Help me, Pheumonia again!??

[GigiMcKeehan]

My Gigi is just over 8 months old now and has always had times of raspy breathing, but it gets worse at times. Late in August she had an episode where she was in distress with her breathing, like her chest was congested. After a time she began to vomit any food from the last meal, then bring up foam. She does not eat when this happens and is in obvious respiratory distress.

When this happened I took her to the vet and he started giving antibiotics, not sure if she had a gastric upset or chest problem. Eventually a fever developed, chest x-rays made him think she had aspiration pneumonia, and her white blood count was elevated. We got her over this with antibiotics just a little over one month ago.

For two nights she has been raspy and this morning she began vomiting any food left in her. She will not eat or move around and is in respiratory distress.

I have some Cipro for her and got one dose in this morning. I am just so upset that she seems so sick again so fast and just weeks after we got over the last time.

Does anyone have any insight on this ailment?

Deborah

[Carolyn]

I would get her to the emergency clinic asap! I have no idea what the problem might be but it is very serious whatever it is. Was bloodwork ever done on her? If not...I would recommend a full panel. Was she ever tested for heartworm? Please let us know how she is. Carolyn

[Martina]

I feel for you and your little Gigi!! I hope that you can find out what it is and how to prevent and/or cure it. That must be nerve wracking. I'm just brainstorming, but has she been tested for allergies or asthma? It's the rottenest feeling when you take them to the doctor, take the prescribed meds and things start looking up, but then they relapse. There is only so much that you, as a lay-person can or know how to do. Ya'll are in my thoughts ... please let us know how she does. Doggie kisses from Lola and Gigi D

Martina

[fran]

My Gigi is just over 8 months old now and has always had times of raspy breathing, but it gets worse at times. Late in August she had an episode where she was in distress with her breathing, like her chest was congested. After a time she began to vomit any food from the last meal, then bring up foam. She does not eat when this happens and is in obvious respiratory distress.

When this happened I took her to the vet and he started giving antibiotics, not sure if she had a gastric upset or chest problem. Eventually a fever developed, chest x-rays made him think she had aspiration pneumonia, and her white blood count was elevated. We got her over this with antibiotics just a little over one month ago.

For two nights she has been raspy and this morning she began vomiting any food left in her. She will not eat or move around and is in respiratory distress.

I have some Cipro for her and got one dose in this morning. I am just so upset that she seems so sick again so fast and just weeks after we got over the last time.

Does anyone have any insight on this ailment?

Deborah
Deborah,
Dogs with aspirational pneumonia are helped in most cases with a palate clip and daily doses of antacid.
Aspirational pneumonia is caused by acid reflux and food/acid going into the lungs.
The ONLY way a dog can be diagnosed with Elongated soft palate (which causes this) is to be sedated. Make sure the Vet is aware that Acepromazine is highly dangerous to flat faced dogs. In the interim, tagament 10mg daily will help with the problem.
But a palate clip is the only permanent solution.
Good luck and I hope Gigi is better soon.
fran

[Pattie]

I hope that by now you have gone to a vet. I do not know where you live, but I would suggest looking for a specialist that is experienced with flat faced breeds. If there is a specialty clinic in your area, you might want to consider talking with an intenal medicine doctor. The vomiting & the foam afterwards could be a sign of an esophagus problem. Madison has narrowning on both ends of his esophagus & this was not discovered until he was so ill that I thought we would lose him. Finally when I mentioned the foam to the doctor they did a scope of Madison's esophagus & found the problem. This condition may not always end with good results & you must be careful what your dog eats. Anything too big & there will be problems. Madison has to have everything blended & can only eat tiny pieces of soft treats. I do not know if this is what is going on with Gigi, but if there is a problem with the esophagus it is probably going to be more than your regular vet can diagnose. Best wishes to Gigi & you. Please get this checked out.

