CRANIOMANDIBULAR OSTEOPATHY (CMO)
(Lion Jaw)
Several cases have been reported without back-up evidence.
CMO is a puppy problem which usually occurs between 4 and 7
months of age. There have been cases as early as 3 to 4 weeks old.
It is rare after 9 months old.
The first signs are often when a puppy exhibits pain or discomfort
when eating or having its head or mouth touched although cases
have been known where there does not appear to be much
discomfort.
The bones on the sides of the lower jaw (mandible) - occasionally
other bones in the head can be affected - become hard and dense
with a rough surface and can often be felt by palpation.
Confirmation is by X-ray. In severe cases the puppy will be in
great pain and it is better to have it put to sleep.
In mild cases treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs may be
successful, the puppy making a complete recovery so that by the
age of 2 to 3 years it is not possible to tell it has suffered from
CMO.
Test mating undertaken in the USA has proved that CMO is
inherited as a simple autosomal recessive trait ie both parents must
carry at least one gene for CMO. In other words, the production of
a CMO puppy proves that both parents are carriers.
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