Basset Hound given second chance at life after undergoing incredible facelift

11 September 2023 , 13:53

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He can now see much better after his facelift (Image: x SWNS)

A happy and adorable Basset Hound has now been given a new lease of life as he's able to see the world better, after having plastic surgery to remove the saggy skin around his eyes. Getting worse as he grew, his doting owners knew something needed to be done as he was struggling.

Due to his drooping eyelids, three-year-old Chief underwent plastic surgery to remove 1kg of skin around his eyes and neck. Having his doggy facelift, the pup no longer has skin folds and has regained his vision after his eyes "drooped more than normal" according to his owners.

Chief before his five hour facelift (x SWNS)

After his operation - and his sight has improved much more since (x SWNS)

Owner Tracey McDermott, 40, from County Wicklow near Dublin, explained: "We realised when Chief was just a puppy that his eyes were quite droopy - more than seemed normal. As he grew and became bigger, so did the problem with his sight, so we were increasingly concerned about him. We would call his name and he'd lift his head up to try and see where we were but you could see he was struggling.

"We were constantly using eye drops to moisturise his eyes to stop them from becoming dry and sore. We realised something had to be done as the skin was starting to cover Chief's eyes and affect his vision."

The typical Basset Hound anatomy means they have a much droopier face than other dogs, but for Chief, it was affecting his mobility. The invasive five-hour operation meant vets had to remove the large section of skin from across his neck, and repositioned his eyelids and eyebrows.

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He had 1kg of saggy skin removed to help him (x SWNS)

His eyes and eyebrows were also repositioned to help him see better (x SWNS)

Tracey took Chief to Linnaeus-owned Primrose Hill Veterinary Hospital in Sallynoggin in Dublin where he underwent a five-hour operation by veterinary surgeon Mike Woods. "Chief 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. 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. I then placed walking sutures across the cranial region (skull) to increase the tension of the skin back from the eyelids," Mike explained.

He described the surgery as "long and challenging" but was happy that everything went well, and added that Chief's wound had "settled down" well. Although he may need further surgery, his vision is no longer obstructed which Tracey is thrilled about. "Mike said a facelift would help but explained it was best to wait until Chief was fully mature as he was still growing and developing more skin," Tracey added.

She further explained that his sight has "significantly improved" and he has a much better quality of life now post-surgery. "He was always a happy dog who got on with life in his own way despite the problems he had, now it is great to see him so well - and, of course, for him to see us."

Niamh Kirk