cleft pallatte

[lilfoot]

My Yorkie had 3 puppies 12 days ago 2 girls and 1 boy. One of the little girls has a cleft lip and partial cleft pallate. Does anyone know anything about this...She was 5 oz when born then quickly went down to 3 oz...due to not being able to nurse so we start to bottle feedbut does not have very good suctionbut chokes frequently. Idid start to burp herand that has helped. I am happy to say today she is at 71/2 oz(her brother is 1.1lbs and her sister is 14oz) I really would like some advice on her......

[Joy]

Aww, poor baby..
Im sorry I have no advice but perhaps if you ask this question in Breeder talk you will get the help you need..
By the way... Welcome to YT!!

[JCarlson2004]

So sorry to hear about your little girl. I have no advice but there are lots of great breeders on this forum -- I'm sure they can all help you. Good luck.

[lilfoot]

thank you for your concern....lots of worries and sleepless nights on this end...

[yorkieusa]

Oh, that's so sad. She is gaining weight again, though. That's good. I would talk to the vet. She would definitely need surgery at some point. I'm sorry.

[Shanatink]

When my boxer had puppies one of them had a severe cleft pallete. It actually couldnt even eat becasue it couldnt get any suction for milk. It was so sad. I took her to the vet because she wasnt gaining any weight and getting very sick and dehydrated. The vet said she wouldnt make it because she would never be able to eat(even later in life) and basically she was suffering and dying and there was nothing they could do so she had to be put to sleep. It was horrible. This is why I will never breed a dog again I personally couldnt handle that. BUt like I said that was a severe cleft pallette. The top of her mouth had an opening/crack that went all the way down to the back of her throat and it had an opening to her nasal passage. Having said that I think your baby should be able to make it as long as she is able to eat or can be bottle fed. I hope she does okay. I think you are going to have to take her to the vet and see what they say. Please let us know.

[sylvan]

Originally Posted by lilfoot

My Yorkie had 3 puppies 12 days ago 2 girls and 1 boy. One of the little girls has a cleft lip and partial cleft pallate. Does anyone know anything about this...She was 5 oz when born then quickly went down to 3 oz...due to not being able to nurse so we start to bottle feedbut does not have very good suctionbut chokes frequently. Idid start to burp herand that has helped. I am happy to say today she is at 71/2 oz(her brother is 1.1lbs and her sister is 14oz) I really would like some advice on her......

I am sorry to hear of this problem with your pup. Cleft palate is an inherited trait/birth defect that is from a recessive or irregular dominant gene. The primary cleft/harelip coupled with the secondary/hard palate cleft is going to make life tough for this girl. The soft palate could be affected too. This defect usually results in stunted growth at the least and chronic respiratory problems. Pneumonia can develop easily if she gets fluid directed to lungs. The surgery to correct this is very complicated, but can be done, though your vet may refer you to a specialist. Many breeders would have this pup put down to end it's suffering, and no one should blame you for choosing that course as an option. I would rely heavily on your vets opinion of the feasiblity of repair.
Your breeding pair should not be used for future litters, and the other two pups should be spay/neutered to prevent passing on this trait.
I am sorry for giving such sad advice...this is one of those awful risks that breeders must deal with. I hope the info is helpful.

[shecass]

Originally Posted by lilfoot

My Yorkie had 3 puppies 12 days ago 2 girls and 1 boy. One of the little girls has a cleft lip and partial cleft pallate. Does anyone know anything about this...She was 5 oz when born then quickly went down to 3 oz...due to not being able to nurse so we start to bottle feedbut does not have very good suctionbut chokes frequently. Idid start to burp herand that has helped. I am happy to say today she is at 71/2 oz(her brother is 1.1lbs and her sister is 14oz) I really would like some advice on her......

I'm so sorry about your little one. Please keep us updated.

[lilfoot]

She has been seen by a vet(actually 2) but they have never seen a cleft pallate pup befor....they did said they think she should be o.k because the part of her pallatte that is missing is a small portion by the gum line....however there could be more things wrong like a liver shunt...its a horrible "wait and see" game.

[lilfoot]

I did ask the vet if genetics were involved and they said that there was no proof that that was the case....when I asked about breeding my dog again they thought that should not be a problem we would just put her on folic acid a couple of months ahead of time....i am not a breeder for profit..i just wanted another yorkie like mine.......she is sooooo gooooodddd. We really enjoy our yorkie and wanted to add to our house.....like 2 cats, 2 hamsters, a hermit crab,a yorkie and 2 kids weren't enough....this little one is such a fighter, i really hate to put her down until I know she is suffering for sure or that she has given up the fight....I am hopeful that now that she is gaining weight that that is a positive sign. but i am realistic I know other problems can arise...but I think she deserves the chance...I will keep her and sell the other too and make sure that the buying people know about the little one and hopefully they will decide not to breed them....it is such a hard thing to go through...

[sylvan]

Originally Posted by lilfoot

I did ask the vet if genetics were involved and they said that there was no proof that that was the case....when I asked about breeding my dog again they thought that should not be a problem we would just put her on folic acid a couple of months ahead of time....i am not a breeder for profit..i just wanted another yorkie like mine.......she is sooooo gooooodddd. We really enjoy our yorkie and wanted to add to our house.....like 2 cats, 2 hamsters, a hermit crab,a yorkie and 2 kids weren't enough....this little one is such a fighter, i really hate to put her down until I know she is suffering for sure or that she has given up the fight....I am hopeful that now that she is gaining weight that that is a positive sign. but i am realistic I know other problems can arise...but I think she deserves the chance...I will keep her and sell the other too and make sure that the buying people know about the little one and hopefully they will decide not to breed them....it is such a hard thing to go through...

Your vet is mistaken and apparently unfamiliar with this issue.. Cleft palate is most certainly a genetic trait, though there are rare instances that have been reported of a toxin ingested or steriod used by/on the mother during the latter stages of pregnancy as a possible cause, however, in that circumstance ALL pups in the litter are affected, so that would not be the cause in this case. Folic acid??? Please, please do not repeat this breeding.
There is no 'hopefully' about having the people who purchase your pups deciding to breed or not. You need to let them know that they must not be bred under any circumstances. I am certain you wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through what you are dealing with now. Hold registration papers until you recieve a copy of spay/neuter done...or have it done yourself before placement.
I admire your dedication in working so hard to save this little girl and sincerely hope it turns out well.

[txshopper73]

haven't heard of yorkies having this but my friend had a bulldog that whelped 9 puppies and 3 of them had it. vet thought it was best to put them to sleep. their cleft palates were pretty severe. even surgery would not have helped them much. he also suggested to not breed with the same stud again.

[lilfoot]

Sylvan....can you give me a place I can go to for more research on this....because if this puppy does not make it I still would like to use my Yorkie as the mother.....but use a different father.....thank you for the info. you have given me....

[Gazou]

you can go to :

www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dpalate.html

I hope this will help you .

[Shanatink]

How is she doing today? I think its great that you are trying to give her a fighting chance. I think as long as she is receiving nourishment that she must have a chance. My puppy wasnt getting any food and wasnt capable of it. It was a really hard thing to do putting her down. When I bred my boxer she had 6 puppies. 1 was born stillborn, one had the severe cleft pallette and one was missing half of an arm. So we had several defects and tragedies and it was sad. However we had 3 wonderful healthy girls that were so much fun to raise and made it all worth it even though I wont do it again. So I know what it feels like and you cant lose hope . I am wishing her the best. Please keep us updated on her progress.