I've had the longest week of my life, and just need to talk to people who can understand, or have been through, what I have this last week. Sorry if I get emotional - hard not to where our little Cockers are concerned.
Masticatory Muscle Myositis, MMM. Has anyone heard of it? I have been told it's the canine equivalent of Bell's Palsy in humans - or at least similar.
Last Sunday Daisy was perfectly fine. By Monday night she could not open her mouth - at all. She couldn't even get her tongue through her front teeth to lap water. By Tuesday she was going downhill rapidly. She just sat looking at me and trying to whimper. It was awful. She was also trying to cough, like she had something stuck in the back of her throat, or a furball.
The Vet performed an emergency operation on Wednesday, having taken full bloods, X-rays, etc., none of which proved anything conclusively. He said that even under General Anaesthetic they could not open her jaw; they tried 3 times and each time the pain was so bad that Daisy came round from the GA, yelping. (I could have done without that little snippet of information, actually, Mr Vet). He said although the blood results did not back up his diagnosis, he was going to treat her for MMM, because that seemed the only logical thing to do.
Daisy is on 6 steroids a day, two anti flammatories a day and two antibiotics a day. To say she's like a zombie, is an understatement. And how easy is it to get this barrage of tablets into a dog, when you can't open the mouth?
The Vet has said MMM is not hereditory, they term it idiopathic because, like Bell's Palsy, there is no medical rhyme or reason for it at all. The masticatory muscles around the jaw simply lock solid. Mr Vet has only had two other cases in his time, and both recovered fully after this course of treatment. One of those dogs was a Cocker, the other a King Charles.
Has anyone heard of this being a spaniel thing? Although sceptical about everything you read on the Internet, I have been scouring it day and night for information - as you might imagine. The Internet mostly refers to MMM in heavy jawed breeds, like Rottweilers and American Pit Bulls, but nothing that points necessarily to breed specific. Maybe it's a coincidence?
For the first time in a week, I've seen a glimmer of my real Daisy - the tail has wagged, once. (As if to say, I'm still in here Mum, just trying to get out). And her jaw is slowly beginning to relax. She still can't yawn or eat properly, but I've boiled up some shin of beef, which flakes beautifully, and finger feeding it through her front teeth. And she's able to lap water. The weight has simply dropped off her, and her collar hangs around her neck horribly loosely.
It's a start. In the wee small hours I've virtually sold my soul to have my little Daisy back. She's just had her first birthday - who'd have thought a week later she'd be going through all this?
If anyone out there has had this horrible MMM, I'd love to hear from you. And if you have any tips for building Daisy's strength back up, or any foods that will tempt her to eat, old wives' tales all welcome, I'll try anything.
I'm so sorry to ramble. Promise to be cheerier next time.
Kay and Daisy
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