Clinical Approach to Cleft Lip and Palate with or Without Surgical Correction in Ten Brachycephalic Puppies

Congenital defects are among the leading causes of neonatal mortality in small animals. Among them, cleft palate is one of the most commonly found malformations in dogs. Appropriate clinical management and surgical correction are determining factors for the survival of puppies affected by this alteration. Thus, the objective of this study is to describe 10 clinical cases of successful clinical management of cleft palate, highlighting the therapeutic strategies used, the results obtained, and the evolution of patients after treatment. Ten neonatal dogs of three breeds were treated by the Small Animal Reproduction Service of FMVZ, Unesp-Botucatu: French Bulldog (6), Pug (3), and American Bully (1) presented with cleft palate at birth or during the first week of age. Patients underwent clinical and nutritional management, in addition to immunological support. At four months of age, the patients underwent medially positioned flap repair. The animals were fed via an esophageal tube for 10 days after surgery. The clinical management proved to be effective since, throughout the follow-up, the animals showed good development and did not present complications arising from the cleft palate, and the surgical procedures were successful, restoring the quality of life of the animals.