Soft Pallet Reduction

[puggy_puggy]

I have a foster puggy that is undergoing Soft Pallet Reduction and most likely laryngeal saccule removal/reduction.

She is also being desexed.

Question to those that have had dogs undergo Soft Pallet surgery is do they prescribe pain killers and antibiotics to take home afterwards? On the quote sheet the vet has given me they have listed Rimadyl Chewables and Clavulox.

Now I am thinking that a dog that has had surgery to it's throat could in no way swallow the Rimadyl let alone the bit chunky tablets that Clavulox are. Would these have been prescribed for the desexing? I know he has tried to prescribe both drugs to other dogs I have had desexed but I have declined.

I don't feel that dogs need take home painkillers or antibiotics after desexing but as I have never had a dog undergo throat surgery I don't know if they are needed.

Wouldn't a liquid painkiller be more suitable if she needs it?

[Rappie]

Yes and yes.

The Rimadyl is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory as you would know. Any trauma to soft tissue (including surgery) can cause inflammation of the tissue, and although the soft palate resection is helping to improve the brachycephalic situation any swelling of the caudal pharynx is potentially a problem. The Rimadyl will help to minimise the swelling, I would expect that there would also be an injection given at the time of surgery to cover the first 24 hours, but this may be included in the anaesthetic cost. Both the Rimadyl tablets and chews for a small dog are of a reasonably small size that could either be hidden or crushed in soft food.

Antibiotics are also a given for oral surgery - the mouth is full of bacteria. They are NOT indicated for sterile surgery such as a spey unless the surgery time exceeds 90mins or there was a breach of sterility. Again, the tablets can be crushed in soft food.

[puggy_puggy]

Thankyou Rappie.

She came home last night and did have Soft Pallet and laryngeal saccule resections as well as desexing and is doing great. She is a little trouper and one of the fastest to bounce back from GA that I have had. Amazing seeing she would have been under for a fair bit longer for both the desexing and throat to be done.

She is on Prednisolone, obviously to stop any excess swelling in the throat, and the Clavulox. I got a bit mixed up thinking Clavulox were chunky white tablets, they are only little pink ones. She was given Dexafort and Moxylan injections.

Her breathing is still a little noisey but I suspect her throat is swollen.

[Clyde]

Don't forget soft food too :D

My Bulldog went through this at the beginning of the year.

Do we get to see a pic?

[Steve]

We have now posted our first minor questionaire on our website.

Its designed to collect info to help us try to see patterns in the issues dogs suffer with

We're asking for everyone who has had or who still has a sick dog to

give us a few minutes to answer the questions for us. You will need to re do it for each dog

and if its something that's happening now you are able to go back and update the info.

It comes up as a pop up or a link at the top under survey on the front page of our website.

www.mdba.net.au

Julie

[puggy_puggy]

Thanks Clyde. How long should I keep up with the soft foods for?

How long do you think it will take for the full effect of the throat surgery to occur? She still is huffing and puffing when she gets worked up. But I think that it isn't as bad as before.

The vet actually showed me the tissues that he cut out.

This is the first pug that I have had that I have thought something needs to be done about it's breathing. We have no history on her as she was rescued from a pound, would have been killed because no one claimed her.

[Clyde]

Geez I can't remember exactly. I think it was 4-6 days (the soft food that is).

Mildreds huffing got worse before it got better. I guess from the swelling. The difference in her after about 1-2 weeks was amazing!! Mildred really roared just from moving a metre. The bulldog vet said she'd never seen anything like it, lol.

[puggy_puggy]

Mildreds huffing got worse before it got better. I guess from the swelling. The difference in her after about 1-2 weeks was amazing!!

I sort of guessed it would take a few weeks to settle down because of swelling but it's good to get it confirmed.

[aj88]

I don't feel that dogs need take home painkillers or antibiotics after desexing but as I have never had a dog undergo throat surgery I don't know if they are needed.

WHAT???? Pain killers should be used after desexing, id like to see you go through an ovariohysterectomy and not have any pain killers.

[puggy_puggy]

WHAT???? Pain killers should be used after desexing, id like to see you go through an ovariohysterectomy and not have any pain killers.

Dogs get a long lasting pain killer injection whilst at the vets. They do not need, get, any take home pain killers.

In my experience of having many many many pugs desexed, at quite a few different vets, the only time take home pain killers were given was for a bitch that had just come off heat. Everyone of those pugs coped absolutley fine without any take home pain killers and after the GA had worn off were back to themselves.

This particular pug that I mentioned in my OP did not get any take home pain killers either.

[aj88]

usually the pain killer they are given is in the pre med which last about 8 hours and also given an anti inflammatory injection which is 24 hours. Pretty sure that a surgery like that your going to feel pretty painful for more than one day.

We give the client the option of extra pain relief buyt we do advise it, its just our standards of care that every patient that has endured surgery shall be given extra pain relief. No Doctor would ever send home a human patient without pain relief that would undergo a surgery like that, animals should be any different.

There is a higher chance of infection if the patient is painful after surgery and it also delays recovery time.

[puggy_puggy]

No Doctor would ever send home a human patient without pain relief that would undergo a surgery like that, animals should be any different.

As a trainee vet nurse you should know that animals have less pain receptors then humans. And in general cope much better with surgery then humans do.

If we are specifically comparing a human total hysterectomy to a dogs then firstly in humans for cosmetic reasons we cut across the stomach muscles whereas in dogs we cut in between which is far less traumatic.

Why pump your animals with unnecessary drugs if you don't have to?

[aj88]

As a TRAINEE vet nurse yes i do know this but as a TRAINEE vet nurse i am still learning.

Since animals cannot tell us verbally when they are in pain, we must always treat for anticipated or presumed pain. Why would you want to deny your animal pain relief when it may in fact need it. Yes animals show signs of being in pain but still you cant always be sure.

I guess our standars of care are just a little higher than those of other clinics, but have known this for a long time because the standards of care at most clinics make me sick.