In a medical first, Tyson, a French Bulldog, made headlines when the puppy’s jaw regrew spontaneously after it had been largely removed due to cancer. A medical first among dogs of any age or breed, this occurrence had previously only been observed in humans.
French Bulldog’s jaw regrowth is a medical first
When Tyson was brought to Cornell’s Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service in 2023 for a cleft palate surgery, an oral papillary squamous cell carcinoma was discovered. It is the second-most common malignant oral tumor in dogs, with Tyson being diagnosed at just three months of age. Led by Alexandra Wright, DVM ’18, Tyson’s care team had no other option but to remove a majority of his lower left mandible.
Given the initial uncertainty of the prognosis, Tyson’s owners, Melissa Forsythe and Mike Lacagnina of Rochester, New York, hesitated. However, upon confirming that the cancer hadn’t spread to other sites in the body through Tyson’s clear CT scans, they decided to proceed with the surgery. To their surprise and relief, Tyson’s jaw regenerated following the surgery (via Phys.Org.
According to the case report published by Wright in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, this miraculous recovery is believed to be due to the preservation of a substantial amount of periosteum during surgery. This thin membrane covering the bone is replete with blood vessels and nerves that are needed for bone growth. While there have been reports of bone regeneration in young dogs, Tyson’s case stands out because of the large amount of bone that was removed.
Though the exact reason for Tyson’s jaw regrowth remains unknown, Wright notes the early detection of the tumor played a crucial role. His new jaw is considered technically abnormal as it lacks certain features like a mandibular canal and teeth. However, it serves the purpose, keeping cancer at bay.
