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Odontomas

PictureDegu with severe dental disease and developing odontoma





Odontomas
Kristin Claricoates, DVM






​Odontomas are considered hamartomas in that they are composed of normal tissue arranged in an abnormal fashion. They occur in young animals during development of the permanent teeth. The exception to this is the rat, in which odontomas may occur at any age.  Odontomas are mos
t commonly seen in prairie dogs, and they are a benign lesion from dental epithelial and mesenchymal cells that are more like a malformation than a true neoplasm.  They typically don’t develop further after they become fully calcified and are characterized by slow growth and a non-aggressive nature.  The reason that odontomas are most commonly see in prairie dogs is because the root of the incisors (the front teeth) enlarge to the point that the nasal passages become blocked when an odontoma forms on the tooth.  So, the odontoma itself is a major problem, but the fact that it reduces the ability for the prairie dog to breathe is the biggest concern.  It is not yet known why prairie dogs tend to develop odontomas, but it is suspected that odontogenic tumors are hamartomous growths that are developing in reaction to mechanical trauma of the upper incisors.  Other causes such as a vitamin or mineral imbalance, inadequate wear of the teeth, or lack of sunlight cannot be eliminated at this time. Prevention or elimination of chronic upper incisor trauma is an important first step in the management of this condition.

What would a prairie dog with an odontoma act like?
A prairie dog with an odontoma may act similar to a prairie dog with a respiratory infection.  Some signs would be difficulty breathing, loud or labored breathing, open mouthed breathing, and occasional nasal discharge.

What do I do if I suspect my prairie dog has an odontoma?
If you are concerned that your prairie dog may have an odontoma, please come for a veterinary visit.  On oral exam we can sometimes see signs of an odontoma.  However, we can determine if your prairie dog has an odontoma through some simple diagnostic tests, such as radiographs of the head and chest to determine if there is a respiratory infection or if there is an odontoma.

​If my pet does have an odontoma, what do we do now?
            Unfortunately, treating a prairie dog with medicine alone does not seem to work; surgery is the only successful way to manage an odontoma.  Some surgeons reported that a tracheotomy was helpful for their patients.  However, it was also noted that a tracheotomy (or creating an opening in the trachea) was difficult to maintain.  Instead, we recommend an attempt to extract the incisor.  Because the incisor is so curved and altered by the odontoma, sometimes this incisor is difficult to extract and may fracture.  If this occurs, we will surgically open up the nasal passage and place a hard plastic catheter through a hole made in the nasal passage that is past the tumor so that the respiratory distress can be eliminated.  This will be a permanent change in order for your prairie dog to survive.


