Sophie has been scheduled for surgery...fingers and toes crossed here

[Gummis Dad]

Sophie is officially booked for her procedure at a specialist in the SF Bay area.

Mon Oct 10th she will get her elongated palate corrected via laser and her nares will be widened

We had our consult today and the vet feels Sophie is on the low risk end of the spectrum (relatively speaking).

This was my biggest concern...doing an elective procedure for a bulldog.  I have read the good story results as well as the horror stories.  Our goal is to improve her quality of life but I don't want to put her under if the risk is too great. 

Specialist tried to reassure me that since Sophie is only 2.5 years and fit at a trim 42lbs she has better than average odds.  They have constant monitoring 24 hours after surgery to make sure she recovers from the anesthetic properly and doesn't have immediate trouble with swelling.


Sticker shock at first but...well we knew that when we dove into the world of bulldogs just like everyone else.  I joke that Gummi's excellent health is saving enough to cover Sophie's procedure.  For those who are curious it is roughly $2K if all goes smoothly but nearing $3K if there are complications.  That probably sounds crazy to some people but I was quoted 4-5k by another specialist.  There might be a better deal out there but I am comfortable with this location and feel she will be in good hands. 

Wish us luck all! 

I will update next week.

[LynnKing]

I had palette surgery done on one of my dogs, years ago. It made a world of difference for him, wish I had done it sooner. The results were immediate, returning from the vet, I noticed how quiet his breathing was.

Sophie will do fine. She will feel so much better being able to breath easier. Our dog became so much more relaxed, the anxiety of struggling for air even after just a short play was gone.

[Gummis Dad]

I had palette surgery done on one of my dogs, years ago. It made a world of difference for him, wish I had done it sooner. The results were immediate, returning from the vet, I noticed how quiet his breathing was.

Sophie will do fine. She will feel so much better being able to breath easier. Our dog became so much more relaxed, the anxiety of struggling for air even after just a short play was gone.

That is the exact result we are hoping for.  Sophie tries to enjoy life to the fullest but I have to force her to calm down and cool off when she starts coughing and gagging.

[Gracie & Bea's Mom]

Sending good thoughts to you and Sophie!

[mtc]

Sending prayers for Sophie and the family!

[emmabull]

Sending prayers and good thoughts for Sophie  . I love the photo of Gummi and Sophie, they look like best pals  .

[egreen28]

Good luck to Miss. Sophie!!!

My bully had his palette and nares opened when he was about 7.5 months old and it was the best thing I could have ever done for him. I got him when he was 6 months old and very sick. This sickness turned into pneumonia a few weeks later and the vet was very afraid that if he didn't have the procedures done he would never get better. I was very nervous to have him go under. He still had a touch of pneumonia at the time of surgery, again vet felt it really needed to be done at this time. He did great and I trusted the doc and his staff. He had someone with him the entire time just to monitor his vitals. I received a phone call from a tech right after the surgery to tell me it went good and then another from the vet a short time later. The vet told me it was the longest and thickest palate he has ever seen and he ended up removing an inch. My bullies nares were slits and breathing was such a struggle for him before surgery and he was so loud I could tell exactly where he was just by listing for him to inhale. After the surgery he was completely silent!! That took some time to get used to. I would have to go looking for him to make sure he wasn't getting into any trouble. Now he will snore a little time to time while sleeping, but it's nothing like before. Before he was wasking up all the time during the night because he was having such a hard time breathing and would be snoring so loud. And oh man did his energy level go up after the surgery. He went from playing pretty hard for about 20-30 min. to going super hard for 1-2 hours at a time. He can run and jump and roll around with the big dogs for hours now (his two BFFs are a black lab and a wimerrider (sp?) mix).

Anyway.....I hope she does well, as I am sure she will. FYI.....my bullies surgery only cost $526 and that was with a neuter at the same time. I had it done in Idaho, don't know if that was the difference maker or not.

