Jump to content

Puppy With Jaw Problem


bearswan
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi.

I am relatively new, having only posted a couple of times in the Weimaraner forum (where I have also posted this message). I am really worried about my 10 week old Weimaraner puppy, Zeke, and am hoping to get some advice. I'm afraid it is long winded, but here goes .....

Last Saturday, I was taking him for a drive in the car, and we stopped in at a vet as he was due for a worming tablet. The vet nurse offered to give it to him, and I happily agreed (hate giving dogs tablets). Anyway, about half an hour later, while almost home, he threw up in the car, I'm pretty sure due to car sickness, as he had been drooling beforehand (so much for the worming tablet). Anyway, that night and the next day he didn't quite eat all of his food, and by Sunday night he seemed really tired and not his usual playful self. Come Monday morning, he was really, really lethargic, didn't want to engage, and looked really miserable. Took him to the vet that morning who gave him (what I thought) was a very cursory examination. Thought it could possibly be an intestinal blockage and sent us home to keep an eye on him and feed a bland diet. Later that day, I was stroking him on both sides of his neck, behind his ears, and he yelped in pain. Happened a couple more times, and he also yelped whilst just lying in his kennel. Back to the same vet that afternoon, who also had another vet look at him. Said his neck seemed fine and the only reaction they could elicit was a slight yelp when pushed on the top of the head, and a slight groan when his tummy was pushed up whilst standing (he has always groaned when settling himself down into a lying position, which I have always assumed was a feeling of contentment). Said it was a very weird presentation and sent us home again saying that if he was no better by next morning, bring back for X-rays, blood tests etc. By next morning, still very miserable, doing nothing but sleeping, could only be coaxed out of bed to eat soft food and wee and pooh (normal), so took him to a different vet, as the first one seemed to be concentrating on his tummy, and I just felt it wasn't that. This vet examined him and immediately got a horrible yelping in pain from him when she tried to open his mouth. Asked if we had been playing tug games with him (we hadn't). Sent us home with Metacam and said if he was no better in 2 days (today) bring him back for x-rays etc.

Whilst he has definitely improved a little bit in terms of energy levels, and interest in us, he is still a long, long way from the pup he was, and still seems to be having problems eating hard food. I think the Metacam is masking the pain and making him feel a little better, but not fixing the problem. Whilst he used to love chasing and chewing toys, and eating kibble, pigs ears etc., he just doesn't want to know any more. There seems to be nothing wrong with his appetite, but if you give him kibble he's not that interested, or you think he's eaten some and 20 mins later it will fall out of his mouth unchewed. It's hard to explain, but it's like he has no teeth at the back. I gave him half a sausage yesterday and whilst he looked like he was chewing it normally, it came out of his mouth unchewed and like it had only been 'gummed'. Throughout all of this his temperature and wees and poohs have been normal, no vomiting, and he has been eating (soft) food and drinking. He is also drooling a lot after eating, which he never did before. Long strands of drool hanging down from the sides of his mouth, and he also paws down the sides of his mouth for a few seconds after meals.

Of course, I have been researching and I am worried that it might be Masticatory Muscle Myositis (MMM). I am going to take him back to the vet tomorrow morning and will mention it. In the mean time, does anyone have any idea, suggestions, input at all as to what might be going on? We have only had him a couple of weeks but love him so much already, and we hate to see him suffering. The problem seems to be with his jaw in that he is reluctant to fully open his mouth, and the only other thing I can think of, simply because of the timing, was that something happened when the vet nurse gave him the tablet, but that couldn't be it surely, could it?

Sorry for the extremely long post but I am just so worried, and would appreciate any other thoughts. Thank you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds painful..

I think an Xray would be in order..just to see if something is dislocated/.cracked. My first thought ..with apologies to vet nurses :o ... is that maybe something happened when he was being given the tablet?..or it may be coincidence it happened then...

It may indeed be an inflammatory thing .. but while Googling is handy - xrays and bloods are much better!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would be finding a new vet and looking for a simpler explanation then jumping into MMM. The symptoms you describe can be consistent with many many different problems from tooth, bone, dislocation, or muscular.

