AFTER A SUCCESSFUL SURGERY,THIS BLACK LAB BORN WITH A CLEFT LIP AND CLEFT PALATE CAN FINALLY ENJOY PLAYING IN WATER

If you’re a frequent lurker on Imgur, you may have come across the adorable face of Felix. Probably the most-loved dog on the social media platform,Felix sure has captured thousands of hearts with his delightfully charming face.

Felix, who was born with a cleft lip and palate, has seen his fair share of hardships. Thankfully, he underwent successful oral surgery in January to correct it ! Felix is currently as content and healthy as any other good guy around, and he recently made his first splash in the river,which wasn’t conceivable a year ago !

“I got Felix as an 11-day old puppy. 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, in fact, dying because he had a severe cleft palate and cleft lip, and was not able to nurse off of his mother properly,” Jamie, Felix’s rescuer and the owner shared with Bored Panda.  “He had developed aspiration pneumonia at this point and was not going to live another 24 hours. I took him home with me and tube-fed him for the next 7 weeks. I treated his pneumonia as well.  He is now a 14-month-old adult Black Lab!”

According to Jamie, “a cleft lip and palate has no recognized etiology.” It is a congenital condition that affects both people and animals. It is believed to be caused by the mother’s poor nutrition or exposure to toxins during pregnancy.

Sadly, this darling kid 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 informed 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 consume largely 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. Keeps him busy though.”

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 operation, which is presumably the result of his skull moving, and it periodically leads him to spin around and growl at the air. To assist him with that, we are experimenting with novel drugs.

Before his operation, Felix’s owner said to Bored Panda that the unfortunate boy was unable to eat or drink regularly. Every time he ate, she said, “I had to use a special tool I invented 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.

Fortunately for Felix, he lives in a big and loving family. “Felix has 4 siblings!

Obviously, Felix is very loved in his house. There, he gets to play with other dogs, cats, and his favorite stuffed animals.