[Gummis Dad]

Let me start off by saying I love this little bulldog community...here is what happened since yesterday!

I was contacted off the grid by one of my favorite domain members and told to put my plans on hold.  There is a bulldog specialist about 80 miles from me and I was put in contact with him.

Not sure how I missed him in my previous research but I was happy for the news.  He had done the palate and nares for a few bulldogs on this forum

Sophie has been rescheduled with a bulldog specialist instead of a surgical specialist.  Same date and time...different surgeon.

And as we all discuss pricing...the bulldog specialist is approx. $850

The major difference is no overnight monitoring.  However, when I look at my itemized fee schedule from the surgical specialist I was only being charged $340 for 24/hour monitoring and care post-op.  The big price difference was the level of skill of the surgical specialist.

I understand specialists are board certified and have a great deal of skill in their specialty areas.  If our local vet was offering to do the procedure at the lower price I would decline.  However, based on the personal referral from someone I trust I feel a vet with a large bulldog client list is more than qualified.  So I flip flopped and rescheduled Sophie at another location.

I am still worried if there are complications in Sophie's recovery the first night and where I need to go in a worst case situation.  Time for some research on local E-vets!

[mtc]

The personal recommendation of someone you trust plus bulldog experience is a world of comfort.

I'm sure she'll be fine.  Good luck to Mz Sophie !

[Gummis Dad]

The personal recommendation of someone you trust plus bulldog experience is a world of comfort.

I'm sure she'll be fine.  Good luck to Mz Sophie !

I couldn't agree more.  After all I have read about Dr. Barney I am much more comfortable with the decision.

[buddha]

Good luck!  I'm sending good thoughts for Sophie's surgery.       We had Buddha's palette & nares done when he was about 8-9 months old & we saw a great improvement.    We're so glad we did it as I believe it helped him breathe better the rest of his life.

That is awesome that you were able to get a personal recommendation from another trusted domain member & that cost savings is quite significant!  Please keep us posted on how things go.   

[Gummis Dad]

Sophie is back and recovering nicely.  She is sleeping it off in our home office right now where I can keep her safely isolated from Gummi and my daughter

Soft palate was re-sectioned, nares were widened and one everted laryngeal ventricle was removed.

Unfortunately it looks like she has already suffered a partial laryngeal collapse due to her breathing issues.  I was told not to worry about it as there is nothing we can do.  The procedures should stop it from getting any worse and she should be ok.

Here are the before/after nares shots (top = after.....bottom = before)


Here is Sophie during the long ride home post op


And here she is sleeping it off in my home office while I keep an eye on her. 



One last thing I will pass along if it helps others reading this.

I was EXTREMELY concerned about her post-op recovery.  So much so I called around local animal hospitals to ask about the possibility of admitting her for post op recovery for a day or so.

Dr. Barney told me a complication of that nature is rare...it may happen but it is not likely.  He told me the typical swelling associated with the laser and soft palate re-sectioning is usually an improvement over the pre-op airway obstructions so they are actually breathing BETTER despite the swelling.  However, in the event atypical swelling occurs I have all my e-vet info ready.

I will update as she recovers.  This is a 7 day process for her procedure.

[khybeemaow]

Oh Goodness - what a sweet face 

She looks so good post-op and I love the little purple bandage 

I wish her a speedy and comfortable recovery. Spike is even sending her an e-hug and says she a real cutie patootie

[hoegaandit]

Poor, poor Sophie, you look so sad. Our boy took about three weeks before he was back to normal after his op (for something different though).

Hope you recover soon!

[egreen28]

Here's to a speedy recovery!!

Axel, was up and running around like a mad dog within two days of having his nares opened, palate shortened and neutered. I had to try and keep him calm. He could finally breathe for the first time in his life and was ready to take advantage of that. But every dog is going to react and heal differently from procedure's and such. I hope they gave you some anti-inflammatory and some pain meds for little Sophie. I know those helped out my pup for the first few days.