Picture
Abnormal Incisor

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709

  • Home
  • Emergency Care
  • Care Sheets
    • General Care >
      • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
      • Heating Reptile Enclosures
      • Health Veggie Shopping for Reptiles
      • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
      • Metabolic Bone Disease Care
      • Vaccines in Exotic Animals
    • Birds >
      • Amazon Care
      • Avian Bornavirus Testing
      • Budgie Care
      • Canaries
      • Chicken Care
      • Chronic Egg Laying
      • Cleaning and Disinfecting
      • Cockatiels (and other small Psittacines)
      • Cockatoo Care
      • ​Converting Your Bird to a Pelleted Diet
      • Feather Picking
      • General Parrot Care
      • Handfeeding Baby Parrots
      • Healthy Shopping for your Birds
      • Infectious Diseases of Parrots
      • Instructions for Physical Therapy in Birds
      • Lead Poisoning
      • McWatters Diet (Homemade Mash)
      • Macaw Care
      • Parrot Precautions
      • Polyoma Virus
      • Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
      • Proventricular Dilatation Disease
      • Spiroform Pharangitis (Spirochetes)
      • Baby Starling and Sparrow guidelines
      • Territorial Aggression
      • Unsafe Plants for Birds
      • Weaning Baby Birds
      • What to Feed Your Pet Bird
      • Wing Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Wing Trims
      • Your Overly Reproductive Female Bird
      • Zinc Toxicity
    • Caiman Care
    • Ferret and Fox Care >
      • Your Ferret’s First Visit to the Vet
      • An Overview of Ferret Adrenal Disease
      • Chronic Diarrhea in Ferrets
      • Ferret Dentistry
      • Heart Disease in Ferrets
      • Heartworm Disease in Ferrets
      • Insulinoma in Ferrets
      • Lymphoma In Ferrets
      • Bob’s Chicken Gravy
      • Fennec Foxes
    • Fish >
      • Algae in your Freshwater Aquarium
      • Eel Care
      • Freshwater Tropical Fish Care
      • Beginning a Freshwater Aquarium
      • Cleaning your Freshwater Aquarium
      • How to Feed your Fish
      • Aquarium Corals
      • Koi Care
      • General Goldfish Care
      • Hermit Crab Care
    • Frogs, Toads, and Other Amphibians >
      • Argentine Horned Frogs
      • Bullfrog Care
      • Dart Frog Care
      • Feeding Pet Frogs and Toads
      • Fire Bellied Toad Care
      • Pixie Frog Care
      • Red Eyed Tree Frog Care
      • Short Tongue Syndrome
      • Tiger Salamander Care
      • Axolotl Care
      • White Lipped Tree Frog Care
      • White's Tree Frog Care
      • Ranavirus
    • Guinea Pigs and Rodents >
      • Chinchilla Care
      • Cuy Criollo (Giant Guinea Pig)
      • Health Problems with Guinea Pigs
      • Degu Care
      • Gerbil Care
      • Guinea Pig Care
      • Hamster Care
      • Diabetic Hamster Diet
      • Mice Care
      • Rat Care
      • Health Problems with Rats
      • Prairie Dog Care
      • Odontoma
      • Veggies For Guinea Pigs
      • Visible Tumors in Rodents
      • Vitamin C Deficiency In Guinea Pigs
    • Hedgehog Care >
      • Baby Hedgehog (Hoglet) Care
    • Kinkajoos and Armadillos >
      • Kinkajou Care
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    • Lizards >
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      • Leopard Gecko Care
      • Nile Monitor Care
      • Old World Chameleon Care
      • Panther Chameleon Care
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      • Savannah Monitor Care
      • Tegu Care
      • Thai Water Dragon Care
      • Uromastyx Care
      • Veiled Chameleon Care
    • Potbellied Pigs >
      • Pot Belly Pigs
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    • Rabbits >
      • Healthy Shopping for Rabbits
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      • Getting To Know Your New Bunny
      • Training Your Bunny
      • What To Feed Your Rabbit
      • Learning to Use the Litter Box
      • What To Expect From Your New Rabbit
      • Dental Disease in Rabbits
      • Heart Disease in Rabbits
      • Healthy Stool in Rabbits
      • Gastrointestinal Stasis in Rabbits
      • Parasites of Rabbits
      • Sore Hocks in Rabbits
      • Pasteurella in Rabbits
      • Medicating Your Rabbit or Guinea Pig
    • Snakes >
      • Amazon Tree Boa Care
      • Ball Python Care
      • Black Rat Snake Care
      • Boa Constrictor Care
      • Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care
      • Burmese Python Care
      • California Kingsnake Care
      • Cornsnake Care
      • Dumeril's Boa Care
      • Eastern Kingsnake Care
      • Emerald Tree Boa Care
      • Garter Snake Care
      • Green Tree Python Care
      • Mexican Black Kingsnake Care
      • Rosy Boa Care
      • Sand Boa Care
      • Western Fox Snake Care
      • Inclusion Body Disease
    • Sugar Gliders and Marsupials
    • Turtles and Tortoises >
      • Alligator Snapping Turtle Care
      • Bell's Hingeback Care
      • Box Turtle Care
      • Chinese Box Turtle Care
      • Common Snapping Turtle Care
      • General Tortoise Husbandry
      • Leopard Tortoise Care
      • Mud Turtle Care
      • Musk Turtle Care
      • Painted Turtle Care
      • Red Eared Slider Care
      • Russian Tortoise Care
      • Soft Shelled Turtle Care
      • Sulcata Care >
        • Diet For Sulcata Tortoises
      • Common Health Problems
      • General Care of Aquatic Turtles
      • Redfoot tortoise Care
  • Contact
    • Referrals
  • Vets, Externs & Shelters
    • Acupuncture and Chiropratic Medicine
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    • Vet Day Camp >
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