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Hemimandibulectomy is a surgical procedure involving removal of part or all of the hemimandible. Subtotal hemimandibulectomy preserves the vertical ramus of the mandible and associated temporomandibular joint, while total hemimandibulectomy involves excision of the entire hemimandible. Rarely, more than 50% of the mandible is resected and this involves a subtotal or total hemimandibulectomy on one side and a portion of the mandible on the contralateral side. These procedures are indicated for extensive and malignant tumors of the mandible. The overall complication rate following bilateral rostral mandibulectomy in dogs is 38%. The most common complications are mandibular drift and malocclusion (common), incisional swelling (common), tongue protrusion (common), wound dehiscence (8%-19%), ranula-like lesions (8%-14%), and short-term eating difficulties (up to 44% overall with 30%, 70%, 90%, and 97% of dogs returning to voluntary eating by day 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively). The median time to return to voluntary eating is 2.5 days following hemimandibulectomy in dogs.
