Management of severe, progressive oral papillomatosis in a dog with CO2 laser ablation and canine papillomavirus L1 immunisation

Abstract

AbstractA 1.5‐year‐old, male intact Basset Hound presented with a 2‐month history of rapidly progressing oral papillomatosis. The dog exhibited ptyalism, oral pain, difficulty in prehending food and a strong malodor from the oral cavity. The dog was unresponsive to oral azithromycin and injectable interferon therapy. The dog was treated with laser ablation of the lesions every 2–4 weeks and received 10 doses of a canine papillomavirus type 1 (CPV1) L1 virus‐like particle vaccine every 14 days for 20 weeks. At the end of the 14 weeks, the recurrence of oral lesions had slowed significantly with minimal papillomas remaining in the oral cavity. Eight weeks later a final laser ablation surgery was performed to remove a small number of recrudescent papillomas. Two weeks later the dog had no oral lesions. Long‐term follow‐up was not possible as the dog was euthanised due to the emergence of a B cell lymphoproliferative disease and subsequent decline. The presence of an immune suppressive neoplasia may help to explain the development of severe, refractory oral papillomatosis in a young dog.