Elongated soft palate (original) (raw)

An elongated soft palate is a congenital hereditary disorder that negatively affect dogs and cats' breathing and eating. A soft palate is considered elongated when it extends past the top of the epiglottis and/or past the middle of the tonsillar crypts. The soft palate is made up of muscle and connective tissue located in the posterior portion on the roof of the mouth. The soft palate creates a barrier between the mouth (oral cavity) and nose (nasal cavity). This continuation between the cavities makes it possible to chew and breathe at the same time. The soft palate only blocks the nasal cavity while swallowing. At rest the soft palate should only stretch caudally from the hard palate to the tip of the epiglottis leaving an opening between the nasal and oral cavities. When the soft palate