11/01/2026
A large male 80 pound male Red Kangaroo in my waiting room! I do see kangaroos fairly frequently. This guy had abscessed teeth in the right mandible. After sedation and x-rays it was determined that he did not have true “Lumpy Jaw” which is when the bone is being destroyed in the jaw by osteomyelitis and a large swelling occurs. About 8 months ago he had the same issue in the left upper jaw (maxilla) and surgery was done and he recovered from the infection after removing the teeth, debriding the area, removing pus and infected tissue, irrigating thoroughly, and then providing the proper antibiotics determined by cultures taken, and pain medication. The after care is difficult because they are extremely hard to get to take oral medications and give injections. He received the same treatment this time. It is suspected they acquire this issue due to the food items they eat which can get in between the tooth and the gum. The owners are working on correcting his diet and husbandry.
