Pups With Cleft Pallets?

[BATTLE CRY]

What Causes This And Can It Be Fixed?

[LuvinBullies]

What Causes This And Can It Be Fixed?It's one of two causes: environmental (bitch introduced to some chemical/bacteria/virus while the pups are in utero) or congenital.

Being that there is no way to prove it ISN'T congenital with a particular breeding, the entire litter should be sterilized/culled.

Depending on how bad it is (just lip or entire palate), varying degrees of surgery would be needed. If it doesn't inhibit eating/drinking/panting and it's just the lip perhaps just a few stitches would do it. The worse the case=the more invasive the surgery. ;)

[BATTLE CRY]

Luvinbullies- Thanks For Your Reply, It Is Well Appreciated. I Now Know More On This Matter Than I Did B4 , Which Was None At All,lol.:)

[Old Timer]

99% of the time it is a genetic defect,cull the litter and alter the parents and report this to the breeder you got the pups from and tell him some where in this this or this there is something throwing cleft pallets.no need putting sickly dogs out there.

[1Pit_ManyLuvs]

I had a Doberman years ago that had wehlped two litters prior to me getting her, both had cleft puppies in them.

I spoke with a repro specialist and was told her next breeding heat to start her on folic acid from the start of her heat and continue it until she whelped. I did this and neither litter she whelped for me had cleft puppies. Folic acid is a vital vitamin given to pregnant women to provent birth defects and deformities.

I got a bottle of like 500 at the dollar general store here for $2.00. The tablets are 400 mg and I gave her two a day in her morning food. I also feed my pregnant females yogurt (lots of calicum).

Hope this helps.....:D

[LuvinBullies]

I had a Doberman years ago that had wehlped two litters prior to me getting her, both had cleft puppies in them.

I spoke with a repro specialist and was told her next breeding heat to start her on folic acid from the start of her heat and continue it until she whelped. I did this and neither litter she whelped for me had cleft puppies. Folic acid is a vital vitamin given to pregnant women to provent birth defects and deformities.

I got a bottle of like 500 at the dollar general store here for $2.00. The tablets are 400 mg and I gave her two a day in her morning food. I also feed my pregnant females yogurt (lots of calicum).

Hope this helps.....:D
This is very interesting information, although I'd still be wary of a breeding which is throwing pups with cleft palates- the whole line may always require folic acid to prevent pups with the malformation, and the risk will always still be there with or without if you keep that particular bloodline going. Keep in mind sometimes when there is one profound and recurring genetic defect in a breeding, others may follow in the forms of cancers, poor eyesight, deafness, etc. I would always consider the breeding high risk- when you bred her yourself did you use the same sire as the other person did? Why was this bitch bred so much knowing the inherent risk?

[ABK]

I wouldn't breed a bitch throwing clefts, folic acid or not. Here is why - clefts have been proven to go hand in hand w/ other defects, some of which can be mental in nature.

So even if you give folic acid & produce pups who are whole physically, they still could end up being nutty in the head. Not a chance I'd want to risk, esp. w/ our breed.

Furthermore, as Luvin' said, even if you produce whole pups b/c of your use of folic, you are still passing on the gene through your breedings.

JMHO ...

[Galadriel]

Several years ago, I worked for a vet in TN who specialized in English Bulldogs. We did a ton of artificial insemination, pre natal care, and cesarians. English BUlldogs are prone to cleft pallets due to so many generations of inbreeding. Cesarians are usually necessary becaue the pup's heads are too big to pass. The first thing the vet did was check the pups for cleft pallets, and, if they had them and were severe enough, they were never brought around. (you have to roughly stimulate c-sectioned puppies to get the gunk out of thier lungs and get them to breathe). A pup with a moderate or severe cleft pallet is unable to nurse because they can't create a good seal, and will usually starve to death. Surgery for cleft pallet in humans is common, but I've never heard of it being performed in dogs. Of course, this doesn't mean it isn't, I've just personaly never been there, done that.

[1Pit_ManyLuvs]

Well I can't answer for the other woman as to why she was bred but for me its because she was a gorgeous bitch and had the Doberman temperament that is hard to find these days. The first litter she had was planned; the second wasn't.
The lady that had her before me said she thought hte clefts were caused by enviromental issues. She never went into details about it though but as I understand it her ex husband was a drug user and manufactured meth. That's another story though....
Both the litters produced healthy happy puppies. No mental problems. One of the 1st litter puppies (who were 3 years old the 24th of August) is a service aide dog. I just visited with another Sunday and there's nothing mentally wrong with him either, except his owner lets him sleep in a pink canopy bed. LOL He is a 100 lbs Doberman for pete's sake! :o Not to mention all but 1 of the first litter and all of the second litter are altered.
Dobermans are not prone to clefts so as I was told about vWD the gene pool is limited so much excluding all dogs that have produced clefts would be "throwing out the baby with the bath water" so to speak.

[LuvinBullies]

The lady that had her before me said she thought hte clefts were caused by enviromental issues. She never went into details about it though but as I understand it her ex husband was a drug user and manufactured meth. That's another story though....
Cripes. That's disgusting. Poor puppies. When I was pregnant I read all kinds of stuff about different birth defects and causes and I saw where meth use by a pregnant woman can cause cleft palates in humans. I hope they didn't have children in the home. :mad: :mad: :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I understand your position, appreciate your answer and I'm glad the dogs turned out so well :)

I still wouldn't breed anything that threw cleft palates just in case...that's just the advice I feel obligated to give-no matter what any extenuating circumstances are JMHO. Especially pertaining to bulldogs-as the law tightens its vice reputable breeders are going to be targeted more and more...so all measures by all breeders should be taken to keep junk out of their lines.

[JuckingFerk]

99% of the time it is a genetic defect,cull the litter and alter the parents and report this to the breeder you got the pups from and tell him some where in this this or this there is something throwing cleft pallets.no need putting sickly dogs out there.

Old Timer, you beat me to the punch. These are true words of wisdom.

Ferk out