Bulldogs World

http://www.bulldogsworld.com/f/bulldog-medical-health/experience-maxille...

I posted a question to this forum in September, and thought that I'd leave a note about my recent experience with UPenn.  My bulldog Natasha had a large mass on the outside of her upper gum.  This mass (an epulis) projected 1.5 cm from her gum and was about 2cm wide.  It was getting to the point that my bully girl dropped her food during meals.

My first sugical consults were with dental surgeons in Maryland.  Both consults were very similar - a look at the mass, followed by a short wait, a 10 minute overview of a horrifying maxillectomy (saw some portion of the jaw off), and a very expensive estimate.

In early October, my wife and I drove to Philadelphia to see dental specialists at UPenn.  During this appointment, the doctors conducted an examination, took a complete history and gave us a very thorough overview of fibromatous and ossifying epulides.  At the end of this 2 hour session, UPenn doctos recommended surgery _after_ our dog lost 5 lbs.  Evidently, this type of mass grows very slowly so the emphasis was on the safety of the anesthesia.

Home for 3 months, we put Natasha on a diet combined with more long walks.

At the beginning of this month Natasha weighed ~5lbs less and UPenn surgery was a "go".  We traveled to Philadelphia and Natasha was given another examination.  We confirmed that surgery was the best course, and discussed details of the surgery and recovery.  I watched the doctors lead Natasha away.

On the day of surgery, I received three calls.  First call was about possible soft tissue reduction (why hadn't this been discussed before?), second was after the surgery (very reassuring for me), and the third was at the end of the day to give a long description of post-surgical recovery.

The day after surgery, UPenn called four times to talk to me about Natasha's progress and the possibility of complications from regurgitation during the surgery.  The docs were very cautious and recommended xrays to look for pneumonia. Worried parents, we agreed.

Two days after surgery our doctor called to tell us that our girl was ready to go home.  We were in the car in less than 15 minutes.  When we arrived in Philadelphia, we had a very long discussion about the surgery, recovery, mediations, and follow-up care.  All discussion points were in a written document.  Our doctor emphasized use of the 24-hour emergency line in case we had any problems or quesitons.

Our girl has recovery very well since last Friday and is now alert, hungry, energetic and ready to go on a walk or for a ride.  I think that UPenn provided very good assessment, surgical services as well as access to a group of people who really seemed to care about our bully.