[GigiMcKeehan]

Gigi had a fitful night with her breathing. Last nights dose of Cipro was vomited/coughed right up.
This morning she was ready to eat and took her medication well, kept it down and seems to be improving fast.
I called her vet but he has not called back yet.
The last visit for this same type of illness was less than one month ago so she has only been well for a couple of weeks.
She has had heart worm tests, x-rays (several) and blood work-ups(2). The esophagos seemeds fine on x-rays.
I did change her food to small, soft, tiny bits and she has not vomited her food until the chest became so congested that she started to bring up the froth. This, then starts the vomiting of any stomach contents.
Last time we thought she had a tummy upset which led to aspiration, but I think now that the chest congestion is caused by something else.

Like Fran said, she may need a procedure to stop reflux from going into the lung. I am waiting to hear from the vet on this now.

The lady who has Gigi's sister does not report these problems with her.

Thanks everyone for the input.

Deborah

[fran]

Deb
Does Gigi tend to vomit after playing? Many dogs who need a palate resection will vomit white froth after exertion. And aspirational pneumonia is one symptom of Elongated Soft Palate. The problem is that the ONLY way to tell if the palate is too long is under sedation.
If Gigi tends to pant easily (which it sounds like she does) and is throwing up allot, this all points to this problem.I think I said Tagament before; check with the vet about which antacid. But get her on one ASAP. This is key.It may be Pepsid.
This condition does necessarily show up in littermates.So I am not surprised her littermate does not have it.
I agree with Patty; find a flat faced vet .Your vet is not conversant in the problems of this breed; he would have realized that this typed of pneumonia comes from acid reflux and more than likely an elongated soft palate.
fran

[Pattie]

Madison was on pepcid for his reflux until just recently. If Gigi does have to have a sedated exam, I agree with Fran about having the palate checked, but if it is not that have them do a gastroscope too while she is sedated. Sometimes the xray may look fine, but there may still be an esophagus problem. Either way if this is becoming a reccuring thing, you need to get it checked out.

[GigiMcKeehan]

[QUOTE=fran]Deb
Does Gigi tend to vomit after playing? Many dogs who need a palate resection will vomit white froth.

Fran, Gigi does not vomit after playing but she does pant easily. It has been hot in Arkansas and she will pant if hot or too excited.
She seems to vomit infrequently, the white froth was seen once at about 7 weeks and not again for months. The vomiting that has occurred seems to be when she is trying to cough up the congestion in her lungs.

I asked the vet about the antacid treatment to reduce reflux but he did not seem to want to go into it on the phone. He recommended I bring her in one week for another chest x-ray to make sure we are fully clearing up the pneumonia. If he is not getting paid, like this time when I had the medication at home, he seems not to "give away" his advice. They always say "bring her in". He is supposed to be the best in my area and the most expensive.

You are so right, I need to take her to someone who treats this type dog often. These vets are an hour or two away from me.

Thank you all again.

Deborah and Gigi

[Pattie]

I went through several vets before I found the one I was comfortable with. I went to a dog show in my area & asked all the dog owners who they saw. I tried to get mostly Frenchie people or flat faced dog people to answer. Soon I found though that all the dog owners I talked to were leaning toward one vet. I made an appointment & for the life of me could not see why everyone loved this guy.I soon found that if you did not make an appointment with a specific doctor at this office that you got whoever was available. That is how I found the vet I have now. She walked in the room & sat on the floor & started playing with Madison & making a fuss over him the minute we walked in. The first time I called her on the phone for anything she talked to me for over 30 minutes & answered everything I asked her. We have a trusting relationship & talk honestly. She practices out of 2 different offices, both are about an hours drive for me. Madison also has specialists. We no longer see the surgeon or internal medicine, but if anything came up we know they are there for us. But we do get to visit all our friends there when we go see the dermatologist. They too are about an hours drive. So, I encourage you to check around & find someone you feel comfortable. Remember you are the only advocate your dog has. Don't feel bad about firing a few vets before you find the right one. Best wishes to Gigi & the best of health.

[GigiMcKeehan]

Thanks Patti,

I know I feel less than comfortable with the places I have tried thus far. They tell me they have treated only a few FB's in the last few years and those are few and far between.

