Additionally, there are drugs that can cause excessive gingival growth, including anti-seizure medication, immune-suppressive medication, and calcium-channel blockers used for heart disease.

Boxers carry a strong genetic predisposition for this disease, but any breed of dog can be affected. Gingival hyperplasia, or focal fibrous hyperplasia (FFH), is a benign proliferation of the gingiva around the teeth. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather to provide a general overview of common benign oral tumors. We will explore some different types of benign oral tumors below. Prompt treatment equates to less aggressive surgery and a higher chance at surgical cure. Even benign oral tumors often continue to grow, and unhampered growth can eventually lead to difficulty eating and chewing and destruction of local tissues. When directly related to tumors/cancer, benign is equated to not being malignant, or “dangerous/virulent.” While benign oral tumors are understandably less “scary” and often more treatable than malignant tumors, they should still be treated promptly. The word benign is defined as something that is not harmful. For simplification, they are characterized into benign and malignant tumors below. Additionally, we send radiographs, Cone Beam CT images, and clinical pictures with our biopsy samples so that the pathologist has an in-depth clinical picture of the tumor.ĭue to the large variety and number of oral tumors that can be present in our dogs and cats, only the most common types will be covered in this article. At ADOS, we use pathologists that specialize solely in oral diseases. Although a confident clinical impression can be obtained from an examination and x-rays, final diagnosis cannot be made with the opinion of a pathologist. * NOTE: Any abnormal growth of tissue in the mouth (or otherwise) requires biopsy for definitive diagnosis.

This is one of the reasons why regular oral examinations, especially as your dog or cat ages, are extremely important. The most important thing to know about oral tumors is that early detection is key to successful treatment. Oral tumors constitute about 6% of the overall incidence of cancer in dogs and cats.

Cancer dog pica