Facelift hound has ‘tummy tuck’ (From York Press)

Facelift hound has ‘tummy tuck’

9:59am Monday 20th February 2012 in Selby & Tadcaster By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk

DO you recognise Junior the Bloodhound who had a facelift last year? Well, if not, it might be due to his latest surgery – a tummy tuck.

The five-year-old pooch from Selby suffered from a rare disorder which meant he did not grow into his skin properly, and the weight of the excess flesh above his face caused it to fold and cover his eyes, and could have led to permanent blindness until he had the facelift.

After recovering from the surgery, his owners, David and Denise Smart, noticed a similar problem occurring further down his body, as folds of skin hung down over his belly, and flapped when he ran, and they took him to the vets again when they discovered a lump.

Denise said: “The lump was growing on his side, so we had it removed and tested. It wasn’t anything serious, probably caused by a foreign body, but then it came back.

“He had a lot of skin hanging down from his belly that he didn’t grow into, and the mass caused by a foreign body, which had to be removed.”

Junior had one operation at his local vets in November, followed by two more in early January and February to completely remove the excess skin. Three operations and 39 stitches later, Junior is living a dog’s life once again, playing with his brother, Judge.

Denise said: “Junior’s back to his normal self now. He’s still growing his hair back, but it’s not as bad as it was. We’re lucky. We were worrying that he wouldn’t take his antibiotics, as he had to take up to ten a day, but he takes them like biscuits. He thinks they’re a treat.”

His new look has also made Junior something of a celebrity, and he appeared on a number of television show, last year, including Daybreak, and is currently being lined up to take part in a documentary for ABC News.