Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐ฐ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐ฐ or more scientifically known as ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ, is a disease where the bones of the jaw and skull proliferate, causing enlargement and an irregular surface. Interestingly, the enlargement is usually ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ (affecting both sides of the head equally).
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
This disease is most commonly seen in West Highland White Terriers, however it has been described in other breeds as well! Usually the dogs that get this disease are around 4-7 months of age.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
It is not actually known what causes this disease, or why certain breeds appear to be more affected than others. There has been some evidence to show a genetic link in Westies, however it has not been proven, and not demonstrated in all breeds.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
The enlargement of the jaw can cause difficulty chewing, or even difficulty opening the mouth to eat. Depending on the severity of the disease, the inner ear may also be affected, causing severe balance issues.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
The disease is typically first recognized when dogs have difficulty eating. Veterinarians can often feel the boney enlargements with careful palpation during a physical exam. They can also take an X-ray to show the boney thickening, which appears as ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ (white) on the X-ray.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
The interesting thing about this disease is that it can actually disappear on its own! It is considered to be ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐-๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ (the body will manage it without external treatments), and often by the time the dogs reach 1 year of age the boney proliferation has stopped. Once that occurs, the body may be able to ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ (reorganize the boneโs structure) to reduce the size of the proliferation. In some cases, the remodelling may be enough to completely restore the boneโs normal shape and size. Crazy!
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1) A puppy with the typical features of lion jaw.
2) An X-ray showing a radioopaque mandible.
3-4) Examples of skulls with lion jaw.
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 1. Sixth Edition.
Photos 1-4 courtesy of Noahโs Arkive.
