Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog soft palate melanoma surgery using pig tissue graft repair
By Walker, M A et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2026·Small Animal Surgery, Canada·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Use of porcine small intestinal submucosa for reconstruction of a soft palate defect following marginal resection of a melanoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old male golden retriever was brought in for a mass in the roof of his mouth. After imaging tests showed a significant soft tissue mass, the owners chose a less invasive surgery instead of removing part of the jaw. The vet closed the resulting hole in the palate using a special material from pig intestines. The dog healed well and had no trouble eating after the surgery. Unfortunately, he was euthanized 22 months later, but there were no signs of the cancer returning at that time.
People also search for: dog mouth mass treatment · golden retriever melanoma surgery · soft palate defect repair in dogs
Abstract
A 12-year-old castrated male golden retriever was referred for evaluation of a palatal mass. Computed tomography identified a 2.7 × 2.0 × 1.5 cm soft tissue mass extending from the caudal aspect of the hard palate to the rostral soft palate. Bilateral caudal maxillectomy was declined by owners; thus, a marginal resection was performed. The resultant palatal defect was closed using porcine small intestinal submucosa. Histopathology was consistent with a poorly pigmented malignant melanoma. The dog recovered well with no incisional complications or difficulty eating. The dog was euthanased 22 months postoperatively by the referring veterinarian. At the time of euthanasia, no evidence of local recurrence was noted. This report describes the novel use of porcine small intestinal submucosa for closure of a full-thickness palatal defect following marginal resection of a malignant oral melanoma.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40908844/