Eyes ears mouth & nose

[Karla]

Hi, looking for advice about my dog. He us a 6yr old rhodesian ridgeback X Weim. He has his ears pinned back & wrinkled top of head, eyes very stary & as if he can't focus (squinting a lot) flared nostrils & mouth held tight. To me sounded like tetanus but vet says after a week he should be showing more symptoms. He can eat & drink but slurps & can't poke his tounge out to lick. I'm sure his vision is strange as he stares at things & jumps at things. Vet checked eyes & said normal. All signs normal, reflexes etc all normal. He can open his mouth but keeps tight most off the time. Tongue doesn't come out when panting. I'm still leaning toward tetanus but vet thinks some sort of muscle/nerve inflammation & has given anti inflammatory meds but after 3 days don't seem to be doing anything. Does anyone know what it could be or had similar experiences please?

[Catherine]

Could it be masticatory muscle myositis?

[Karla]

That was my first thought (after tetanus) but not sure he has the right symptoms. Vet said he wouldn't be able to open his mouth if he had that & he can, at the moment anyway x

[Jo CIMDA]

Hi and welcome

I am sorry your boy is experiencing this problem.   MMM is a very painful condition and it can be progressive so if he has MMM the clinical signs that you are seeing now may worsen as time goes on.  I have had a dog with MMM, so I know the symptoms well.  Usually they cannot bark and don't want to open their mouth because it is so painful.  The head becomes very skeletal looking with the loss of muscle, but this may not be noticeable in the first couple of weeks.  Does he have a high temperature?  Has the vet taken blood? If it is MMM or any other disease that affects the muscles, then the creatinine kinase will be raised and probably the white cells.

The only way to be sure is to have a muscle biopsy performed, but this will mean a general anaesthetic.  If he were mine I would ask the vet to stop the anti-inflammatory drugs and to give him an immunosuppressive  shot of dexamethasone (steroid). This is a long acting steroid (36-72 hours duration)  and it can be given once without having to wean the dog down.  The benefit of this is if it is an inflammatory autoimmune disease then the dog should get some obvious relief and if this is evident it can lead to a presumptive diagnosis and a full course of immunosuppressive treatment can be started.  If there is no good effect then nothing is lost.

The important thing with MMM or any muscle myositis is to try to catch it early to stop the progression of the disease and further destruction of the muscles. The muscles will not return to their normal mass after treatment but fat will develop and the dog will not look so gaunt.  If it is MMM then the disease can be brought under control with the correct treatment, and remission achieved.

Another possible AI disease that can affect the sight is, steroid responsive meningitis. There is usually stiffness in the neck and a reluctance to move due to pain. There are others but he is not showing relevant clinical signs.

I hope you get some answers soon.

Jo

[Karla]

Thank you so much. I'm thinking it probably is MMM & I will ask vet for steroids, they offered last week but I thought I would try anti inflammatory first. Can't tell ifvtheres muscle loss as his face is so pulled back. He has barked but not like usual. He can open his mouth but doesn't like to & a yawn is not full, if you know what I mean. Normal temperature. No bloods taken yet. I will be taking him Monday to the vet & will talk to them about MMM. Thank you again. Will post when I've been to vet for further advice from you all, I expect! X