I know the breeder who has the Mom, the breeder who has Gigi's sister and the breeder who has the Father in my contact list. Most are in my state but I have been nervous about asking the lady who bred my girl. I do not totally trust her opinions. I talked to her just the other day and mentioned the pneumonia to her but she offered no insite. I guess her girl (the Mother) has no such problem. I did not want her to think I was wanting to lay blame for poor health.

I saw my girl when she was 5 weeks old and she had raspy breathing then, the lady told me she had a "little cold" and when I took her one week later she came with medication for the raspy chest. I should have been forewarned at that time but this girl needed a good home quick.

I will talk to the folks I know who have the others and see what name comes up most.

Thank you,
Deborah and Gigi

[Pattie]

Deborah:
I think it is good that you are going to ask around. I know how frustrating all this can be. Our boy has had a lot of problems in his life & went through a lot of needless things when we first had him, just because we did not have the right people taking care of him. He still has his problems, but I feel that the people that care for him are concerned, have much knowledge & do all they can for him. I hope that Gigi finds someone that makes you feel that way too.

[GigiMcKeehan]

Deborah:
I think it is good that you are going to ask around. I know how frustrating all this can be. Our boy has had a lot of problems in his life & went through a lot of needless things when we first had him, just because we did not have the right people taking care of him. He still has his problems, but I feel that the people that care for him are concerned, have much knowledge & do all they can for him. I hope that Gigi finds someone that makes you feel that way too.


The vet who I am seeing now wants to take another chest x-ray after I have treated Gigi with Cipro for a week. When she was ill last month he took x-rays and when he showed them to me, he seemed to not be able to tell for certain if the slight dark line he pointed out was aspiration pneumonia or not. Several days later I returned as she was not better, the pills were not going down or staying down, she had not eaten in 5 days and was just ill. He took another x-ray that day, tells me that these pictures are better since they just changed the solution in their developing tanks and he still sees some "dark line".
The blood work showed an elevated white blood count early in the week and a repeat test showed the WBC to be normal, she recovered in a few days.

I do not want to put Gigi through sedation just to do an endoscope to check the pallate, that seems too risky for just a test.

Should there be other, less dangerous options to try, assumptions made based on the symptoms? It seems to me that the FB has a longer pallate than other breeds, the question is to what degree is the pallet elongated.

Can someone tell me what the dosage was for Pepcid?

Thank you all so much.

Deborah

[fran]

Deb
The only way to check a palate is to sedate;there are NO other options.If your dog's palate is too long and it is not corrected there are several consequences. One is aspiratonal pneumonia. ; another is cardiac compromise. Dogs with Elongated soft palate that are not corrected can not get enough air and have a shortened life span.
When you are using a Vet that is familair with flat faced dogs and knows the protocol, sedation is not dangerous. Leaving the condition untreated is far more dangerous; repeated bouts of pneumonia,overheating and inability to get sufficient oxygen.
The improvement is so dramatic once the condition is corrected.No more raspy breathing, no more throwing up and no more pneumonia.

[Pattie]

Deborah: Fran's advice is right on the money. If it is elongated palate then pepcid will not help the problem. Even if it is an esophageal problem, pepcid will only limit the acid production. This will help any new lesions from starting, but will not cure any that are already there. If either of these things are truly the problem that Gigi is having they really do need to be evaluated with a competent vet who knows how to handle brachycephalic (flat faced) dogs. Sedating by a vet that specializes in these breeds & these types of problems is really the best way to know what you are really dealing with. If you do go this route, make sure to write out a complete history of all the symptoms that concern you & be as complete as possible. The more information the vet has, the more helpful it will be in the diagnosis. Best of luck.

