LaureFurlonger
Member
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2017
- Messages
- 42
- Reaction score
- 26
Has anyone else's French Bulldog experienced this after BOAS surgery and a tonsillectomy?
Hey guys, this is kind of a revised version of a few posts Iāve had on here but I'm hoping to hear from anyone whose Frenchie has gone through something similar because we're still searching for answers, and I'd love to know if anyone has had a similar experience.
My French Bulldog puppy initially underwent BOAS surgery, which included stenotic nares correction, soft palate resection, and removal of his everted laryngeal saccules.
Before surgery, he had the typical BOAS symptoms (snoring and noisy breathing), but another major reason we decided to proceed with surgery was that he had started frequently gagging and regurgitating water, sometimes multiple times a day and couldnāt seem to find a comfortable position to sleep in when heād lay on the couch with us ( would repeatedly lift his head or get up and change positions - crate was no issue though )
Unfortunately, instead of improving after surgery, he actually seemed much worse.
The biggest issue was that he couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. Every time he would start drifting off, he'd lift his head againāsometimes every 30 secondsāas if something was making him uncomfortable. This went on for days, leaving him completely exhausted. During the day he looked so tired that he would almost seem to fall asleep while sitting up because he wasn't getting any quality rest.
He also developed what sounded like constant nasal congestion or a stuffy nose. It wasn't really wheezingāit sounded like something was blocked in his nose or the back of his nasal passages. The gagging and regurgitation also continued after surgery.
Because his recovery was so much worse than expected, we pursued further diagnostics.
He underwent:
He is now 17 days post-op from the tonsillectomy.
After the tonsillectomy, he was treated with:
Hey guys, this is kind of a revised version of a few posts Iāve had on here but I'm hoping to hear from anyone whose Frenchie has gone through something similar because we're still searching for answers, and I'd love to know if anyone has had a similar experience.
My French Bulldog puppy initially underwent BOAS surgery, which included stenotic nares correction, soft palate resection, and removal of his everted laryngeal saccules.
Before surgery, he had the typical BOAS symptoms (snoring and noisy breathing), but another major reason we decided to proceed with surgery was that he had started frequently gagging and regurgitating water, sometimes multiple times a day and couldnāt seem to find a comfortable position to sleep in when heād lay on the couch with us ( would repeatedly lift his head or get up and change positions - crate was no issue though )
Unfortunately, instead of improving after surgery, he actually seemed much worse.
The biggest issue was that he couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. Every time he would start drifting off, he'd lift his head againāsometimes every 30 secondsāas if something was making him uncomfortable. This went on for days, leaving him completely exhausted. During the day he looked so tired that he would almost seem to fall asleep while sitting up because he wasn't getting any quality rest.
He also developed what sounded like constant nasal congestion or a stuffy nose. It wasn't really wheezingāit sounded like something was blocked in his nose or the back of his nasal passages. The gagging and regurgitation also continued after surgery.
Because his recovery was so much worse than expected, we pursued further diagnostics.
He underwent:
- CT scan
- Rhinoscopy
- Endoscopy
He is now 17 days post-op from the tonsillectomy.
After the tonsillectomy, he was treated with:
- A high dose of prednisone, which was gradually tapered over 10 days.
- Omeprazole for 2 weeks.
- He is still taking metoclopramide twice daily.
- His snoring has decreased.
- He no longer repeatedly lifts his head every 30 seconds trying to sleep.
- He's able to sleep quietly in certain positions.
- He seems much more rested than he did immediately after the first surgery.
- He's eating well and is otherwise happy, playful, and active.
- He still often sounds like he has a stuffy or congested nose, especially when he's awake and active.
- Sometimes when he changes position while resting, he'll make a brief snorting sound or like heās taking a deep breath in before settling again.
- He still seems to have preferred sleeping positions. On the couch he'll sometimes lift his head several times before finding a comfortable position, although it's nowhere near as severe as it was after the first surgery.
- In his crate he generally sleeps better than he does on the couch.
- Overall he's definitely improved compared to before the tonsillectomy, but he still doesn't seem able to completely relax and sleep comfortably in any position like a normal puppy.
- Did your Frenchie have lingering congestion or positional breathing issues after BOAS surgery?
- If your dog had a tonsillectomy, how long did it take before they seemed completely comfortable?
- Did anyone else's dog continue improving over several weeks, or did lingering symptoms end up being caused by something else (persistent inflammation, rhinitis, another airway issue, etc.)?
