Submaxillary or mandibular salivary gland

SUBMAXILLARY OR MANDIBULAR SALIVARY GLAND
(OX, Sheep & Goat, Horse,Pig, Dog, Rabbit)

Ox (View image)

  • It is the largest salivary gland and is pale yellow in colour and weighs about 140 gm. It is long, narrow and curved, the upper edge being concave
  • It extends from the fossa atlantis to the body of the hyoid bone. It is partly covered by the parotid gland
  • It presents two surfaces, two borders and two extremities. The external surface is covered by parotid gland, digastricus and internal pterygoid, muscles
  • The internal surface is related to the rectus capitis ventralis major, laryngeal division of the carotid artery, the 10th and 11th cranial nerves and sympathetic nerves
  • The dorsal border is concave and thin and the duct leaves the middle of this border. The ventral border is convex and thick
  • The caudal extremity is loosely attached to the fossa atlantis. The cranial extremity is larger and rounded and lies at the side of the root of the tongue
  • It is related to the mandibular lymph gland and is crossed laterally by the external maxillary artery. It is situated very close to the same part of the opposite gland
  • The mandibular duct (Wharton’s duct) leaves the middle of the concave border of the gland, runs forwards crossing the digastricus and stylo-hyoideus under genio-glossus, crosses under the hypoglossal nerve and gains the medial face of the sublingual gland
  • It then runs forwards, under the mucous membrane of the mouth and opens on the caruncula sublingualis or barb

Species difference

Sheep and Goat

  • As in ox

Horse

  • It is smaller than parotid and weighs about 45 to 60 gm
  • The duct passes between hyoglossus and mylohyoideus and gains the medial face of the sublingual salivary gland

Pig

  • Small in outline and covered by parotid
  • Its external surface is marked by rounded prominences
  • The duct opens near the fraenum linguae, but there are no papillae

Dog (View image)

  • It is larger than parotid
  • It is rounded in outline and pale yellow in colour
  • The duct leaves the gland from its internal surface, crosses the stylo-glossus and opens into the mouth on a very distinct papilla near the fraenum linguae

Rabbit
Last modified: Friday, 20 April 2012, 9:22 AM