Meet Felix, a black lab with a cleft lip and palate who was born.
Felix was a 11-day-old puppy when I got him. Felix’s rescuer and owner, Jamie, told Bored Panda, “I was the rescue worker who was called in by the breeder after they noticed that one of the puppies from their litter was not thriving and was actually dying because he had a severe cleft palate and cleft lip, and was not able to nurse off of his mother properly. “At this point, he had aspiration pneumonia and wouldn’t survive another day.
For the following seven weeks, I tube-fed him at home. I also took care of his pneumonia. He is now an adult Black Lab who is 14 months old!
But he underwent surgery in January and is now more content and healthy than ever.
According to Jamie, “a cleft lip and palate has no known etiology.” It is a congenital defect that affects both humans and animals. It is believed to be caused by the mother’s poor nutrition or exposure to chemicals during pregnancy.
For the first time since his surgery, Felix visited a river today with the intention of getting his face wet.
Sadly, this darling boy also suffers from several medical issues in addition to cleft lip and palate. But he refuses to let it interfere with his enjoyment! Due to the fact that his colon developed on the incorrect side of his body, Felix also experiences digestive problems. Strange but effective. Felix’s owner told us that despite the fact that he only has one working eyeball, his jaws don’t line up, and the right side of his face resembles a melted candle, Felix is probably fine. “Since none of his teeth line up, he must eat largely canned food. It can be challenging for him to scoop up the hard food that I occasionally give him so he can feel like “one of the gang.” nonetheless keeps him busy.
Felix’s clefts were corrected through corrective surgery on January 31, according to Jamie, Felix’s owner, who spoke with Bored Panda. “Both the hard and soft palates were affected by his unilateral cleft palate. His doctor was able to use his own tissue to recreate the roof of his mouth and even the soft palate, which was missing. He has had a neurological tic since his surgery, which is probably the result of his skull shifting, and it periodically leads him to spin around and growl at the air. To assist him with that, we are experimenting with novel drugs.
A year ago, “this would not have been conceivable”
Before his surgery, Felix’s owner said to Bored Panda that the unfortunate boy was unable to eat or drink normally. Every time he ate, she said, “I had to use a special tool I made to wipe the food out of his cleft.” He also required routine sedation so the vet could clean and cleanse it. We live in Alaska, so one time there was a whole salmon skin up there. Another time, a plastic dental flosser was caught up there. He was a bit of a disaster.
Here is a picture of Felix when he was a child.
Felix is fortunate to have a large and kind family. There are 4 siblings for Felix. Bored Panda heard Jamie. “I have a second dog who has a cleft; it’s not as bad and didn’t need surgery. Sammy is an Australian Cattle Dog, and he goes by Sammy. My 12-year-old small dachshund, PB, is called. I own Baby Girl, an Alaskan terrier from Bethel. Meera, who resembles a 20-pound brindled whippet, is the last. They are all from the rescue, and they are an eccentric group. I support a veterinarian who only performs rescue services. He’s a wonderful man. All of Felix’s siblings, his cat friend, and any other foster animals I bring home get along nicely together. Since 2013, I have fostered well over 400 pets.
And here he is, growing up to be a big boy.
Felix appears to be content and secure in his home with his devoted owner and siblings. Jamie said, “Felix is the happiest dog I’ve ever owned. He has more energy than he or I know what to do with and is blissfully unaware of his health issues. This past weekend, I was able to take him swimming for the first time ever, and he did fantastic. This summer, I’m hoping to be able to train him to be a “real retriever.” He would have died in a matter of seconds if I had attempted to take him swimming before his surgery.
Almost fully recovered after three operations in three months, Felix is back to normal.
Playing is undoubtedly the one activity that this cheerful and vivacious goofy enjoys doing the most! Felix’s owner told Bored Panda that if you throw the ball, he will play with it for the rest of the day. He can now eat and drink normally, and I’ve never met a stronger dog. He had a feeding tube coming out of his neck after his surgery, and for a few weeks I had to force liquid dog food through it. While I was doing it, he never protested and remained so motionless. He was unable to chew, which was challenging because he enjoys always having something in his mouth! He’s been a wonderful trooper, and I wish him nothing but the best in the future!
Felix consumed two plush animals as well as a rock, necessitating two of his surgeries.
Felix’s family obviously adores him a lot. He can play there with other dogs, cats, and his favorite plush toys. He adores the stuffed animals so much that he recently ate two of them and needed surgery because of it!
Therefore, this lovely Labrador is just like other good Labrador boys.
“The best reward is seeing him recover from his operations like this. The owner of Felix exclaims, “What a guy. He is a content child.
Additionally, he recently consumed a dead bird, which made him very ill.
Jamie is quite happy to have Felix in her life. People have advised me to kill him, but I’m pleased I didn’t, she said, according to Bored Panda. He is a strong supporter of having your dogs spayed or neutered, overcoming obstacles, and dressing a little differently than your buddies.
But everything is OK now! He’s a handful, says his owner.
