Doctors at AVCC Perform Brachycephalic Airway Surgery for Gus Gus
If you’ve ever met Gus Gus, you know he’s all heart—and all hustle. The playful 3-year-old Frenchie can barely contain his excitement when it comes to chasing balls, cuddling with family, or just taking a walk. But behind the adorable snorts and wiggles was a serious issue: Gus Gus was struggling to breathe.
“It was a very limited quality of life for him,” says Lesly Martinez, his devoted mom. “He would come in completely exhausted from a short walk. I would even go late in the day when the sun was already down. He was tired and sleeping a lot and the snoring was loud. I knew I had to do something sooner than later.”
Gus Gus was showing signs of brachycephalic airway syndrome, a congenital condition common in flat-faced breeds like French and English Bulldogs. Dogs with this syndrome have narrow nostrils, elongated soft palates, and other anatomic issues that make breathing a daily challenge.
Lesly did her research and knew she wanted a board-certified veterinary surgeon to perform brachycephalic airway surgery, to give Gus Gus a better quality of life. “I came across Advanced Veterinary Care Center and fell in love with Dr. A.” (AVCC’s Board Certified Director of Surgery, Dr. Shiara Arulpragasm) “She answered all my questions. We went over my concerns and she explained the process. I received an estimate and I like that everything was up front and there were no surprises. I also wanted Gus Gus somewhere I knew he would have 24 hour care and not send him home the same day. They told me I could call anytime day or night. Everyone there is absolutely wonderful.”
Gus Gus was diagnosed with Stage 1 laryngeal collapse. If left untreated, it could have become life threatening. To improve Gus Gus’s breathing, Dr. A. and the team at AVCC performed a soft palate resection, which involves trimming part of the soft tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth. Surgery was also performed to widen his nostrils.
Today, Gus Gus is doing great and enjoying all of his favorite things according to Lesly. “It’s been a fantastic change…a dramatic change and he sounds great,” she adds.
She also talked about how her pet insurance plan was a lifesaver when it came to paying for the elective surgery. “Honestly, it helped tremendously. We were grateful for that,” she adds. Lesly is also thankful for the expert specialty care she received at Advanced Veterinary Care Center. “You feel like you are at home there. I highly recommend them with my eyes closed. I have no doubt that every physician, nurse and worker was hand selected to be there.”
About Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome
Brachycephalic airway syndrome is caused by multiple abnormalities in dogs such as pugs or bulldogs, which leads them to have more trouble breathing than dogs that have a longer snout. The most common components of this syndrome are a narrow trachea, narrow nostrils and a long soft palate. We cannot change the diameter of the trachea, but we can widen the nostrils and shorten the soft palate surgically. We recommend airway surgery in dogs with these abnormalities to help them breath more easily and also to help prevent laryngeal collapse in the future. Laryngeal collapse occurs secondary to long term increased negative pressure in the airway which weakens the laryngeal cartilage leading to collapse.
About Advanced Veterinary Care Center –
South Florida’s Premier Veterinary Emergency Hospital
We Have a Fully Staffed Veterinary Emergency Hospital
We have the largest team of veterinary emergency doctors and nurses in South Florida. Our emergency doctors are internship trained and have years of experience in emergency medicine. Every person on our ER team is RECOVER certified (basic and advanced life support/CPR training).
A Collaborative Approach to Veterinary Care
Our emergency doctors are supported 24/7 by our team of board-certified veterinary specialists. We work as a team to provide the best possible outcomes for pets and their people. Great veterinary medical care is a team sport – our collaborative approach and the quality of our team give patients the best chances for the best possible outcomes. We have earned a reputation for handling the most challenging cases because of our team and our approach.
Board Certification. It Matters!
Board certification in an accredited veterinary specialty is the only accepted standard for expertise in veterinary medicine. Our experts are all board certified in their specialties and they have collectively published over 30 peer-reviewed publications in veterinary medical journals.
We Have a State-Of-The-Art Facility
Including a full in-house lab, canine and feline blood products, a brand new 32-slice Fuji CT unit, surgical suites, minimally invasive surgical equipment, flexible and rigid endoscopy, mechanical ventilator, blood products and all equipment and services necessary for state-of-the-art care.
Centrally Located, Easily Accessible, and Worth the Drive.
We are 20 minutes from most of Broward County and 45-60 minutes from much of Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties.
We are Privately Owned and Operated.
The owners of AVCC are full-time veterinarians and active members of our community.
Advanced Veterinary Care Center in Davie (Broward County) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. If you have any questions regarding our services, please feel free to call us anytime at 954-500-8387 or visit us online here