Nares and soft palate surgery tomorrow! - Send positive vibes!

okgrau8 · Jul 19, 2018

We are taking Stanley to get his nares and (potential) soft palate surgery done tomorrow morning! I am confident he will be in good hands at Hunt Valley Animal Hospital in MD but just still very nervewracking to think about putting him through that stress

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Any post-surgery tips we should be aware of? Send positive vibes please for Stan the man! We will also be driving him home afterwards about 2 1/2 hours away. Nervous for the trip back, hopefully he will be doped up and will sleep.

FroxerMom · Jul 19, 2018

Fingers and toes crossed for your Stanley!

Cbrugs · Jul 19, 2018

Sending positive thoughts!!

Frenchie Grrrl · Jul 19, 2018

okgrau8 said:
We are taking Stanley to get his nares and (potential) soft palate surgery done tomorrow morning! I am confident he will be in good hands at Hunt Valley Animal Hospital in MD but just still very nervewracking to think about putting him through that stress .

Any post-surgery tips we should be aware of? Send positive vibes please for Stan the man! We will also be driving him home afterwards about 2 1/2 hours away. Nervous for the trip back, hopefully he will be doped up and will sleep.

Gus has his soft palate done in May, when he had his neuter. I did not have his nares done. I could not get him to take the pain meds, so I know he felt pretty awful. Unfortunately, he also had a good bit of regurgitation during recovery. Took about two weeks for that to stop.

Best of luck and keep us updated!

Carlsmom · Jul 19, 2018

okgrau8 said:
We are taking Stanley to get his nares and (potential) soft palate surgery done tomorrow morning! I am confident he will be in good hands at Hunt Valley Animal Hospital in MD but just still very nervewracking to think about putting him through that stress .

Any post-surgery tips we should be aware of? Send positive vibes please for Stan the man! We will also be driving him home afterwards about 2 1/2 hours away. Nervous for the trip back, hopefully he will be doped up and will sleep.

Carlton had his nares and palette done at the end of May - I will be honest, day 2-5 post surgery were pretty rough for him. His nose was extremely stuffed up to the point he was unable to really breathe through his nose - I took him to vet emerg one night to be safe as I was concerned he wasn't getting enough air (turns out he was fine, just verrrrrry congested). That said, he tends to be sensitive and a bit dramatic LOL. He also had a bit of a cough, gag thing going on for a week or so, which apparently was normal and resolved over time. From my experience, his healing process was worse before it got better - but everyone is different!

Steaming him in the bathroom was a LIFESAVER - I highly recommend if your little one is stuffed up or seems uncomfortable.

So worth it though!!! He can really enjoy summer walks and warmer days now.. Good Luck!

Carlsmom · Jul 19, 2018

Here is a before/ after photo! Prior to surgery, day of surgery, and about day 5 post surgery.

Alice Kable · Jul 19, 2018

Try to keep him quiet--no barking, and ask for medication that will reduce swelling. Have something tasty to hide pills in, Buster liked Gerber little hot dogs.

Baer Rios · Jul 19, 2018

good luck and hope for a speedy recovery. I did have a question for you. Do all French bulldogs need to have this surgery done? What made you schedule this surgery?

okgrau8 · Jul 19, 2018

Baer Rios said:
good luck and hope for a speedy recovery. I did have a question for you. Do all French bulldogs need to have this surgery done? What made you schedule this surgery?

Not all bulldogs need to have this surgery done. We went to a vet that specializes in bracycephalic breeds and sees many bulldogs for a consultation. We felt as He has gotten older, he couldn’t walk as far, got tired easily, and regurgitates frequently if we are not careful about the triggers. Also to mention, he snores like a CHAINSAW most nights

He will get his nares done and the vet will evaluate his soft palate while he is under, since that is really the only way to tell. We feel confident our vet will make the right decision. Our dog is not the worst case but we see it as a long term gain and improvement in his quality of life, both now and as he gets older.

Some less bulldog-knowledgeable vets might push the surgery on you, don’t be afraid to get a second opinion. Frenchies will always be snarfy, snorting, snoring creatures, which make them who they are

2bullymama · Jul 20, 2018

okgrau8 said:
We are taking Stanley to get his nares and (potential) soft palate surgery done tomorrow morning! I am confident he will be in good hands at Hunt Valley Animal Hospital in MD but just still very nervewracking to think about putting him through that stress .

Any post-surgery tips we should be aware of? Send positive vibes please for Stan the man! We will also be driving him home afterwards about 2 1/2 hours away. Nervous for the trip back, hopefully he will be doped up and will sleep.

Lots of prayers, positive thoughts heading to your baby! keep us posted

okgrau8 · Jul 21, 2018

Thanks everyone! Stanley did great yesterday, such a trooper. He ended up having his nares done, some soft palate removed, AND his tonsils were gigantic and obstructing his airways so they were removed as well. We were really surprised as Stanley never made a TON of noise, we felt just typical frenchie noises, but the frequent regurgitation and tiring out easily were what steered us towards this surgery. We are excited for the possibilities of what's to come with a new and improved breathable Stan!

Side note - our vet encourages all their patients' owners to come into the room after they wake up and help with recovering from anesthesia. We loved this. We felt it was so beneficial for Stanley and to have his family with him helped ease anxiety and stress. We were able to leave the vet and be on the road within an hour of him waking up with no problems.

