Osteoma in the oral cavity of a striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Rachel Durrwachter; Molly Church; Erica Miller

doi:10.53607/wrb.v44.311

Authors

Rachel Durrwachter University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Molly Church niversity of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Erica Miller Wildlife Futures Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA, United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53607/wrb.v44.311

Keywords:

skunk, osteoma, tumor, Mephitis mephitis

Abstract

Tumors in skunks are not well-documented in the literature and are thought to occur relatively uncommonly. During an annual physical examination of a three-year-old, female, captive, education-program skunk at Mercer County Wildlife Center in New Jersey, two hard, spherical masses were found on the lateral gingiva of each maxilla. The right mass measured approximately 8 × 8 ×15 mm, and the left mass measured approximately 5 × 5 × 5 mm. The masses were pedunculated, and the degree of invasiveness could not be determined on pre-surgical radiographs. The masses were easily removed, and post-removal radiographs showed minimal bone lysis. Histopathology revealed an unencapsulated, but well-defined osteoma composed of organized trabeculae of woven bone in a loose connective tissue matrix. No such neoplasm in the oral cavity of a skunk has been recorded previously in the literature.

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Author Biographies

Rachel Durrwachter, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Rachel Durrwachter, VMD, was a veterinary student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine at the time of the initial diagnosis. She is now a board-certified Radiologist with the American College of Veterinary Radiology.

Molly Church, niversity of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Molly Church, MS, VMD, PhD, DACVP, is an Associate Professor of Anatomic Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

Erica Miller, Wildlife Futures Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA, United States

Erica A. Miller, DVM, worked as a veterinarian at several wildlife rehabilitation centers for over 25 years. She is now the Field Operations Manager for the Wildlife Futures Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

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