Mucus Retention Cyst of the Soft Palate in a Dog.

ABSTRACT

A 10 yr old 6.6 kg (14.5 lb) castrated male Chihuahua was referred to the Alta Vista Animal Hospital for evaluation of a mass of the soft palate. The cystic structure was bluntly dissected from the soft palate submucosal tissue, and the dog recovered from surgery and anesthesia without complication. Histopathology revealed salivary tissue with a large multiloculated cyst lined by a single layer of cystic and dilated cuboidal epithelium. Follow up 7 mo after surgery revealed complete resolution of clinical signs with no evidence of local recurrence. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first confirmed report of a mucus retention cyst in a dog.