Select your animal:

Tumors of the Gums (Epulis) in Cats

Save to mypetMD

Share | Print

Treatment

Your veterinarian will remove the epulis surgically while your pet is anesthetized. Any teeth that have been extensively damaged by the epulis will also be removed, and the tooth socket will be cleaned out with special dental instruments.

If the epulis is acanthomatous and is thought of as aggressive (they can be precancerous lesions), he or she may need to remove half of your pet’s lower or upper jaw, and administer radiotherapy to your pet to assure the epulis does not come back. He or she may also inject chemotherapeutic agents into the area of the epulis to prevent it from expanding.

Living and Management

Pets should return to the veterinarian one, two, three, six, nine, 12, 15, 18, and 24 months after treatment for thorough oral, head, and neck examinations. Periodic X-rays of the inside of your cat’s mouth should be taken, especially if the mass was diagnosed as an acanthomatous epulis, which may be a precancerous lesion.

Most epulides are cured if the edges of the surgically removed tumor was not cancerous (a laboratory will examine the tumor after your veterinarian has removed it). However, if your veterinarian had to cut into the bone to remove the tumor, the epulide will probably return.