Cleft palate in domestic animals: epidemiologic features

Among 331 animals with cleft palate in a veterinary clinic-hospital population, cats, mixed breed dogs and German Shepherd Dogs had low risk for cleft palate; high rates were seen in English Bulldogs, some small purebred dogs and Charolais cattle, where cleft palate occurred as part of a syndrome of multiple malformations. Many of the epidemiologic characteristics resemble features of cleft palate in humans and suggest animal breeds suitable for exploration as animal models for use by experimental teratologists, developmental biologists, and clinicians.