Canine salivary mucocoeles Results of sialographic examination and surgical treatmentof fifty cases

Fifty consecutive cases of salivary mucocoeles in dogs were investigated. Twenty‐four dogs were presented with both cervical and sublingual mucocoeles; in twenty‐three cases a cervical swelling only was noted and in three cases a sublingual mucocoele (ranula) existed on its own. Sialography demonstrated sublingual gland, or duct, defects in forty cases. In seven of the remaining ten cases, normal mandibular sialograms were obtained on the affected side. Bilateral sublingual gland involvement was confirmed by sialography in eight cases and suggested by circumstantial evidence in a further two cases. Surgical excision of the mandibular and sublingual glands on the affected side, combined with drainage of the mucocoele contents, has proved to be a reliable approach to treatment.