Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy with short soft palate treated with pharyngeal flap surgery
By Sylvestre, A M & Sharma, A·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1997·Department of Clinical Studies, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Management of a congenitally shortened soft palate in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-week-old puppy was brought to the vet because of a runny nose and was diagnosed with a congenitally shortened soft palate, which can cause breathing issues. The vet performed surgery to partially rebuild the soft palate using tissue from the puppy's tonsils. After the surgery, the puppy had a few episodes of bad breath, sneezing, and nasal discharge, but these improved with antibiotics. The puppy was fed dry food and needed to drink from an elevated bowl to avoid water coming out of its nose. Overall, the puppy managed well after the surgery with some adjustments to its care.
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Abstract
An 8-week-old puppy that was examined because of a nasal discharge was found to have a congenitally shortened soft palate. The palate was partially rebuilt with pharyngeal flaps constructed from the tonsillar crypts. The reconstructed soft palate extended approximately 40% of the distance between the caudal aspect of the hard palate and rostral tip of the epiglottis. During the first 18 months after surgery, the dog had 3 episodes of halitosis, sneezing, and mucopurulent nasal discharge but responded to antimicrobial treatment. The dog was fed dry dog food and drank water from an elevated bowl. Water would flow from the dog's nose if it drank water with its head lowered. Compensatory mechanisms likely play an important role in the outcome of animals with this condition.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9333090/