West Highland Terriers - Lion Jaw

Lion Jaw is also known as Westie Jaw, and its medical name of Cranio Mandibluar Osteopathy or CMO.

Lion Jaw is a painfil, non-cancerous, temporary inflammation of the jaw bone (mandible) in juvenile Westies. It ia an inherited disease. CMO can also cause excess bony growth of the jaw bone. Lion Jaw can sometimes affect the temporo-mandibular joints, occassionally skull bones, and rarely long leg bones.

Symptoms of Lion Jaw:

* Chewing may be painful, the first clue the westie may have CMO is by a reluctance to chew, making the dog appear to be off his food.

* Jaw may appear swollen

* Drooling

* There may be an intermittent fever, making your westie seem lethargic and lacking in appetite.

The symptoms may come and go, typically with a 10-14 day cycle.

Lion jaw only affects puppies age between 4-10months old. Once the westie is about one year old, CMO has usually run its course and will not return. Neither does it leave any lasting damage. Even the bony groths often resolve themselves.

Diagnosis of Lion Jaw

Through clinical symptoms, palpation of jaw and x-rays.

Treatment of Lion Jaw

Pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat CMO. Steroids are often used to settle the inflammatory process.

Prevention of Lion Jaw

As CMO is an inherited disease, care must be taken by the breeders not to mate two westies with the carrier gene for Lion Jaw, as their puppies will almost certainly be prone to Lion Jaw. Research is underway to develop a specific DNA test to identify West Highland Terriers with the CMO gene.

Although Lion Jaw can be painful and distressing at the time, the symptoms of CMO can be treated and your Westie will grow out of it and be a healthy happy dog.