A FACELIFT gave a new lease of hope to a spaniel suffering from a darkened face and difficulty seeing his surroundings.
Bentley, a Clumber Spaniel at two years old, was severely blinded by sagging skin folds in front of his eyes.
When their dog’s eyesight became so impaired that he accidentally wandered into a bus stop one morning, owners Anthony and Fiona Robson made the decision to take their sick dog to the clinic.
Specialists at a renowned veterinary eye clinic said that his eyelids were being pulled inward by the sagging wrinkles on his forehead. This was causing him to lose his vision and resulting in corneal ulcers.
Bentley had a complex facelift at Veterinary Vision in Cumbria to remove excess skin around his eyes.
After his complete recovery, Bentley is back with his owners. His owners say that Bentley looks brand new because he sees again.
Anthony, from Newcastle, recalled that Bentley used routinely to close his eyes and accidentally walked into brick bus stops.
“The healing process made a remarkable change. We walked him and he began to gaze around as if everything was brand new.
“It has also helped his confidence, although still a work in progress, as his poor vision before surgery caused him to be very wary of strangers and dogs.
“He’s much better now.”
Fiona added: “We are so grateful for the fantastic job they did for Bentley to give him a different outlook on life and a better future.”
“He has been transformed and it’s lovely seeing him run around on the beach, a very happy dog.”
Chris Dixon, clinical director of Linnaeus-owned Veterinary Vision, said Bentley’s procedure had been “difficult and complex.”
He said: “Because of his limited vision and ongoing ocular discomfort, Bentley was a difficult dog to check before the surgery.
His corneal inflammation was caused by the thickened skin around his eyes, and between his eyebrows.
“The procedure was difficult and required the removal of skin folds from his forehead.
“We underwent bilateral upper and lower eyelid surgery to stop the eyelids from turning in and did a modified brow suspension to keep the remaining skin from sliding forward.
The success of the treatment depended on careful planning because either an overcorrection or an undercorrection would not improve Bentley’s quality of life. A miscalculation could result in Bentley not being able to blink correctly and other difficulties.
“Everything went perfectly, and Bentley’s recuperation was excellent. We were able to see a dramatic change in the behavior of our patient, who was shy, jittery and aggressive before the operation.
“I am happy that he is no longer receiving treatment because his owners were so meticulous with his post-operative care.
He’s been a great patient. The entire Veterinary Vision team is thrilled to see him fully recovered.
Source: MSN
