This 8 week old puppy presented with a cleft palate involving the hard and soft palate, also know as a secondary palatal defect. Due to minor signs at the time the surgery was delayed until 16 weeks of age to provide more tissue for closure.
The soft palate is closed in two layers, nasal and palatal after splitting the two with metzenbaum scissors.
The palatal mucosa is dissected off of the bone. A 1 mm debridement of the margin with a diamond bur allows for healing prior to epithelial migration into the defect. An incision is made as shown and a full thickness palatal graft obtained sparing the major palatine artery.
The edges are opposed and sutured, burying the simple interrupted knots.
Healing at 2 weeks is complete.
Brett Beckman, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC, DAAPM
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