Heavy folds of skin from Bentley's forehead once impacted this young pup's daily life.
The two-year-old Clumber Spaniel was living with painful corneal ulcers and his vision had become so restricted that he once walked into the brick wall of a bus stop. The heavy folds of skin were forcing his eyelids inwards and ulcers were developing due to his fur resting in his eye.
But now young Bentley is much happier and set for a brighter and clearer future after undergoing a facelift to remove his folds. And his owners Anthony and Fiona Robson, from Newcastle, are thrilled with Bentley's new look.
Anthony 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."
Bentley underwent delicate surgery at Linnaeus-owned Veterinary Vision in Cumbria. It involved accurate planning to ensure his facelift prevented him from experiencing similar problems later on in life, but also to prevent any over-correction, which could stop Bentley from blinking properly.
Veterinary Vision's clinical director Chris Dixon 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."
Bentley's owner Fiona added: "We are so grateful for the fantastic job [the team] 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. We would have no hesitation in recommending Veterinary Vision to other clients, as their service was very professional and they took amazing care of Bentley."
Veterinary Vision, which has centres in Penrith, Sunderland and Charnock Richard, carries out all types of ocular surgery with its ophthalmologists offering a vast range of experience and knowledge in small animal, equine and farm animal eye conditions.
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