REMOVAL OF PSEUDO-ODONTOMAS VIA LATERAL MAXILLOTOMY IN THREE RICHARDSON'S GROUND SQUIRRELS (UROCITELLUS RICHARDSONII)

Pseudo-odontoma can occur in some species with elodont teeth. Pseudo-odontomas affecting maxillary dentition may result in obstruction of the nasal cavities and lead to dyspnea. Effective treatments for the disease in Richardson's ground squirrels (Urocitellus richardsonii) have not yet been established. Three Richardson's ground squirrels exhibiting dyspnea and with maxillary pseudo-odontomas, based on diagnostic imaging, were surgically treated. The animals were placed under general anesthesia, and following excision of skin and subcutaneous tissue at the midpoint of the line connecting the medial canthus and ipsilateral nasal opening, maxillotomy of the incisive bone was performed. The reserve crown of the maxillary incisor tooth was exposed via the maxillotomy site and was sectioned into labial and palatal fragments, and the diseased tooth was completely extracted. In all three cases, dyspnea improved immediately after surgery. In one case, no recurrence was observed 600 d following surgery. These results suggest that the procedure used provides a practical approach for treating maxillary pseudo-odontomas in Richardson's ground squirrels.