At AESH of Byron Center, we are fortunate to have two board-certified surgeons on staff. Because of this, we can help patients with a wide range of injuries and conditions. One such condition, called Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome, was recently corrected on a 6-year-old French Bulldog named Vader.

Vader came to see us after his rDVM suggested a consultation due to his difficulty breathing and exercise intolerance. His owner reported that Vader’s airway obstructs at least once a day but thankfully, he doesn’t pass out or get cyanotic. He could only go for walks for twenty minutes before flopping on the ground and needing to be carried the rest of the way.

His owner wanted to do everything she could to give him a better quality of life so when Dr. Jones recommended surgical correction, she was all-in.

A sedated upper airway exam was performed prior to intubation. The nares were severely stenotic. The soft palate was severely elongated. The laryngeal saccules were everted. The tonsils were hypertrophied but within the crypts. There was stage II laryngeal collapse.

Dr. Jones performed an Alar Fold Wedge Resection to widen Vader’s nares and improve airflow. She also performed a Staphylectomy (Soft Palate Resection) to trim the elongated soft palate to a more appropriate length as well as a Laryngeal Sacculectomy to remove the everted laryngeal saccules.

We kept Vader overnight after his procedure to ensure he was recovering well. By 9pm, his breathing was normal and quiet. His pain was well-managed with Pre-gabalin and Carprofen post-op and he was back to eating with a normal appetite!

Vader has healed well at home and his owner is so thankful for this outcome.

“We are so excited with the results of his surgery! He’s doing so so so well. (Except he’s too quiet now and I don’t hear him sneak up on me!) I will say this procedure had me really worried. I work in medical and know how painful throat surgeries can be, and with the breathing issues Frenchies have, I tend to be anxious. But talking with Dr. Jones was very reassuring. She answered all of my questions thoroughly and was sure to check my understanding. I was pleased with her walkthrough of the procedure and anesthesia process. Day of surgery the staff was wonderful and took good care of him while going over discharge instructions. Then Dr. Jones called about the surgery and, again, thoroughly discussed what happened and reassured me that this was the right step to take for Vader’s health. After picking him up, we agree. He’s been able to breathe better, play harder and snore less (hallelujah!).”