When to have pallate surgery??

[OliveOyl]

Hello all,

I know that some things have been written about the pallate surgery, but I am getting some conflicting things about when to have it done. Just a little background: Olive has had bronchitis twice and has what the vet calls moderate stenotic nares. She doesn't throw up white foam daily, but has done it a few times before. Originally I thought I would have her soft pallate and stenotic nares fixed when it was time for her to be spayed.

Well, my vet called a friend that works at a surgery center in town as they do not feel comfortable performing the stenotic nares surgery in their office. His friend said that it's best to have the stenotic nares/soft pallate fixed around 11 months as Olive will be finished growing then. He has performed this surgery as early as five months old, but that it is possible for her face to change and for her to need the surgery again when done this early.

On the other hand, my vet recommends Olive be spayed before her first heat in order to reduce mammory cancer risks. It seems like a lot of people on this thread have had both surgeries done at the same time as to prevent having their puppy be under anesthesia more than once. My vet says, however, that if he were me he would get her spayed and then have the breathing surgery later.

I have absolutely no idea what to do. :( Should I get a second opinion? I know of a vet in town that owns Frenchies. I almost started crying on the phone with the vet because I just want to make sure that I don't do anything to put her in danger. Anyone have any advise? Thank you.

[gravy]

But I would definetely check out the vet with frenchies.
I go miles out of the way to get to my vet who owns
and works on frenchies. Even then there is never any
guarantees, but someone who knows about these guys
and their special requirements would be a better choice.

greg

[OliveOyl]

...and he said that Olive definitely needs her nostrils widened, but that he couldn't tell about the pallate and would have to check under anesthesia. He said that most likely he would only be correcting her nostrils when she got spayed. He also said that I should be prepared for her "look" to change. I have searched on the internet and can't seem to find before and after pictures. Does anyone have any/any input? I'm obviously going to get them fixed (I think she's beautiful no matter what appicon) but I would like to be able to get an idea of what her no longer smushed nose will look like!

[Pink Lady]

Just read your message, don't know if you had the surgery or not yet. I know exactly all of your queries and worries, I was in exactly the same situation with my pup last year. I lived in Spain at the time where Frenchies are very popular more so than here in the UK. My pup used to make what they call a stridor sound through his nostrils when he breathed in, not always but often when he was sleeping. He also reversed sneezed a few times, brought up bile 2/3 times when playing and looked like he was swallowing something sometimes when he wasn't, he also snored more often than not and his chest seemed to really pull in hard when he breathed in sometimes. He was by no means a bad case and the vets and surgeon I spoke to said it is entirely my choice although they all said they would recommend soft pallate surgery for just about all Frenchies as it dramatically improves their quality of life. I researched and researched, I read every article and spoke to every vet and surgeon I could. I decided I couldn't not give him a chance to live a more normal life without discomfort or restriction. He was done at the age of 10 months (recommended by the surgeon) at the same time as he was castrated. I found a surgeon with a good reputation and with lots of experience in these surgeries. Although it was worrying and stressful he recovered perfectly in 3 weeks and is now like a different dog in many respects. You wouldn't even know he had is nostrils operated on, I have before and after photos if you would like to see. In the UK vets advise a bitch to have her first heat before they spay so you may want to look into this more as it could mean you can wait and have it all done at once. I won't go on too much as you may have already made up your mind but if you have any questions no matter how silly they seem please feel free to ask xx