Reconstructive skin flaps in dogs and cats

We see many patients who need quite advanced surgery to reconstruct extensive skin trauma or repair defects after the resection of large areas of skin post cancer removal. With good knowledge of local skin blood supply, skin anatomy and advanced surgical techniques it is often possible to get good results in these cases.

The following before and after images show some patients who have had surgery to repair quite large skin defects that otherwise would have required limb amputations or been euthanised.

  • CASE 1
  • CASE 2
  • CASE 3
  • CASE 4
  • CASE 5

CASE 1

Skin trauma following road traffic accident

 

 

Reconstruction of the area using a skin fold advancement flap

CASE 2

Cat with large skin defect after infected wound skin slough/death

 

 

Wound after necrotic/dead skin debrided

 

Healthy skin from the abdomen is used in a caudal superficial epigastric skin flap technique where the blood supply remains attached to the skin and the area is rotated to cover the defect, the donor area has enough spare skin to close over the new defect.

 

Immediate post-surgery

 

6 weeks post-surgery, the flap has healed well

CASE 3

Tumour removal from hip area in a dog

 

Mass over hip being measured pre-surgery

 

Patient prepared for surgery with bullseye marks indicating tumour and area of skin to resect on the left and tongue shaped skin flap to cover the defect on the right.

 

Immediate post surgery – Deep Circumflex Iliac axial pattern flap

CASE 4

Cancer removal from on top of the nose area of a dog

 

The cancer is being removed from the nose, the skin flap (superficial temporal skin flap) has been highlighted on the top of the head.

 

Defect after cancer removal

 

Immediate post-surgery repair

 

2 months post surgery

CASE 5

Cancerous mass on point of elbow in a dog

 

Pre surgery – cancer on elbow, Thoracodorsal skin flap highlighted, black dot pinpoints blood supply to skin which must be preserved

 

Tumour removed and skin flap prepared

 

Skin flap rotated into position

 

Immediate post-surgery

 

2 months post-surgery

Return to Surgical cases