 

[brutus77]

Ugh that is tough. We make decisions based on what we think is educated advice and when it goes bad we blame ourselves. I'm sorry to hear you are so stressed. Do you have a university vet hospital in your area? If so, maybe they can recommend someone. I wish I knew of someone for you. I would not do anything though until you are comfortable with who is doing the procedures.

 

[ddnene]

It's unfortunate, I too am going through the same thing but not regarding a surgery - just don't like antibiotics and using one to see if it helps and when it doesn't switching to another. I am actually going to being Otis to a holistic vet in December (she is booked solid til then) can you reach out to your local bulldog rescue and ask for vet suggestion?

The closest rescue is 5 hours away in Gatlinburg... I haven't contacted the local bulldog club though!

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi Tracey, I agree with Lynn and other members regarding doing both surgeries at the same time, you want to avoid having to put Winston under anesthetic twice. I had Blossom spayed when she was 7 months old, and had her cherry eye repaired at the same time. Unfortunately a week later her other eye developed cherry eye, so we did have to have a second surgery a month later. It actually cost more to repair the second eye by itself than it did to spay her and fix the first cherry eye. The reason was because for the spay surgery, she was already under anesthetic, so the cherry eye is considered a secondary surgery. The second surgery was more expensive because she had to be put under again, and she had to have IV and medications again, so you pay for all that. Eye surgery is less invasive than other surgeries, and so healing and recovery is quicker.

As far as using a specialist versus a regular vet, it really depends on the vet, and how comfortable you feel about him/ her, and what experience he has had with a particular surgery. My vet has a bully, and she has over 24 years of surgery experience. I asked her a lot of questions regarding cherry eye surgery, like removing the gland, or tacking it in. She does not remove the gland, she tucks it in, and she assured me she had a lot of experience and success with a method that she had perfected with cherry eye surgeries. She did a wonderful job on her eyes, and you would never know she had anything done to her eyes. We are very happy with the result. A specialist has its merit if your vet isn't experienced with a procedure, or for more complicated cases. A specialist is more expensive than a regular vet, but is more knowledgable in some areas. You can comfortably use a regular vet for more routine surgeries such as spay or neutering, or for eye surgery, and they will do a great job, but again it comes down to your vet, his experience and expertise, and your comfort level in his skills. You can make an informed decision by doing your homework, research, and asking lots of questions. I even asked the receptionist in my vets office, because she has been working there for many years, and she also has a bulldog, and 3 other dogs as well, she only lets our vet do the surgeries on her dogs, because of her experience. There are 2 other vets in the office, and we use them for their regular checkups, routine appointments, and vaccinations. One of these vets did Dozers neuter surgery, and he did fine. Good luck in what you decide, and since you are waiting until Winston is a year old, then you have time to make your decision.

 

[LynnA]

The closest rescue is 5 hours away in Gatlinburg... I haven't contacted the local bulldog club though!

Even so, they may know of a vet close to you, worth a call......good luck!

 

[dolphin]

The closest rescue is 5 hours away in Gatlinburg... I haven't contacted the local bulldog club though!

I would definitely get a second opinion no matter what and then make the call. I've seen several people on here that have done the eye thing and the fix at the same time. Hugs to you and Winston poor guy!

 

[Marine91]

Hugs and happy thoughts coming your way.

 

[Opie CHL]

Tracey,I have the same doubts about my vet now who I once trusted. You definitely need another opinion but I think you've already convinced yourself of that. Praying for you and Winston!.

 

[Davidh]

I would get a specialist look at his eye and also do the surgery. Waiting too long can permanently damage his eye. As far as doing them both, most eye specialist don't do neutering.

 

[Lokismom]

@LynnA @brutus77
I'm having some serious second thoughts about my vet... he made what I believe to be a fatal judgement call on my Bella, and to be honest I'm having a hard time dealing w/it. I'm considering getting a second opinion regarding this whole eye business, but I haven't heard of a great bully vet in my area. This is causing a lot of anxiety for me because I really trusted my vet, and I hate it that I now second guess him constantly

If you have any doubts look for a new vet. I know that find a bully vet may not be very easy but maybe call around and see what or who the other vets are in the area. Sounds kind of weird but we actually brought Loki to the different vets and if he seemed to like the place we would set up a time to meet with the vet one on one and check them out almost an interview if you will. I do have to agree that if the eye or eyes need to be fixed and he is already going to be put under I would have the neutering done at the same time.! I hope you are able to find someone that you trust and are comfortable with. please keep us posted.

 

[nycbullymama]

[MENTION=9157]ddnene[/MENTION] Yes, there are vet ophthalmologists, but you're most likely to find them in animal hospitals. I had one do Blues Cherry eye surgery because I was just more comfortable with a specialist doing it.

If you decide to neuter, it probably is easiest on him to have both procedures done at once. But, if you want an Ophthalmologist to do the eye, you'd most likely have to do it in a hospital to coordinate the neuter procedure with another Vet.