MMM is an autoimmune disorder and the only way to really know if that is what it is, is to do a blood test for antibodies.

I would be x-raying the head and neck first to see if maybe the dog has cracked or dislocated the jaw.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About 4 weeks ago I had a very similar presentation with one of my dogs. I would get his teeth and jaw checked at vet (we had to do this under anaesthetic - our ended up sore jaw but good to check teeth in case). Was vet nurse rough giving tablet? I think I know what caused my problem. MMM was mentioned but vet said it was such a remote possibility, simplest is usually right. We did anti-inflams and soft food and also went to chiro and he is fine now.

Edited by Kavik
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would be checking teeth very carefully - at that age our standard poodle puppy had her canines making a very nice hole in her upper gum - ouch - we had them removed at 12 weeks as it was very painful for her to eat, play or have her face held. Her adult teeth and bite are normal.

Edited by frufru
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was stroking him on both sides of his neck, behind his ears, and he yelped in pain.
a horrible yelping in pain from him when she tried to open his mouth.

does sound more joint/muscle than teeth .. hopefully Xrays will help find the problem soon for you :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everybody for your replies. I am VERY happy to report that, after 3 days on Metacam, Zeke has made a marked improvement, and is just about back to his old self. Phew!!! The vet said to keep him on the Metacam for 5-7 days. As Saturday will be the fifth day, I plan on not giving him any on Sunday and see how he is on Monday/Tuesday when I will take him back to the vet for another check up, and for them to administer another worming tablet. (He is due for his second C3 shot the week after). It is so good to see the sparkle back in his eyes, and the spring in his step. I was even ecstatic to see him chewing on one of OH's shoes yesterday!!! I think his jaw is still sore to the touch, but he is obviously not in constant pain any more. I just hope that when the Metacam is stopped, he doesn't revert to the same, sorry state. I have absolutely no idea what has been going on, but I hope that it was just a random one off thing.

I still have a small, niggling fear in the back of my mind that it was some sort of auto immune response to his first vaccination, and I am petrified about the next one. I will wait until he is 12 weeks, and then I will insist he have the Nobivac C3 only, and not the KC nasal spray component. I will then not have him done again until 12 months later, and every 3 years after that. Of course, if he needs to go somewhere where he has to have had the KC vaccine, then he will have it, but separately from the C3. Well, everything crossed, here's hoping that it's onward and upward from here. Oh the joy of having a mischievous little puppy in residence again!! Once again, thank you for all your advice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would hold off on giving the worming tablet if he is still sore. I had mine on soft food for a while until he was acting normally (read barking as much as usual :laugh: ) and then started on normal food. Will give bones a go this week

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would hold off on giving the worming tablet if he is still sore. I had mine on soft food for a while until he was acting normally (read barking as much as usual :laugh: ) and then started on normal food. Will give bones a go this week

Hi Kavik.

Thanks for that. I was just a bit worried because he hasn't been wormed since he was 7 weeks old (now 10 weeks), as he threw up the 9 week worming tablet when this all started. How imperative is the every 2 weeks worming schedule up to 12 weeks? How long can he go without being wormed?

One other odd symptom I noticed this morning was that when he is standing and you rub his chest from underneath, from front to back, he sort of groans with each stroke. It is the same noise he has always made when he is settling, and as he lies down in his bed (I always thought it was contentment). He doesn't necessarily seem in pain with it, but it is a very audible noises, and he has done it since we first saw him at 5 weeks. Any ideas, anyone?

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What does his breeder say??

One other odd symptom I noticed this morning was that when he is standing and you rub his chest from underneath, from front to back, he sort of groans with each stroke. It is the same noise he has always made when he is settling, and as he lies down in his bed (I always thought it was contentment). He doesn't necessarily seem in pain with it, but it is a very audible noises, and he has done it since we first saw him at 5 weeks. Any ideas, anyone?

Thanks

I have dogs who make noises when their ears are rubbed or they snuggle their head into my arms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...