Review Article

Cleft palate in the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris – etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment

Agnieszka Łobodzińska¹ , Joanna Gruszczyńska¹, Andrzej Max¹, Bartłomiej Jan Bartyzel¹, Małgorzata Mikuła¹, Ivan Mikula Jr², Beata Grzegrzółka¹

¹Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW, Poland

²The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 13(3), 2014, 5‒28

Abstract. Cleft palate is one of the most common congenital defects in the domestic dog associated with abnormal craniofacial development. Brachycephalic breeds seem to be most predilected. This anatomical and functional disorder is characterized by the presence of the fissure connecting the oral and nasal cavities. There are clefts of primary and/or secondary palate. Despite developing diagnostic and therapeutic methods, clinical examination and surgery are still the basis for the diagnosis and possible treatment of the malformation. In most cases euthanasia of the animal is performed. The eliminatin of affected individuals from the breeding is strongly recommended. The defect has probably a heterogeneous etiology, both genetic and environmental factors contributing to its formation. However, its genetic etiology has not yet been clearly explained.

Keywords: Canis lupus familiaris, cleft palate, congenital defect