Carnassial Abscess Following Cellulitis Complication in a Young Maltese

The patient, two-year-old female Maltese dog with recurrent facial cellulitis below the left eye was referred for further investigation to the Veterinary Medical Center, Chungbuk National University. There were no visible dental problems, but extraoral radiographs showed periapical bone lyses on the left maxillary third and fourth premolars. Affected teeth were extracted by closed extraction and communication between some extraction sockets and the facial lesion was confirmed using a periodontal explorer. The facial lesion was treated as open wound. During a followup of 3 weeks, the extraction site and lesion reveal normal healing. In this case, the dog was young and had no clinically significant dental problems, like gingivitis or periodontal pocket. This case suggests that the carnassial abscess occurred secondary to cellulitis.