Cleft Palate in a Dog

Abstract

This paper will present a brief description of the interdisciplinary treatment of a posterior medial cleft of the hard and soft palate in a Beagle and a discussion of the possibilities which might result from the production of a pure strain of cleft palate dogs. It is hoped that presentation of this material will stimulate clinicians concerned with the treatment and rehabilitation of cleft palate patients to utilize inbred animals (such as dogs) for the development of new surgi— cal and orthodontic techniques. Such inbred laboratory animals would also provide a source of biological material fOr intensive genetic and biochemical research projects to establish prophylactic techniques as a means of decreasing the incidence of cleft palate and other associated anomalies. There is relatively little in the literature regarding cleft palate in dogs. The incidence of cleft palate in Beagles and other mesocephalic dogs is considered to be lower than in brachycephalic dogs (3). Calnan (I) proposed a classification of clefts in dogs based on the classification for man arranged by Kernahan and Stark (5). Conventional surgical veterinary treatment consists of paring the lateral surfaces of the cleft and making a simple closure as briefly described by Munson ('7). Munson suggested early surgical closure with best results obtained when the cleft is narrow. Hofmeyer (4) reported the use of an autograft from the uvula for closure of a posterior medial cleft in an 18—month-old Dachshund and an adult tomcat. Clinical Data Our interest in canine cleft palate was aroused When a five-week-old Beagle pup appeared at the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences in late 1962. The pup was found to be in good health, slightly smaller than the average Beagle of five weeks, and had no anomalies other than a posterior medial cleft of the hard and soft palate (Figure 1).