Post Soft Pallet Surgery

Question
Our 7.5yr old Bulldog is a special needs guy.. He had a TPO, a hip replacement and both knees done in his first two years, he came out of those quickly and has been great.  He's always been a snorer and as he got older would barf more and more of his food up. We opted to do the soft pallet last week Thursday and his breathing is much better but ever since the surgery 4 days ago he can barely sit, can't walk.  It was suppossed to be an easy out patient surgery but he needed an overnight stay. He had sleep apnea and stopped breathing while in the hospital's care. We are unsure how long he stopped breathing. He has feeling in all limbs but is NOT the dog he was before. When he is not sleeping peacfully he is panting. He gets snappy when we try and move him to another position. I am wondering if he's in pain because this is out of character.  He is eating food we ran thru the food processor and feed by syringe.  He gets severely stressed at the vet and they sedate him so we hate to take him there again so soon when he is relaxing most of the time at home. It's scary and any advise is appreciated.

Answer
I think I would have been hard pressed to put a 7.5 yr. old Bulldog through palate resectioning unless it was a life or death situation.  Poor guy, he's totally freaked out. I would just keep him quiet and be very patient with him. Sometimes it takes a long time for the anesthesia to work it's way out of their system, plus, as you mentioned, he stopped breathing at the hospital. Who knows if there may be slight brain damage as a result?  Just don't put too many demands on him until he's feeling better and I would give him at least another week before you make that determination.