Dog lovers are familiar with the droopy faces of Basset Hounds. Who hasn’t been tempted to adopt a Basset Hound puppy when they make eyes at you? But the downside of that hang-dog expression is that it can interfere with proper eyesight. That’s why a Basset Hound in Dublin, Ireland, recently underwent a facelift to improve his vision.
Basset Hound suffers eye issues due to sagging skin
According to Fox News, Chief is a 3-year-old Basset Hound who recently had plastic surgery. The pup’s droopy eyelids were obscuring his vision, and a facelift seemed like the best solution to the problem.
“We realized when Chief was just a puppy that his eyes were quite droopy — more than seemed normal,” dog mom Tracey McDermott told SWNS.
As Chief grew up, he seemed confused about where to look when his parents called him. His eyes also became sore and dry. Initially, his parents treated the condition with eye drops. But they weren’t enough.
Basset Hound undergoes facelift
McDermott consulted veterinary surgeon Mike Woods at Primrose Hill Veterinary Hospital in Dublin.
“Chief had a typical Basset Hound anatomy, but was suffering from severe upper lid ptosis (droop) and lower lid ectropion (slack and saggy), which had left him struggling to blink and to see properly,” Woods explained.
So Woods performed a five-hour surgery to reposition Chief’s eyebrows and eyelids as well as remove skin from Chief’s neck.
“I performed a coronal rhytidectomy (facelift) to remove a very large amount of skin from across the dorsal cervical (neck) region close to his ears,” he said.
The surgeon took an astonishing 2 pounds of flesh off the fur baby.
“It was a long, challenging surgery, but everything went well,” Woods said. “The best news is that Chief is now visual, as he no longer has any skin folds obstructing his vision.”
McDermott reports that since the surgery took place, the pup’s quality of life has been better.
“He was always a happy dog who got on with life in his own way despite the problems he had,” she said. “Now it’s great to see him so well and for him to see us.”
