Advice appreciated:brachycephalic airway syndrome- concerned/sudden onset (videos)

[JMB123]

Both of our 10 month old frenchtons are showing signs of BAS

Our brindle had zero breathing issues until recently. His nares seem to have got narrower in the last few weeks. His nose sounds stuffy and can hear air passing. We've also been catching him holding his head up while falling asleep. This evening he is holding his mouth in a strange position while sleeping. I'm assuming trying to get air (?) His appetite, activity level and gum/tongue colouring are normal. Is this typical symptoms with stenotic nares or signs he's in distress?

Holding head upwards:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FHTqsuyajEg

Odd smiling mouth when sleeping:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=th2sqCRoh2E


Our blue fawn has always snorted snored and made some awful sounds. He also appears to have sleep apnea. He's been to several different vets and only one has mentioned his nares, never a mention of palate. When I brought up to our regular vet she didn't seem very concerned. She told us it sometimes improves with age and she'll check his palate when he gets neutered.

Normal breathing:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DCxm_0h56WU

Excited/winded:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lOae6V5eQKs
(dads been away working for 3 months)

Sleeping/sleep apnea:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hWJXfLPHh4k


We have an appointment Wednesday with a vet experienced with nares and palate. Im concerned the brindle might need surgury on his nares asap. Anyone familiar with BAS, do their symptoms appear to be mild, moderate or severe and need immediate correction?

They were seen a few days ago by our regular vet, both tested positive for giardia!! Iv read giardia can take several treatments and months before testing negative. They were prescribed 5 days of safeguard and are only on day 3. Will this effect when they can have surgery?

 

[Cbrugs]

I have no experience with this but I would definitely get another opinion by a vet with more experience.
[MENTION=2]2bullymama[/MENTION] and [MENTION=600]Jakeyjake[/MENTION] had their boys’ nares done so they may have some insight.


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[2bullymama]

Welcome!

Both there nares look tight to me. Can you post a picture of the nose?
My Cheli had his nares done 2x over 4 yrs... our vet was conservative the 1st time in opening them as to not take too much and cause other issues, 2nd time, was due to his sleep apnea returning and getting worse. Cheli also has his palate done twice... three if you count for him barking and causing scar tissue to form during recovery of the first procedure.(sigh)

I would have an experienced bully vet evaluate the babies... some vets do prefer to wait till around age 2 to do the palate as they do continue to grow and may need to be done again later in life.

With our Bulldog, Lambeau, we had his nares widened at 16 weeks and it has made a huge difference in his breathing - no snoring, no apnea and no palate surgery.

It does seem your guys are some what congested/muscus build up.... try giving one regular benedryl to see if it helps clear some of that up. or, use a vaporizer at night near their crate to help break the congestion and clear the air way

 

[Jakeyjake]

We just had Jake's nares widened. His palate was fine. He snores less and can breathe a lot easier. It does seem from the videos they are struggling to breathe at times. The vet will determine if the palate needs to be done when they are under. I would also agree to see an experienced brachy breed vet.

 

[FrenchKiss]

I'm useless here but OMG squeeeee!!! Watching your cuties bask in the light made me grin like a fool.

 

[Joann H]

I just went through this with my Lola. She had difficulty breathing very narrow snares and snorted all the time. I brought her to several vets All said she would benefit from the surgery. My vet sent me to a vetinary surgical hospital where I had the procedure performed by experienced vet surgeons. Both her snares were enlarged and soft palate adjusted.

The improvement n her breathing was immediate. She stayed one night n hospital, came home the next day and didn’t even miss a beat. She never showed any signs of discomfort so after one day I stopped giving her pain meds. She was 11 mos. old when she had the surgery, one month ago.

She still snores a little at night but otherwise very little snorting, no more gasping for breath. I highly recommend this procedure. She had laser surgery, which kept bleeding and swelling at a minimum. This is a picture of her the day she came home. She is a happy girl now.

Best of Luck!

 

[Dogdebt]

I just went through this with my Lola. She had difficulty breathing very narrow snares and snorted all the time. I brought her to several vets All said she would benefit from the surgery. My vet sent me to a vetinary surgical hospital where I had the procedure performed by experienced vet surgeons. Both her snares were enlarged and soft palate adjusted.

The improvement n her breathing was immediate. She stayed one night n hospital, came home the next day and didn’t even miss a beat. She never showed any signs of discomfort so after one day I stopped giving her pain meds. She was 11 mos. old when she had the surgery, one month ago.

She still snores a little at night but otherwise very little snorting, no more gasping for breath. I highly recommend this procedure. She had laser surgery, which kept bleeding and swelling at a minimum. This is a picture of her the day she came home. She is a happy girl now.View attachment 10922

Best of Luck!

Hi Joann. They are recommending the laser surgery for Indigo for his palate. If you don't mind, can you share what the costs were for You? I'm going to consult with the specialty surgery center here in the bay area. A ballpark cost would be good to know going in. He has a terrible time and he us just over 1 yr.

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[Carlsmom]

What is your guys' opinion on scalpel versus laser? I understand laser is a "better" technique, but would the other technique be a deal breaker for you? My vet is great, but he uses the scalpel method, so I am not sure how to move forward. Thanks!!

 

[2bullymama]

What is your guys' opinion on scalpel versus laser? I understand laser is a "better" technique, but would the other technique be a deal breaker for you? My vet is great, but he uses the scalpel method, so I am not sure how to move forward. Thanks!!

My vet does both... it depends on the individual dog and situation which he uses... he has done both fir us and I really didn't see a drastic difference in costs or recovery BUT every dog is different


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[Joann H]

Hi Joann. They are recommending the laser surgery for Indigo for his palate. If you don't mind, can you share what the costs were for You? I'm going to consult with the specialty surgery center here in the bay area. A ballpark cost would be good to know going in. He has a terrible time and he us just over 1 yr.

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Hi, my surgeon recommended laser because it would keep swelling and bleeding at a minimum. That was a good decision for Lola, she did extremely well. The difference in her breathing was immediate, no more snorting constantly and gasping for air. I live in NY and the cost was a litttle over $4,000, and she spent 1 night in hospital. Luckily we have pet insurance which covered half of the cost.
I wish you luck with Indigo, I know you will be happy with the results.