EYES RIGHT!
Chief can see clearly now after a little nip and tuck in the safe hands of talented veterinary surgeon Mike Woods
AFACELIFT for a dog may sound barking mad – but when your best friend is struggling to see because of all the wrinkles and folds, going under the knife can turn out to be a howling success.
Such was the case for Chief, a threeyear-old basset hound who has a new lease on life after a little nip and tuck.
Bassets are famous for their droopy eyes and jowls, their expressions giving new meaning to the term hang dog.
Sometimes, however, the force of gravity can get a bit much – and for Chief it was severely impacting his life.
The skin around his eyes was so floppy it was affecting his vision. “As he grew and became bigger, so did the problem with his sight,” says Chief ’s owner, Tracey McDermott, who lives in Dublin, Ireland. “We would call his name and he’d lift his head and try to see where we were, but you could see he was struggling.”
By the time she took Chief to Dr Mike Woods, a veterinary ophthalmologist, there was an entire fist-full of loose skin on her pet’s head.
Mike told her the best solution would be to give the hound a full facelift – or rhytidectomy as it’s formally known – and brow lift.
And so earlier this year Chief went under the knife in a procedure that took two hours and resulted in the removal of a kilogram of skin.
Mike, speaking to YOU via video call from his office at the Primrose Hill Veterinary Hospital in Dublin, explains an incision was made behind Chief ’s ears to remove the excess skin, which was about 30cm in length. “Everything went well,” Mike says. After a short stay in hospital, Chief was given the green light to return home and is like a different dog, Tracey says. “This is all thanks to Mike. It’s had a positive impact on his quality of life. It’s great to see him so well and for him to see us.”
MIKE has always loved animals. He grew up on a farm and would often see livestock that were sick or in pain and long to do something to help them.
“My view was filled with sheep and cattle and by my mid-teens I’d decided I’d like to help cure them,” he says.
“I like the scientific part of what I do and also enjoy the emotional part of interacting with animals.”
After school, he graduated from Uni
versity College Dublin with a bachelor of veterinary medicine degree and then qualified as a specialist ophthalmologist in 1990.
Cases like Chief are part of what makes his job fun.
“His surgery isn’t that common, as typically you’ll only lift the eyelid and not the whole face. Chief ’s skin was like a heavy weight dragging everything down,” Mike says.
“We realised if we just did the eyelid lift, the weight of the skin falling downward would reverse the surgery.”
Basset hounds aren’t the only dog breed to experience the problem of sagging skin around the head and face – Shar-Peis and cocker spaniels are also prone to it.
“Sometimes their condition requires a radical approach, such as surgery to improve their vision and to make sure they aren’t having any discomfort from the position of their eyelids.”
A typical work day for Mike begins at 6.45am and ends at 7pm.
“It tends to be a committed life,” he says. “There’s plenty of reward and you’re never bored – we’re very fortunate that way.”
Luckily his wife is very supportive and understanding.
They’ve been married for 38 years and have six children aged between 34 and 15 so life is hectic for Mike both in and out of work, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s been in the profession for 39 years and his patients keep him busy, he says.
“Dogs run into things and genetically their eyelids tend to turn and rub on the eye which can lead to abrasions and ulcers. I mostly find myself removing corneal ulcers or abrasions and cataracts. Those are the most common surgeries.
“The priority is to render the animal pain-free so I can save the eye.”
HE HAS plenty of entertaining stories to share from his long career. Before specialising as an ophthalmologist Mike worked in general practice and was fascinated by the things pets manage to swallow.
“It’s surprising what you find,” he says. One of his most memorable cases involved a dog that swallowed a string of Christmas lights, which had to be surgically removed.
Another case where he really had to go above and beyond the call of duty involved a puppy with fractures that needed a frame to straighten his spine, but the owners couldn’t afford it.
“I went to a local engineering firm and they built a spine that was attached to his back. Sometimes, you must think of how you handle things,” Mike says.
“You often have to deal with a mixture of what’s possible and affordable and you have to think outside the box.”
Although he loves this element of his job, for him the best part is getting to interact with pets and their owners.
“The thing I enjoy most is seeing animals return to their happy state,” he says. “They’re in trouble when they come in and I get to see them walk out wagging their tail.”
‘THERE’S PLENTY OF REWARD AND YOU’RE NEVER BORED’