When Finn was born in July 2021, his foster mother noticed he was not eating and was cold and lethargic. When she brought him to Houston K-911 Shelter (Houston, TX), they discovered Finn had a cleft palate. Since he hadn’t eaten, his little body was shutting down. Something needed to be done — and done soon.
A cleft palate is common in dogs and children. In Finn’s case, a large hole in the roof of the mouth allowed food and water to enter the nasal cavity. Left untreated, cleft palate dogs cannot eat properly and run the risk of inhaling or aspirating food and water into their lungs, resulting in pneumonia.
In order to sustain Finn, a tube was placed in his neck and passed down his esophagus into his stomach. A food and water slurry was administered through the tube, bypassing the mouth. Unfortunately, the three subsequent attempts at surgical closure, including the removal of multiple teeth, failed to close the expanding defect. The surgeons noted that this was the most challenging cleft palate case they had encountered.
Houston K-911 staff felt anxious at this point — there was seemingly no hope for Finn’s cleft palate. They contacted Dr. William Liska, a highly regarded board-certified veterinary surgeon in the Houston area, for advice. He immediately suggested Angell Animal Medical Center’s own Dr. Michael Pavletic, the foremost expert in small animal reconstructive surgery. Dr. Pavletic agreed to help Finn and informed Dr. Liska, “Going through life being fed with a tube that bypasses the mouth is not an ideal existence for any dog.”
The devoted Houston K-911 staff flew Finn from Houston to Boston. During the appointment, Dr. Pavletic expressed his concern about the successful closure of Finn’s large cleft palate hole after multiple surgeries were already performed. Surgical closure of the wound was daunting. The tissues needed to close the hole were compromised; some tissues were lost during the previous surgical attempts. “Repeated surgeries result in the deposition of increasing amounts of scar tissue, which compromises tissue circulation and reduces the natural elasticity of the tissues needed to reconstruct the hard palate,” explained Dr. Pavletic. “As I have stated in my Atlas of Small Animal Wound Management and Reconstructive Surgery, ‘your first chance is your best chance at closing cleft palate defects.’” As he noted, the old saying “the third time is the charm” does not apply to palate defects, especially when facing a fourth attempt at closing this large hole.
Over six weeks, Dr. Pavletic and his team closed Finn’s palatal hole by performing two major staged procedures developed by Pavletic himself. Additional minor procedures were also needed to reconstruct the palate. The tube was removed, and Finn can now eat and drink like other dogs (he has a ravenous appetite).
A successful outcome was a true team effort. In particular, Dr. Pavletic commended the Angell nurses, ward attendants, and anesthesia team, who devoted themselves to the care of Finn during this time. Throughout Finn’s stay, the staff blended his food, water, and medications administered through the feeding tube. They also kept Finn clean and exercised him multiple times daily. “Importantly, Finn received their attention, love, and affection — and I must say, he returned his love for all those caring for him,” said Dr. Pavletic. “Finn is a wonderful dog and remarkably resilient considering the multiple procedures he endured.”
Once Finn returns to Houston, he will temporarily be placed with a foster home until the Houston K-911 Shelter finds him a home.