[Martina]

Deb,

I think that we can all sympathize, empathize, and agonize over finding the right doctor. I'm just gonna throw this out as a suggestion ... do you have any good vet schools in your state or area? You might be able to get a recommendation from the university if you do. For instance, I live in Saint Louis, MO and we have the University of MO at Columbia School of Veterinary Sciences/Medicine? and it's one of the top rated in the US - and definitely the best in the state. Columbia is 2.5 hrs from StLou, but there are a lot of graduates who work in the StLouis area (my vet). I haven't called them myself (I like my vet - whom I got as a recommendation from a friend), but someone suggested it to me when I concerned about a flat-faced breed specific vet. Humorously enough, the best vet I ever saw - in San Diego, CA - also happened to be a graduate of the Columbia vet school. I would imagine that a vet school would love to give you the name/s of graduates. It's just a suggestion. I sure hope that you get this figured out soon - it sounds so frustrating.

Martina

[peter88]

After reading the above reponses, I have become a little concern for my dog Milo. She does appear to have some of the symptoms mentioned above; however, she doesn't not have a terribly hard time with breathing. She has a tendency to vomit while sleeping at night and after she drinks water. Usually the vomit is clear or has a white/creamy tint to it. She has also gotten sick after playing. With regard to her breathing, at night she often starts to snort excessively and in a rapid fashion, as if she were attempting to dislodge something from her nose/throat. Does anyone have any experience with these or similar symptoms? Thanks, Peter

[fran]

After reading the above reponses, I have become a little concern for my dog Milo. She does appear to have some of the symptoms mentioned above; however, she doesn't not have a terribly hard time with breathing. She has a tendency to vomit while sleeping at night and after she drinks water. Usually the vomit is clear or has a white/creamy tint to it. She has also gotten sick after playing. With regard to her breathing, at night she often starts to snort excessively and in a rapid fashion, as if she were attempting to dislodge something from her nose/throat. Does anyone have any experience with these or similar symptoms? Thanks, Peter
Peter, take your dog to a vet that specializes in frenchies and have her checked.If she has not been spayed yet, the exam can be done while the dr is doing the procedure. And many times if a clip is needed (which it sounds like it does) it can be done at the same time.
Vomiting like this is a symptom of elongated soft palate.

[Carolyn]

Fran gives you good advice. Have your pup checked out. Make a list of your questions and make sure he/she answers them to you statisfaction.

Regarding your comment: "at night she often starts to snort excessively and in a rapid fashion" you may want to search the internet about "reverse sneezing". This is very common with some breeds and is not necessarily a big deal. I don't know that this is what your dog is experiencing but I have seen many posts on chatrooms about this condition and would recommend that you ask your vet about it.

Good luck...we Frenchie owners wish for the best for your pup. Keep us updated and kisses to yours.

Carolyn

[Martina]

Deborah,

I was just wondering how you and your Gigi were doing with the pnemonia situation. What about your confidence in your vet? Any solutions? Just wondering ...

Martina

[GigiMcKeehan]

Deborah,

I was just wondering how you and your Gigi were doing with the pnemonia situation. What about your confidence in your vet? Any solutions? Just wondering ...

Martina

Martina,

Thank you so much for asking. I finished two more weeks of Cipro for the pneumonia in late October and thinking she seemed well I did not return for another x-ray as he had instructed. In only three or four days Gigi began an episode of distressed breathing, vomiting or coughing up froth so back we went.

He expressed displeasure with me for not returning before she finished the last of the Cipro for an x-ray to "make certain the pneumonia was totally cleared up." X-ray is taken and Dr. tells me that it would not look like there was any pheumonia if I were not telling him she had started symptoms again. So I wonder why his is upset with me when he says that if I brought in an asymptomaic dog for the x-ray he would not have seen any problem at that time.

Anyway, two more weeks of Cipro then I am to return for an x-ray to see if she is cleared up. He tells me pneumonia is difficult to clear up and sometimes takes quite a few weeks of medication. I asked about the elongated pallate and brach syndrome. He thinks she may be headed for surgery one day but is hoping that she will outgrown this when mature. At least he gave me a name of a Frenchie/English specialist in my area.

Wish us the best as Gigi is going fine now, while on Cipro.
I will keep you posted.

