Oral Lesions in Captive Nondomestic Felids With a Focus on Odontogenic Lesions

Abstract

Odontogenic lesions are well described in domestic cats, but published literature describing these lesions in nondomestic felids is limited. This study reports oral lesions in 109 captive, non-domestic felids. Ten cases of odontogenic lesions were diagnosed, including 9 with fibromatous epulis of periodontal ligament origin (FEPLO) and one odontogenic cyst in a cougar. FEPLO was common in lions. FEPLO did not recur after surgical removal in any of the 3 cases for which follow-up information was available. Increased occurrences of oral papillomas in snow leopards and eosinophilic granulomas in tigers were identified, which is consistent with the reported literature. With the exception of oral papillomas in snow leopards and FEPLO in lions, the spectrum of oral lesions in nondomestic felids was similar to what is reported in domestic cats, with squamous cell carcinoma being the most common oral malignancy, and stomatitis/gingivitis/glossitis accounting for approximately one third of all cases. Rare diagnoses with one case each included hemangioma, fibrosarcoma, melanoma, cleft palate, and glossal amyloidosis.