Frenchie Grrrl · Jul 21, 2018

I'm glad the surgery went well. Hope his recover is smooth and as pain free as possible. :heart:

FroxerMom · Jul 21, 2018

okgrau8 said:
Thanks everyone! Stanley did great yesterday, such a trooper. He ended up having his nares done, some soft palate removed, AND his tonsils were gigantic and obstructing his airways so they were removed as well. We were really surprised as Stanley never made a TON of noise, we felt just typical frenchie noises, but the frequent regurgitation and tiring out easily were what steered us towards this surgery. We are excited for the possibilities of what's to come with a new and improved breathable Stan!

Side note - our vet encourages all their patients' owners to come into the room after they wake up and help with recovering from anesthesia. We loved this. We felt it was so beneficial for Stanley and to have his family with him helped ease anxiety and stress. We were able to leave the vet and be on the road within an hour of him waking up with no problems.

Wow- best outcome possible. Happy for him and your family! Hope he has a speedy recovery!

2bullymama · Jul 23, 2018

okgrau8 said:
Thanks everyone! Stanley did great yesterday, such a trooper. He ended up having his nares done, some soft palate removed, AND his tonsils were gigantic and obstructing his airways so they were removed as well. We were really surprised as Stanley never made a TON of noise, we felt just typical frenchie noises, but the frequent regurgitation and tiring out easily were what steered us towards this surgery. We are excited for the possibilities of what's to come with a new and improved breathable Stan!

Side note - our vet encourages all their patients' owners to come into the room after they wake up and help with recovering from anesthesia. We loved this. We felt it was so beneficial for Stanley and to have his family with him helped ease anxiety and stress. We were able to leave the vet and be on the road within an hour of him waking up with no problems.

Fantastic update and love that you are there for the recovery!

So happy it all went well

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okgrau8 · Jul 24, 2018

2bullymama said:
Fantastic update and love that you are there for the recovery!

So happy it all went well

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Yes for sure! We can't say enough great things about Hunt Valley Animal Hospital. It's a drive for us but completely worth it. We will be doing all our annual checkups with them from now on as well.

Mavis · Jul 29, 2018

I am so happy that this is over for all of you. I believe we should have Bambi's nares done, but I am so afraid of her being in pain, recovery, etc. It's horrible when they are sick for any reason. I'm glad Stanley's surgery went so well; his nares look great. I am sure his breathing will be so much better!

okgrau8 · Aug 6, 2018

Mavis said:
I am so happy that this is over for all of you. I believe we should have Bambi's nares done, but I am so afraid of her being in pain, recovery, etc. It's horrible when they are sick for any reason. I'm glad Stanley's surgery went so well; his nares look great. I am sure his breathing will be so much better!

It's like night and day for this dog. He can play longer, go on farther walks, do everything better. I was so anxious about getting the surgery done but I'm so glad I did, especially for his improved quality of life. If you can, find a vet that specializes in bulldogs, and get a nares consultation. That's what we did, and felt comfortable in know he really needed to get it done. Our recovery was way better than we had anticipated, but of course, it will be different for everyone. Not once was he bothered by his nares stitches. 3 days out of surgery and off pain meds and our pup was back to normal.

Cbrugs · Aug 6, 2018

okgrau8 said:
It's like night and day for this dog. He can play longer, go on farther walks, do everything better. I was so anxious about getting the surgery done but I'm so glad I did, especially for his improved quality of life. If you can, find a vet that specializes in bulldogs, and get a nares consultation. That's what we did, and felt comfortable in know he really needed to get it done. Our recovery was way better than we had anticipated, but of course, it will be different for everyone. Not once was he bothered by his nares stitches. 3 days out of surgery and off pain meds and our pup was back to normal.

Excellent news!!

2bullymama · Aug 7, 2018

okgrau8 said:
It's like night and day for this dog. He can play longer, go on farther walks, do everything better. I was so anxious about getting the surgery done but I'm so glad I did, especially for his improved quality of life. If you can, find a vet that specializes in bulldogs, and get a nares consultation. That's what we did, and felt comfortable in know he really needed to get it done. Our recovery was way better than we had anticipated, but of course, it will be different for everyone. Not once was he bothered by his nares stitches. 3 days out of surgery and off pain meds and our pup was back to normal.

What great news!!

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Mavis · Aug 7, 2018

okgrau8 said:
It's like night and day for this dog. He can play longer, go on farther walks, do everything better. I was so anxious about getting the surgery done but I'm so glad I did, especially for his improved quality of life. If you can, find a vet that specializes in bulldogs, and get a nares consultation. That's what we did, and felt comfortable in know he really needed to get it done. Our recovery was way better than we had anticipated, but of course, it will be different for everyone. Not once was he bothered by his nares stitches. 3 days out of surgery and off pain meds and our pup was back to normal.

Wow; I am really happy for you and Stanley.

I did ask at the emergency clinic (which is huge here), if they knew of a vet who had a lot of experience in the brachy breeds. They treated me like I had a disease. The response was cool and basically that any qualified vet can handle nare surgery or the brachy breeds. I got the definite feeling they thought I was being elitist or something because we have a frenchie (not many around here).