Cleft Palate

Cleft Palates can be both congenital and acquired, which occurs do to trauma. The palate is the roof of the mouth that separates the nasal and oral cavities and it is made up of two parts, hard and soft. When a dog has a cleft palate there is a slit that runs either bilaterally or unilaterally and can range in size from a small hole to a large slit. A Cleft Palate can affect the both the hard and soft palate separately and together and may cause a cleft lip. It is a fairly common occurrence in dogs but many puppies born with a cleft palate do not survive or are euthanized by the breeder. The only treatment for a Cleft Palate is surgery to close the hole, although not all dogs with a Cleft Palate require the surgery. It is important to get a diagnosis from your veterinarian.