Labrador Dog Was Born With A Cleft Lip And Cleft Palate, And After A Successful Surgery, He Is Happier Than Ever
Felix’s story starts with a rough beginning and ends with a whole lot of tail wags. The black Labrador was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate, and for a long time, even basic things like eating and swimming were out of reach.
After a long stretch of care and a successful surgery, Felix is now doing much better, and his photos have kept people rooting for him. He has also become a reminder that some dogs can come back from a lot more than anyone expected.
Now he is healthier, happier, and ready for his next big adventure.
Felix was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate
Jamie got Felix as an 11-day-old puppy after the breeder noticed that one of the puppies from the litter was not thriving and was, in fact, dying because he had a severe cleft palate and cleft lip, which prevented him from nursing properly from his mother. He had developed aspiration pneumonia at this point and was not going to live another 24 hours. Jamie took him home and tube-fed him for the next seven weeks, and also treated his pneumonia. He is now a 14-month-old adult Black Lab!
That rescue story only gets more intense from there.
He finally had surgery and is now better than ever
The cause of a cleft lip and palate is unknown. It is a congenital defect found in both animals and humans and is thought to be due to improper nutrition in the mother or exposure to chemicals during gestation.
“Felix went to the river today for the first time since his surgery to get his face wet!”
Sadly, the cleft lip and palate are not the only medical issues that this adorable boy faces. But he doesn’t let that get him down! Felix also has some digestive issues because his colon formed on the exact opposite side of his body from where it was supposed to. It’s weird, but it works. He only has one functioning eyeball, his jaws don’t align, and the right side of his face looks like a melted candle, but other than that, he is okay, I suppose. None of his teeth align either, so he mostly eats canned food. Sometimes I give him hard food so he can feel like ‘one of the gang,’ but it’s kind of hard for him to scoop it up. It keeps him busy, though.
“He had so much fun”
Felix had corrective surgery on January 31st to address his clefts. He has a unilateral cleft palate that involved both hard and soft palates. His doctor was able to reconstruct the roof of his mouth using his own tissue and even rebuilt his soft palate, as it was nonexistent. Ever since his surgery, probably due to his skull shifting, he suffers from a neurological tic that causes him to spin around and bark at the air occasionally. We are trying new medications to help him with that.
“This would not have been possible a year ago”
I had to use a specialized tool that I made to clean the food out of his cleft every time he ate. He also had to be regularly sedated so it could be cleaned and flushed at the vet. One time, there was an entire salmon skin stuck up there (we live in Alaska), and another time, there was a plastic dental flosser lodged in there. He was quite a mess.
This kind of second-chance devotion echoes Beaux Tox, abandoned for being “ugly,” until his angel showed up.
Felix when he was a baby:
Evidently, Felix is feeling pleased and secure living with his owner and siblings. Felix is the happiest dog I’ve ever had. He is blissfully unaware of his health problems, and he has more energy than he or I know what to do with. I was able to take him swimming for the first time in his life this past weekend, and he did great. I hope to train him to be a ‘real retriever’ this summer. If I had tried to take him swimming before his surgery, he would have drowned in seconds.
“Felix is almost 100% back to normal after three operations in three months”
This dog is a bundle of joy! Felix loves to play ball, he will do it all day if you’ll throw it. He is able to eat and drink normally now, and he’s the strongest dog I’ve ever known. After his surgery, he had a feeding tube coming out of his neck, and I had to push liquid dog food through it for a few weeks. He never complained and stood so still while I did it. He couldn’t have anything in his mouth, which was difficult because he loves to have something in his mouth at all times! He has been a real trooper, and I hope that the rest of his life will be great!
Two of his surgeries had to be performed because Felix ate a rock and two stuffed toys
He has company and gets to play with other dogs, cats, and his favorite stuffed toys. In fact, he loves them so much that he ate two of them and had to have an operation!
Seeing him like this after his surgeries is the best reward. What a guy. He is a happy boy.
Jamie is happy that Felix is part of her life. I have had people say that I should have put him down, but I’m glad I didn’t. He is a great advocate for overcoming challenges, looking a little bit different from your friends, and for having your pets spayed or neutered!
“He is a handful!” Jamie says
Felix’s comeback is hard not to love.
Felix’s cleft-palate survival story feels even sweeter after seeing a Labrador cling to his owner after life-saving surgery.
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