Tyson, a three-month-old French bulldog, seems to have worked wonders. In a recent case report, Cornell University veterinarians describe how the puppy spontaneously regrown most of its left lower jaw after it had to be removed to treat cancer—the first time this has been reported in a dog. This has been documented in animals. Even better, Tyson is still cancer-free.
This case is detailed in the report publish In the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Tyson was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a cleft palate (an opening or cleft in the palate) in the spring of 2023, when his primary veterinarian accidentally discovered a malignant tumor on his left lower jaw, the newspaper reported.A biopsy soon revealed that Tyson had developed a Oral papillary squamous cell carcinomaIt is the second most common type of oral cancer in dogs.
Surgery is the standard treatment for these cancers, but its owners are hesitant to proceed. The location of the tumor meant veterinarians would need to remove most of Tyson’s left lower jaw, and it wasn’t clear at first whether his cancer had progressed to the point where surgery was unlikely to work. However, subsequent tests found that the cancer had not spread elsewhere, giving Tyson hope for a good prognosis after surgery. Therefore, with the consent of the family, the veterinarian performed the surgery.
Tyson has since had no serious complications. To everyone’s surprise, within the next eight weeks, his missing jaw began to grow back, right down to the bone. There are reports of people’s jaws growing back after similar surgeries or injuries, and there are also anecdotal reports of puppies having small portions of their jaws grow back. But as far as the author is aware, this is the first case in history of a dog’s mandible regenerating after oral cancer surgery.
“We had no idea his jaw would grow back,” Melissa Forsyth, one of Tyson’s owners, said in a statement. freed by Cornell University.
The team said the most likely factors in Tyson’s remarkable recovery were his age and the fact that the surgery left much of the jaw’s periosteum (the thin layer of membrane covering the bone that contains the blood vessels that nourish the bone) intact. But the exact mechanism behind regeneration remains a mystery.
“More work needs to be done to understand the likelihood of this occurring in other dogs and whether specific age ranges have an impact,” study author Alexandra Wright said in a statement. “But this case documents a very positive surgical outcome in a life-threatening situation.”
Tyson did have to undergo another surgery to repair his cleft palate, which was successful. His new left lower jaw is not as functional as his old left jaw because it lacks teeth. But as long as the right side is healthy, that’s fine. So far, veterinarians have found no evidence that the cancer has returned. Forsyth said Tyson himself is living life to the fullest, having recently passed obedience classes and participated in a Christmas parade.
Tyson’s owners and veterinarians hope his story will one day help doctors understand how to do the same for other dogs in similar situations.
“His case now demonstrates the possibility of complete bone regeneration when working with such a young patient,” Wright said.