Deborah

[Carolyn]

Deborah...I pray that Gigi gets better soon. I am glad to hear that your vet is willing to refer you to another vet who is knowledgable about flat faced breeds. Please give us an update.

[Pattie]

Deborah:
I too am glad that your vet gave you the name of a specialist. I also hope that the cipro does the trick this time & that Gigi gets well soon.

[GigiMcKeehan]

Deborah:
I too am glad that your vet gave you the name of a specialist. I also hope that the cipro does the trick this time & that Gigi gets well soon.

Gigi was recovering fine from this last bout of pneumonia, she took Cipro for the last three weeks. After two weeks we went in for an x-ray to make sure the congestion was clearing up, x-ray looked good and she took one more week of Cipro just to be sure.

Four days after the last dose Gigi became ill again so I tried to give more medication but she was already to ill to keep the pill down. Within 24 hours she was almost comatose, unable to stand or walk, unresponsive to pain. We went to the vet on emergency Sunday morning and the chest x-ray was very bad, the blood work showed her kidney and liver functions were shutting down. The vet was baffled as to why she had multiple organ failure. Told me she would not likely survive a day or two. Today she is a little better but I have contacted a specialist and will be transferring her there in the morning.

I was so shocked when the vet told me he has no idea what is going on. I have not been able to stop crying, my heart is breaking, Gigi is my baby! She is only 10 months old and was running and playing only three days ago. The vet has a call in to LSU vet school and will update me later this evening but with all the system failures I do not hold much hope.

Deborah

[Kelly+Manja]

hi deborah
i really feel for you. With manjas degenerative condition just being diagnosed last week I really have been faced with the concept of mortalityand with the fragility of life and have desperately biin trying to find out everysingle thing that i can possibly do for him. I too have been crying for days. I hope by the time you read this letter that gigi is ok again.
Ive been looking into homeopathy for dogs and have booked manja in for acupuncture. (It is still unsure exactly how acupuncture works but basically it stimulates the nervous system and improves circulation and the flow of energy through the body) Also i have come across a German company called Supra-cell which specialises in wholistic natural medicines for animals and they seem to have had astonishing successes. When Gigi is more stable perhaps its something to try if 'normal' vetrinarian advice is not working.
Me and manja will be sending our positive vibes out to you and gigi across the seas.

[GigiMcKeehan]

Thank you so much. It helps alot to know there are others out there sharing how I feel today.

The vet just called and said he was checking her for Addison's Disease. I looked this up and she has not shown symptoms of this but I am sure he is grasping at any straw today.

More later.

Deborah

[Borgan]

Hi Deborah,

I'm so sorry you're experiencing such a hard time.
Luna sends snuffles and snorts and Frenchie love to help Gigi recover.

Keep your chin up!
Brooke.

Thank you so much. It helps alot to know there are others out there sharing how I feel today.

The vet just called and said he was checking her for Addison's Disease. I looked this up and she has not shown symptoms of this but I am sure he is grasping at any straw today.

More later.

Deborah

[Martina]

I can't believe this!! Prayers and well wishes for you and your baby ... I hope you have someone with you.

Martina

[Carolyn]

My prayers go out to Gigi. I hope they are able to get a diagnosis and help her. Carolyn

[GigiMcKeehan]

My girl is a little better but still very ill. The pneumonia is bad but she is not comatose, also the kidney function has improved greatly. I have been calling any vets, specialists and the breeders that I know for help. Some have felt the medication Cipro may have caused the liver and kidney failures. My vet did change the antibiotic yesterday from Cipro to something else after he spoke with his vet school. Maybe they recommended that Cipro was not good for young dogs as I was told. Anyway, the Addison's disease test was negative as I expected. That is good but still leaves us wondering what the problem really is, aspiration pneumonia is bad but should not cause the other symptoms of kidney and liver failure with stupor. If anyone knows anything about giving young dogs Cipro for many week on end please let me know.
Thank you all for your prayers, they must be working.
Deborah and Gigi

[Carolyn]

Deborah....I am glad to hear Gigi has some improvement. Your vet should have answered all of your questions about extensive use of cipro and frankly I am surprised that he/she kept Gigi on the drug for so long without any improvement. Gigi needs to be seen by a specialist familiar with flat faced breeds as soon as possible and get to the bottom of her problem. That is all the advice I can give. If this means traveling many miles then so be it. I had a dog years ago that was treated weekly by a speciality hospital a long ways from our home. We spent every Saturday driving her to her appointment and it was well worth the effort. I wish Gigi well.

