Parotid Duct Transposition

[hoppes7]

What are the problems during and after surgery?

[timhopkins66]

It is saddening to see the instant distrust that owners adopt when their pets medical/surgical case is not an instant success.

The overwhelming majority of vets are diligent caring professionals. All medical and surgical therapies have failures and this is the same for human medicine.

Do not assume just because your case is complicated and expensive that you have been mistreated. By all means, ask questions and be aware of the risks. Many dogs find relief from the PDT surgery after a long period of experimentation with medical treatments. The fact that a small percentage do not respond well does not mean your vet was negligent/uncaring/uninformed.

Tim

[mel863]

I have a 3 year old Min Pin whom has dry eye.  Left eye surgery was about 3 months ago and went wonderful with no problems.  Tuesday we have done the right eye, I am really worried about her eye this time being or healing right....the swelling is alot worse this time, she doesn't want to drink or eat very much, and she has gooky looking stuff coming from her incision and mouth area, and she also constantly is licking the collar that is around her head to protect her eye like her mouth is dry. (not sure if casue she is not eating or what). Also this eye does not produce much fluid as did the last one did.  We did not have any of this the first time.  Just wondering if I am not giving it enough time to heal or if maybe something has went wrong.

[Cutiekitty]

Unfortunately, KCS that  isn't responsive to cyclosporine or tacrolimus, is a lifelong condition for a dog and it's owner. There is not a  surgical "cure." If a veterinarian recommends PDT surgery, it is because the current condition of the patient's eyes would likely improve after the procedure, even with the surgical side effects considered. I know the frustration first hand as I am a veterinary technician who has worked in veterinary ophthalmology. I am also the loving owner to a three year old mix breed dog, diagnosed with KCS at three months of age. She has never been responsive to medications, and my husband and I are currently preparing to have the PDT preformed on her. My best advice to those in this same situation is 1) Sometimes "managing" a condition is the closest thing to a "cure," and 2) Find a veterinarian who doesn't rush you into a decision. One who will take the time to answer questions and give you all of the facts, good and bad, so that you can weigh your current situation against your possible future situation. All patients and owners are individual cases. When a vet tells you The Best Possible Outcome, know that there are also many Gray Areas, as well as A Worst Possible Outcome. There is no way of knowing which area your pet will fall post operatively. When a vet tells you that your pet is A Good Candidate for a surgery, he or she has no way of knowing exactly how things will turn out in the end. The hope is always to bring comfort to your dog, physically, and to you, emotionally.

[gale157]

I just want to tell you that we had the surgery done on my 12 pound miniature schnauzer and I am so thankful every day that we did.  I don't know about bulldogs but it definately does work on small dogs.  It's been over a year now.  Yes, there were complications and trouble at first and he squinted every time he ate for a month or so.  Now he's adjusted to it and is the happiest little boy in the world.  I have to put EDTA drops in his eyes once a day and that is absolutely no trouble at all.  He's not in pain and he isn't going blind as he would have without the surgery.  

[sasha0803]

Natural tears have antibacterial properties, so it is not surprising that bacterial infections are common with dry eye. Cyclosporine /tacrolimus have been shown to decrease ocular bacterial infection because of improved tear production. In severe KCS with poor tear response to the treatment there is a lot of mucus. This mucus is food for bacterial growth . These bacteria may not be disease-causing bacteria but need to be controlled. It’s important  to give mild OTC antibacterial drops(et polysporin )every two three days. This will eliminate inflammation and green mucus and also the need for genteal gel application  from 6-8 times a day to 2 to 3 times a day.

[bully2011]

I have an english bulldog with dry eye since she had surgery to remove her cherry eye 4 years ago.  The last 3 years have been very bad.  I give tacrolimous 2x and genteal severe.
She always winds up getting infected so every month she goes on antibotics.  Her new opthamolgist gives her simiplex antibiotics but cephalexinn 500mg 2x daily always works too.  I am so sick of this regiment of giving the poor dog eyedrops, she runs from me and I dont blame her.  She always gets treats after the drops.  I have spared no expense on Lola.  She has been on the best food.  I went the raw (BARF) route for many years thinking it was a food allergy.  We live in the Wash DC area and I noticed that her best time is winter. Her worst are fall and spring when the molds are growing outside.  I also went the holistic route and I do think that acupunture works somewhat.  Also, homeopathic remedies worked for a while.  Recently I started cooking brown rice and givning lots of it and I noticed she was better.  I recently ran out of fish oil and I noticed she is worse, so that definitely helps.  Her opthamolgist discussed the surgery but says it does not work on small dogs much, but on big dogs it works.  Lola is a medium 50lb dog and the vet never did it on a bulldog. The vet said you are trading one problem for another with the mineral buildup but the dog will be more comfortable.  After reading the negatives posted, and the fact that you still have to give drops, makes me decide not to do it.