Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy's facial burn fixed using ear skin flap surgery
By Swainson, S W et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1998·Affiliated Veterinary Specialists, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Reconstruction of a facial defect using the ear pinna as a composite flap.
Plain-English summary
A four-month-old female pit bull was brought in for treatment of severe burn wounds on her face and ear. The burns caused a large area of skin to contract, which affected her eyelids and made it hard for her to blink, putting her at risk for eye problems. The veterinarian used skin from her ear to repair the damaged area on her face. After the surgery, the puppy's eyelid function returned to normal, and the repair was successful.
People also search for: puppy burn treatment · dog eyelid problems · pit bull ear flap surgery
Abstract
A four-month-old, female pit bull was evaluated for multiple, resolving, second- and third-degree burn wounds. The convex surface of the left pinna was severely burned and distorted. Contraction of a large (6 cm by 4 cm), facial cutaneous defect had resulted in contracture of surrounding normal skin and dorsal displacement of both upper eyelids. Decreased ability to blink predisposed the puppy to exposure keratitis. The cutaneous facial defect was repaired using the left pinna as a composite skin flap. Surgery resulted in a successful repair of the defect and immediate return of normal eyelid function.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9728471/