[gilazno]

:( :mad: ugghhh this makes me both mad and sad. i am so sorry to here you and gigi are going through this. how incredibly frustrating that no one has been able to diagnose. If you have not, I would look on boxerworld.com (brother/sister site to this one) for more information on cipro. I have locked myself out after forgetting my password :o but once back in will do some searching there for you as well. I think its great that they changed the meds and that you have seen some improvement appicon keep your head up and send gigi many many many get well kisses from biggie and me.

[GigiMcKeehan]

I was able to bring Gigi home yesterday. The medication I was sent home with is Kefex, another human drug I have taken myself. She had a chest x-ray which looked better, kidney function was about normal. She is still very congested and very ill but we have an appointment with a specialist on Monday. He is a "board certified surgeon" who does much surgery on flat faced breeds. I do not feel she will be well enough by Monday to have anesthesia, diagnostic scope and surgery but we will go for the consultation.

When I asked my vet if the Cipro taken for so many weeks at such a young age could have caused kidney or liver problems, which have now gone away, he said it was not a side effect. The side effect of Cipro in dogs is cartlidge degeneration. OK, I was at his mercy at the time and I suspect he would not admit to me any poor judgement on his part anyway.

The thinking now is that Gigi probably needs pallat surgery but we will not know for sure until she is anesthestised and a scope is inserted to diagnosis the problem. At the same time any required surgery would be performed to avoid a second anesthesia.

That is all we have now. I am terrified of the surgery and anethesia.

I want to thank everyone again for your caring words and prayers. People with French bulldogs seem to have extra big hearts.

Love to all.
Deborah and Gigi

[Carolyn]

Deborah....Fran (Dari's mom) has been involved in a lot of the discussion about Gigi the past few months (and also shared a lot of good advied). She is having problems with this site.... she can read but not post. She asked that I let you know she is also holding good thoughts for little Gigi. She is very pleased that Gigi will be seen by a qualified specialist and hope for the best, as we all do. Carolyn

[GigiMcKeehan]

Deborah....Fran (Dari's mom) has been involved in a lot of the discussion about Gigi the past few months (and also shared a lot of good advied). She is having problems with this site.... she can read but not post. She asked that I let you know she is also holding good thoughts for little Gigi. She is very pleased that Gigi will be seen by a qualified specialist and hope for the best, as we all do. Carolyn

Fran, If you can read this and have any info or advice for me please e-mail at DebbieTJI@aol.com
We have the appointment in the morning. The surgeon is in this office only on Mondays and I worry that Gigi has not recovered enough to have anesthesia and surgery.

Any encouragement you can give me is appreciated.

Deborah and Gigi

[Carolyn]

Deborah...I will be thinking about you and Gigi tomorrow. Please let us know how it went. I'm glad you and Fran were able to connect. She has gained so much knowledge about Frenchies and has the biggest heart for not only this breed, but all creatures. Kisses to sweet Gigi. ;) Regards, Carolyn

[Martina]

Kisses from Gigi D and Lola!!

Gigi says, "Of course, surgery is scary but we frenchies are really lucky. We are so cute and sweet and friendly that the staff tend to take extra good care of us (which sure helps to ease our Mommies worries -- it's just good fun for me :p). I'm glad that you found a specialist for flat faced breeds. Just so you know, when I had my colonopexy, I did very well. I was only 6mos at the time and had been in and out of the hospital several times (with some anesthesia involved) prior to the major surgery, but I did very well. As a matter of fact, I was so excited to see Mommie when she arrived that I jumped into her arms and covered her face with my little kisses -- I had to make her feel better, don't ya know! If your Mommie trusts your doctor, then you will be okay."

