Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO)

Craniomandibular osteopathy (CMO) is an inherited disease that affects formation of bones, most notably those of a jaw. First signs usually appear between 4 to 8 months of age. Typical signs include swelling of the jaw, periodical fever, lack of appetite, pain, difficulty opening the mouth and dysphagia.

The disease showed an autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance. Dogs that are homozygous mutant (two copies of the mutation) have a higher risk to develop CMO. Dogs heterozygous for the mutation (one copy of the mutation) rarely develop clinical signs - they are classified at low risk. It is also possible that some of the clinically unaffected but genetically affected dogs actually had very mild cases of CMO that is sometime unnoticed.

Inheritance: autosomal dominant (incomplete penetrance)

Mutation: SLC37A2 gene

Genetic test: The method used for testing is extremely accurate and allows complete differentiation between affected animals, carriers and healthy dogs. Testing can be done at any age.