6 minute read
Saving Cleft Palate Pups!
WRITTEN BY CHELSEA SALERNO Copy Editor
We’ve all seen the heartbreaking Operation Smile commercials featuring children with cleft palates from around the world, but did you know that dogs can have cleft palates as well? A cleft palate is when a baby is born with an opening (cleft) in the roof of the mouth leaving a hole between the nose and mouth. This occurs due to a failure of the roof of the mouth to close during development in the roof and is a relatively common condition that affects around 25% of all puppies. Purebred dogs have a higher incidence of cleft palate, and brachycephalic breeds with their short stubby faces are most commonly affected. Cleft palates may occur more commonly in Boston terriers, Pekingese, bulldogs, miniature schnauzers, beagles, cocker spaniels, boxers and dachshunds. Although genetics is considered the main cause of this problem, nutritional deficiencies, viruses, and poisons that affect the mother during pregnancy may also increase the risk of cleft palates.
A cleft palate is often noticed when a newborn puppy is not gaining weight and eating well. This exam finding is a key indicator that there may be a cleft palate inside the puppy’s mouth if it’s not already visible. Since there are a few different kinds of cleft palates, it may not be externally visible and the inside of the mouth will need to be examined. The roof or back of the mouth will have an opening in it if the dog has a cleft palate. A small light or special oral examination tool called a laryngoscope may be needed to see the opening, especially in a small puppy. Occasionally sedation is needed to examine this abnormality. Repairing a cleft palate often requires multiple surgeries by specialized boardcertified veterinary dentists and surgeons. Each surgery and post-op hospitalization can range from $5,000 to $10,000 or more, so many of these puppies are euthanized. Luckily there are rescues out there with the sole mission to help pups out there with a cleft palate, like our cover model Tennison Mars!
Tennison Mars is a unilateral cleft lip and cleft palate boxer pup who was saved and raised by a wonderful foster of Save The Clefts Rescue. He is currently 1 year and 5 months old, living his best life not having a clue he is different. Tenny’s foster mom is now his forever mom and he travels the country with her visiting some amazing places, swimming every chance he gets, and acts as an ambassador for the rescue at events and fundraisers. He has also helped raise many other special needs puppies in his short life and always looks forward to reuniting and visiting with them after they’ve been adopted by amazing families!
Save The Clefts Rescue was founded out of a desire to save special needs animals that are often euthanized at birth. The founder had been saving pups on her own for a number of years but realized she needed help to advocate, educate and take on the financial responsibility for these special animal’s lives so she formed a 501c3 Nonprofit Rescue in 2018. Originally founded in NC, the rescue now has fosters in SC, GA, VA, PA, OH, and MO with volunteers in many other states that help get these amazing pups to trained fosters quickly. Cleft palate and lip puppies biggest hurdles are the inability to suckle at birth because of their deformity. Each call about a puppy is an emergency because they need to be fed as soon as possible after birth. Volunteers drop everything to run and pick up puppies to get them fed. The puppies are tube fed around the clock every 2-3 hours until they are weaned onto kibble.
Save The Clefts Rescue is blessed with volunteer pilots, ground transport, around-the-clock caregivers, and event/fundraising volunteers. There is also a nationwide network of volunteers for special animals which is incredible; rescues and rescuers across the country come together to help save thousands of lives a year. Save The Clefts Rescue is currently 100% volunteer and most of their fosters have full-time jobs that allow them to bring puppies, incubators, and supplies to work to provide nonstop care. The rescue’s fosters dedicate countless sleep-deprived nights to tube-feeding pups just like a newborn baby requires, except the fosters don’t get daycare services. This type of rescuing is like no other and it is truly a calling that is not for the faint at heart. Fosters are true parents to these puppies, which not only forms an incredible bond, but also makes it extremely difficult to let them go to their forever families. As if sleep deprivation wasn’t enough, they then hand them over with tears in their eyes when the perfect family comes along. But that’s what they do! Raise these perfect babies to go out and be amazing inspirations for very deserving families! All the volunteers gladly do this and love what they do.
After a few weeks of tube feeding, kibble is introduced and once they figure this out they go on to live amazing lives. To date no corrective cleft surgeries have been performed on any of their cleft puppies and the rescue is currently involved with Dr Kyle Matthews and Dr Sam Monck at NC State Vet Hospital in Durham NC with the help of Dr Angie Finkes of Brawley Animal Hospital in Mooresville NC, in a study they are conducting on Quality of Life Without Cleft Repair Surgery. The goal of the study is to avoid unnecessary surgeries that could possibly fail because Dr Matthews states, “ Most cleft repair surgeries partially fail”, so why do that if they do not have chronic infections or health complications because of it. The rescue has now saved hundreds of pups and 2 kittens and none have needed repair surgery. They are very excited about the study and are eager for it to be published.
Future goals of the rescue include becoming more active in the human cleft community. Training some of their dogs as therapy dogs to visit cleft affected children in hospitals and clinics is a huge goal and they believe this would have a lasting impact on the children’s lives. To date, they have adopted five puppies to families with cleft-affected children and the impact has been incredible. Difference is now celebrated and empowering #whyfitinwhenyouwereborntostandout. It would be amazing to impact many more lives in such a powerful way.
Follow along with Tennison Mars and all the other amazing puppies at @savetheclefts on Facebook and IG.If you need help with a cleft puppy or would like to volunteer or adopt please see our social media sites or website www.savetheclefts.com for contact information. ■
