Epulis Tumour

[Kelpie-i]

Lochie my corgi x who is almost 11 years old has been diagnosed with a Epulis tumour in her mouth. The vet seemed very non-fussed about it and did not see any urgency in having it removed. It's benign but because it is in her jaw, it is pushing some of her teeth out of alignment and causing her to drool. She is not having any problems eating and seems happy and healthy otherwise but I would still like to have it removed.

Has anyone had experience with these types of tumours and was the outcome good.

[alpha bet]

Would you really want to put an 11yo dog thru a serious operation..... if she seems happy enough and the vet doesnt seem over concerned then perhaps it is best left alone.

If you really are concerned go to a different vet and get a second opinion.

[Kelpie-i]

Well this issue is that it is growing, albeit slowly, and the vet did say that if it got too big and hindered her eating, then she would have to remove it but this could take time and by that stage she will be older and much more at risk under anaesthetic.

[dogbesotted]

my beloved Guiness McGuinness has an epulis that involved the jaw bone.. he lived quite a few years after dx and was helped to the bridge in jan this years as the tumour was obviously causing him pain .........

if there is bone involvement the surrounding bone is removed.

good luck

h

[SchnauzerMax]

Kelpie-i,

IF you are going to have it operated on do it now. Just because it is classified as benign does not mean that it doesn't eventually grow into the adjacent areas of the mouth. Benign just means it doesn't spread to other parts of the body.

If you wait until it is "really" causing a problem, it may be too complicated to fix. Better to get it now when it is small OR decide not to operate at all.

This sort of tumour is centred around the root of one tooth in the mouth which means removal of the tumour is usually removal of teeth (plural) and part of the gum (but the bigger it is the more they have to take).

My miniature schnauzer (gone to the bridge last year) had one removed at the age of 9 years in 2004. He lost a number of teeth but recovered well. There was no re-occurrence. His tumour was fast growing so the choice of surgery for us was a no-brainer.

The following is a link to the most extreme case I know about http://www.pugrescuenc.org/pumpkin.htm

[Kelpie-i]

Schnauzer@Uni thanks for the info and link...my Goodness, poor dog in that link

I am leaning towards having it removed sooner rather than later due to her age and the fact that it will definitely get bigger, making it more difficult to remove later on.

I will getting in contact with my vet tomorrow.

Thanks guys!

[stormie]

We've done a number of ops to cut these away. See them commonly in Boxers, too.

I wouldn't really call it a 'serious' operation. It usually doesn't take long to cut it out and the mouth is wonderful at healing itself quickly. I'd do pre anaesthetic bloods, but wouldn't be too worried about operating on an 11yo. We regularly do GA's on animals over 12 - commonly dentals, tumour removals etc and it's never a big ordeal.