title: A new technique for feeding dogs with a congenital cleft palate for surgical research.
abstract: In humans, cleft palate (CP) is one of the most common malformations. Although surgeons use palatoplasty to close CP defects in children, its consequences for subsequent facial growth have prompted investigations into other novel surgical alternatives. The animal models of CP used to evaluate new surgical treatments are frequently obtained by creating surgically induced clefts in adult dogs. This procedure has been ethically criticized due to its severity and questionable value as an animal model for human CP. Dogs born with a congenital CP would be much better for this purpose, provided they developed CP at a sufficient rate and could be fed. Up until now, feeding these pups carried the risk of aspiration pneumonia, while impeding normal suckling and chewing, and thus compromising orofacial growth. We developed a technique for feeding dog pups with CP from birth to the time of surgery using two old Spanish pointer dog pups bearing a complete CP. This dog strain develops CP in 15-20% of the offspring spontaneously. Custom-made feeding teats and palatal prostheses adapted to the pups' palates were made from thermoplastic plates. This feeding technique allowed lactation, eating and drinking in the pups with CP, with only sporadic rhinitis. To determine whether the use of this palatal prosthesis interferes with palatal growth, the palates of three littermate German shorthaired pointer pups without CP, either wearing or not wearing (controls) the prosthesis, were measured. The results showed that the permanent use of this prosthesis does not impede palatal growth in the pups.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Anatomía y Embriología Humana I, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Complutense, s/n 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez-Sanz
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Casado-Gómez
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: Yamila
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: López-Gordillo
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Cruz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Bobada
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Paradas
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: González-Meli
authors.forename: Estela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maestro
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Prados
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martínez-Álvarez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005248:Feeding Methods / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010158:Palatal Obturators / Q000662:veterinary*; D010159:Palate / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000254:growth & development