My Gigi did surprisingly well with her surgery, as you can see. I was definitely way more nervous and concerned than she was!! Tell us about your appointment later ...

Martina

[gilazno]

biggie and i are thinking good thoughts and have fingers and paws crossed for good news:-) best of luck with the specialist.

[GigiMcKeehan]

I wanted to let everyone know that when we saw the surgeon yesterday he felt, as I did, that Gigi may not be well enough to have surgery right now. He also tells me that he does at least three pallat surgeries a week on bulldogs, but my girl is not showing typical symptoms of elongated pallet. He felt that she may have gotten aspiration pneumonia several months ago and we have just never fully cleared it up. The cause and severity lead him to think it is something unusual, he does not know what.

His plan is that she stay on Cephalexin for 8 weeks with an x-ray in 4 weeks to see how she looks. I was fine with that. Her chest was awful on his x-ray yesterday.

The surgeon believes most all bulldogs should have the pallat and nasal surgery just to help them breath easier. I was confused by that statement since he told me her problems were not consistent with elongated pallat. He says once we get her fully well and no more problems we should just have the pallat surgery anyway. Remember, this Dr. is a surgeon and all he does is surgery, no regular vet clinic.

Gigi gets to be home for the Holidays and she is feeling better each day on medication, I can take a breath now.

That you all again for your kindness.

Fran, I recieved one e-mail from you yesterday and I will reply to that in a bit. It is wonderful to have you care.

Deborah and Gigi

[Carolyn]

Deborah...I am glad Gigi is showing signs of improvement. I am as confused as you are about the vet's recommendation. I am appalled that any vet would recommend surgery just because he believes all Frenchies need to have it done. I happen to have two Frenchies that, thankfully, will never need this surgery. I hope that you and Fran were able to connect. She will likely be able to refer you to another vet. Right now the most important thing is stabilizing Gigi and then move on to what needs to be done to give her a happy, healthy life. Thank goodness you won't be breeding her (I am assuming that you wouldn't). The last thing she needs is a C-section on top of everything else she has endured. Kisses to her. Carolyn

[Martina]

thanks for the update ... i just thought of something else useful that helps to ease our human minds but, i've been told, is also pacifying for the dogs. when/if she ever does have surgery, make sure to send her with a rag or blanket that she's been sleeping with (rag so you don't care if it gets lost). since dogs are much more scent-sensitive than we are, it's supposed to help with nervousness in a new (and scary) environment. i sent my gigi in with a small blanket and one stuffed toy. i don't now if they really helped, but it did make me feel better knowing that she'd have the smell of home with her.

keeping my fingers crossed that she doesn't have to have surgery ...
martina

[Kelly+Manja]

Im so glad that gigi future is looking brighter. I would have to agree that i think the statement that all frenchies should have pallate surgery is a bit sweeping as well. Does gigi snort and snuffle excessively? Manja's breathing is fine, he never snorts. In fact he doesnt sound any different from my friends staffy. Hopefully the infection will clear up soon and her strength will improve and will be running and playing like she should be.

[GigiMcKeehan]

Gigi is feeling better and better each day now. The antibiotics always do the trick for her.
Fran has hooked me up with someone in my state who helps with resuce and has a vet she likes and trusts. I called them a few minutes ago and the surgeon only takes patients by referral. Fine, I will just make an appointment at their clinic and request a consultation/referral to him. I plan to keep Gigi on the Keflex for the four weeks, get throught Christmas, and then go there for a follow up or second opionion.

Martina, I always take the "puppy towel" to the vet when Gigi is sick and leave it if she has to stay. The last time we traveled I boarded my Skye terror, Gizmo, his towel and favorite toys were sent along but obviously never removed from the bag I sent them in when we picked him up. I was livid. That is just mean.

Keep us in your prayers as we are not out of the woods yet.

Love to all,

Debbie and Gigi