Last week Ozzi returned to the clinic for an entirely different procedure. We met Ozzi the Doberman Pinscher in May 2012 when he was diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance called hypothyroidism.
Today, Ozzi is a mature, 12-year-old dog and still doing well on his treatment against hypothyroidism. But three weeks ago, his owners suddenly noticed a large lump on his chest area.
It was a fast-growing tumour, attached to one of Ozzi’s nipple and mammary glands. Although mammary glands in male dogs are rudimentary, they can still develop into a tumour. The size of the tumour was such that removal of the lump entailed invasive drastic surgery with a considerable amount of Ozzi’s skin excised from his chest area. To close up the wound, the skin on his chest area had to be ‘drawn’ from adjacent areas.
Two weeks later, Ozzi’s owners returned to the clinic. The area was healing healthily but, during the healing process, the skin on either side of the surgical opening had parted ways. As with Ozzi’s case, this situation can arise from the removal of massive tumours in areas with insufficient loose skin to spare. The solution is corrective surgery.
Corrective surgery would allow Ozzi to have sufficient skin on his chest with as little scar tissue as possible. This type of soft tissue surgery is something veterinarians perform from time to time and is classified as plastic surgery.
While cosmetic procedures such as tail-docking and ear-cropping are now banned, plastic surgery for dogs and cats remains an important function. Plastic surgery is perfectly acceptable and necessary when this is done for medical reasons and to improve quality of life. There are various medical conditions that give rise to valid plastic surgery.
While cosmetic procedures such as tail-docking and ear-cropping are now banned, plastic surgery for dogs and cats remains an important function
Pug and Shar Pei breeds suffer from certain facial folds which are so pronounced that corrective surgery may be necessary if it affects their quality of life. Typical in pugs is the deep fold in the skin that can be found just above the nose and which further hampers their breathing. With the Shar Pei, the excessive amounts of skin on their face sometimes folds over their eyes, thus restricting their vision. Both of these conditions can be improved by corrective surgical procedures.
Another eye condition necessitating corrective surgery is entropion, which occurs in both dogs and cats, and is when the eyelid or palpebra is rolled inwards causing a continuous irritation of the eyeball. Most cases of entropion manifest at six to 12 months of age. Some breeds are more predisposed to this condition.
Road traffic accidents are a common cause for veterinarians to have to operate as plastic surgeons very often to try to restore skin cover over the body. This process is medically known as ‘tegument integrity’ and is particularly complicated when the injury occurs in the limb area where excess skin is difficult to come by. The beauty of such plastic surgery is that when timely action is taken, nature can be assisted to restore even the most dramatic of skin injuries.
Other accidents which may require similar intervention are incidents involving hot water or chemical scalding where the skin is severely burned. After emergency treatment has been completed, plastic surgery goes a long way towards rehabilitation of the patient.
Unfortunately, the most common reason for planned plastic surgery in dogs and cats remains the removal of tumours. Tumours can occur in any part of the body and can have any shape and size. Therefore each case needs to be considered on its own merits to be able to find the most satisfactory result.
Apart from his massive size for a doberman, Ozzi was no small challenge to operate and perform corrective surgery. Yet, the aftercare is very often as important to achieve as the intervention itself.
With the love and dedication Ozzi’s owner clearly has for him, I know he shall put in every effort required in the aftercare required for his dog’s full recovery.
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com
Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.