A spaniel which could barely see the world around him due to his droopy face has been given a new lease of life after undergoing a facelift. Bentley, a two-year-old clumber spaniel, was left with severely restricted vision after his saggy folds of skin began to dangle in front of his eyes.
Owners Anthony and Fiona Robson decided to take their poor pooch to the vets after his eyesight got so bad he walked straight into a bus stop one morning. Specialists at a top veterinary eye clinic found the saggy folds from his forehead were forcing his eyelids inwards, impacting his vision and causing corneal ulcers.
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Bentley underwent complex facelift surgery to remove the excess skin covering his eyes at Veterinary Vision, in Cumbria.
After recovering from his life-changing makeover, Bentley is now home with his owners, who say he is like a completely new dog now he can see again.
Anthony, from Newcastle, said: "Before the surgery, Bentley was frequently keeping his eyes closed and actually walked into a brick bus stop one morning.
"The difference after surgery was amazing. He began looking around when we walked him as if everything was new.
"It has also helped his confidence, although still a work in progress, as his poor vision before surgery caused him to be very wary of strangers and dogs.
"He's much better now."
Fiona added: "We are so grateful for the fantastic job they did for Bentley to give him a different outlook on life and a better future.
"He has been transformed and it's lovely seeing him run around on the beach, a very happy dog."
Linnaeus-owned Veterinary Vision's clinical director Chris Dixon said Bentley's surgery had proved 'challenging and complex'.
He said: "Bentley was a challenging dog to examine before the surgery because of his restricted vision and continual ocular discomfort.
"Heavy folds of skin along his brow and around his eyes were pushing hairs onto the cornea and he'd subsequently developed corneal ulceration.
"Surgery was complex and involved the resection of skin folds from his forehead.
"We performed a modified brow suspension to prevent the remaining skin from sliding forwards and followed this with bilateral upper and lower eyelid surgery to prevent the eyelids turning in.
"Accurate planning of the procedure was critical to the success because over-correction could potentially prevent Bentley from blinking normally and lead to further complications, and under-correction would not improve his quality of life.
"All went well and Bentley's recovery was excellent, and the shy, nervous, aggressive behaviour that we had experienced pre-operatively disappeared overnight.
"His owners have been extremely diligent with his post-operative care and I am pleased that he is now treatment-free.
"He's been a fantastic patient, and the whole Veterinary Vision team is thrilled that he has made a complete recovery."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
