Cranium and mandible of a male Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) showing a number of pathologies.
Cranium and mandible of male Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) showing a number of pathologies. There is a large abcess behind the first upper right canine, and the root of the tooth is thickened. There is a swelling behind the first lower right canine, pushing the first lower premolar back. The third lower premolar is turned through 90 degrees to the mandible, and the root is exposed on the labial side. There is an unsusual sharpness of the first upper and lower canines. From the front view, the canines and incisors have a splayed aspect. The stumps of the deciduous second and third upper right incisors, second left upper incisor, as well as the first and second lower right incisors, are still in situ. The first lower right incisor has broken off, the first upper left incisor is rotted to gum level (it was covered with a callus when the animal was alive), and there is an abcess behind this tooth.