Romford dog gets facelift

WITH her hangdog expression Molly was a sight for sore eyes, but that was before a local vet gave her a facelift – and restored her vision.

The pedigree Shar Pei has been blind from birth as a result of entropion – a condition caused by severe inbreeding where folds of skin rub against the eye causing pain and eventually leading to permanent disability.

But after two operations last week by vet Richard Marks, of the Goddard Veterinary Group in Balgores Lane, Gidea Park, Molly has found a new lease of life.

Richard said: “What I essentially did was give her an extreme facelift; I removed a large piece of skin and stitched the remaining skin to the back of her head. It may sound extreme, but if left much longer she would have been totally blinded.”

Richard said it was one of the worst cases of entropion he had seen in his career, and blasted the pedigree breeders who caused it.

“Molly is a result of very bad breeding between dogs that are essentially diseased,” he said. “Molly was bred to satisfy a certain criteria on what they think a dog should look like rather than its health.”

Owner Louise Walsh, from Romford, paid �500 for the one-year-old pooch last month, on top of �720 in vet’s bills.

She is now in the process of suing Molly’s previous owners, a couple from Wales, who she claims lied about the dog’s health.

“I’m very angry,” she said. “It’s not about the money, it’s the fact they were dishonest. How could they let Molly go through a year of pain without doing anything?”

However, Louise, 30, is over the moon with the results of the op. “When I first got her all she did was sleep because she was in so much pain,” she said. “Now she is so happy all the time: playing, exploring and she loves chasing crows! She’s such a wonderful dog; she loves people and is very affectionate.”

The Kennel Club announced new regulations to prevent close family mating last year.