Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Swelling on lower jaw in 3-month-old Belgian Malinois puppies
By Bar Giora, Yael et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary dentistry·2026·Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Periostitis Ossificans in a Litter of Belgian Malinois Puppies.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three Belgian Malinois puppies, all 3 months old, were brought to the vet with painless swelling in their lower jaws. After various tests, including dental X-rays and a CT scan, they were diagnosed with periostitis ossificans, a condition often linked to inflammation from teething. Fortunately, this condition usually resolves on its own, so the vet recommended managing any discomfort and monitoring the puppies until their adult teeth came in. Follow-up visits showed that the swelling significantly decreased and eventually disappeared as the puppies grew.
People also search for: Belgian Malinois puppy jaw swelling · puppy teething problems · periostitis ossificans treatment
Abstract
Periostitis ossificans (PO) is a subtype of chronic osteomyelitis characterized by subperiosteal bone formation as a reaction to mild infection or irritation. In the veterinary medicine literature, it has been described in large breed dogs, aged 3 to 5 months, and was postulated to be caused by mild inflammation related to tooth eruption. This report describes 3 Belgian Malinois puppies from the same litter diagnosed with PO at 3 months of age. The puppies presented with non-painful distal mandibular swellings. Diagnostic procedures included intraoral dental radiographs, a computed tomography scan of the head, and bone biopsies submitted for histopathological examination. PO is typically a self-limiting condition and likely caused by inflammation due to tooth eruption. Therefore, treatment focuses on pain management and monitoring until the permanent teeth emerge. Long-term follow up until two and a half years of age showed a significant decrease to total resolution of the swelling, with minor bone changes evident on advanced imaging. Histopathologic findings are not pertinent for the diagnosis of PO and imaging shows pathognomonic features of the condition. Mandibular PO, craniomandibular osteopathy, and calvarial hyperostotic syndrome are all self-limiting proliferative bone diseases of the skull in juvenile dogs with an implied genetic component. The authors' findings support grouping them as a single disorder called "Idiopathic Canine Juvenile Cranial Hyperostosis" with predilection sites that vary between breeds.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40984628/