The Operation

Basically, they made a hole in her trachea (windpipe) and then stitched the skin around this hole to its outer edges.  Although they used tubes going into her windpipe during the operation and for a day or two afterwards, it was always meant to be just a hole, no tubes.  So this is what we got when we picked her up.  A pug with a hole in her neck.  I must admit to being shocked at the small size, and neatness of it!  I was expecting something akin to a gunshot wound.  There were stitches right in the inside edges of the hole, and some above and below where the initial incision into her neck skin was made. 
When these had to come out, she had to be put under again, as these inner stitches were impossible to get at with a conscious dog.  The red marks above the tracheostomy are from her scratching herself, thankfully she could not reach the hole itself, however she has had to be 'booted' for a lot of the time after the operation to stop such self inflicted damage occurring.