Preparing for your dog's BOAS surgery
Admission slots for BOAS surgery are usually booked only on a Monday morning.
Fasting
Please offer the last meal between 8 -10pm the night before surgery. Water should be freely available.
Please bring a portion of your dogs’ own diet with you for us to feed them after surgery.
Medication
Please ensure that you have enough of the antacid medication to continually last up until surgery and for four weeks postoperatively. More medication can be obtained from your vets or from us if required.
If you are unable to give the medication on the day of surgery without food please inform the nurse. We can give an injectable dose when in the hospital.
Post operative care
We prefer to send patients home on the same day as their surgery, to minimise the stress of being hospitalised. Dogs are much calmer and more settled at home.
You will receive a phone update after the operation, when we can organise a discharge appointment.
There may be a temporary deterioration with regurgitation immediately after surgery due to the anaesthetic, surgery or stress. This usually settles down within a week but may take longer.
If you have any concerns or questions at any point feel free to call the hospital.
Your journey home
- It is important that the car is kept as cool as possible - air conditioning on if able.
- Have a large bottle of water on standby for cooling.
- A cool mat can be helpful to sit on for the journey.
- It is helpful to have another person in the car with you (if possible).
- Please keep your pet as upright as possible, either propped, tilted, or held up.
Follow up
You will not usually need to return to the hospital for any follow up appointments, all post-operative checks will be performed at your local vets.
The Soft Tissue Nurse will be in touch to see how you are getting on.
To do the very best to ensure that the risk of reflux or regurgitation during surgery is minimised, please follow the management strategies as strictly as possible.
Follow up
You will not usually need to return to the hospital for any follow up appointments, all post-operative checks will be performed at your local vets.
The Soft Tissue Nurse will be in touch to see how you are getting on.
To do the very best to ensure that the risk of reflux or regurgitation during surgery is minimised, please follow the management strategies as strictly as possible.
What to expect following BOAS surgery
The first 24 - 48 hours
The first 24 - 48 hours
- Your pet will feel groggy following the anaesthetic.
- Offer several small meals of their softened, normal diet little and often.
- It is normal for appetite to be poor – Do not change the diet at this point as this can worsen reflux. Let us know if you are struggling to give oral medications.
- Offer water as normal – your pet has had fluids whilst in the hospital, so do not worry if no interest yet.
- We expect that reflux and regurgitation may be worse following surgery – monitor this and inform us if this worsens significantly.
- Some fresh blood from the nares (nose) sutures is normal at this point – cleaning this area is not required. Monitor for patient interference/rubbing – a buster collar may be needed.
- Bowel movements may not occur for 24-48hrs
- Restrict exercise and play. Limit exercise to short trips to garden on lead to toilet only.
- Keep the environment cool and continue with cooling strategies.
- Keep upright as much as possible.
Book an appointment for a check up at your referring vet within 48hrs.
48 hours - 1 week
48 hours - 1 week
- Energy levels should start to improve over the coming days.
- Appetite should start to improve.
- Bowel movement expected.
- Reflux and regurgitation should start to improve – if this is not the case and these are worsening, let us know – your pet may need fluids/injectable medications at your referring vet.
- Continue to limit exercise/play to short walks on the lead only.
- Scabs should have formed on the nares (nose) – suture material should still be visible.
- Keep the environment cool and continue with cooling strategies.
Book a follow up appointment at your referring vet one week following surgery.
4 weeks following surgery
4 weeks following surgery
- Start to increase exercise slowly back to normal levels over the coming weeks.
- Keep the environment cool – continue with cooling strategies.
- Nares (nose) suture material may have dissolved by now.
- Stop antacid medication now and monitor for worsening reflux/regurgitation.
Book final check-up appointment at your referring vet.
Some dogs can have irritation from the soft palate suture material. This can cause gagging, retching, or coughing. This can take some time to resolve as the suture material can last for several months.