I'd like to share this with you just in case you every have or know someone who goes through this. Sorry, it's kind of long..but worth it.
Yesterday, I took Mac'n'Roe for a hike at a park (just 10 min) from my house that I just found out about (lots of trails..i'm so psyched). They had a blast. When I got home, I noticed that Mac looked tired and his faced seemed ... um different...although I couldn't put my finger on it. 5 minutes later I realized that he had his mouth open, which he typically doesn't do. He was slobbering more than usual, leaving his mouth open, and his eyes seemed a little droopy. I began to worry a little, but just watched him closely. As the nite progressed, I became increasingly worried. Mac had a trouble eating and his mouth was still open (hours later). I thought perhaps he was having an allergic reaction and just couldn't breathe through his nose..so was breathing through his mouth instead. I called th e-vet..but they couldn't diagnose over the phone. Because he was breathing normally, had eaten, I decided to monitor him through the night and take him to the vet in the morning (there's an e-vet within 10 min. of my house).
Just before bedtime, I noticed he was drinking...a LOT and leaving a lot of slobber in the bowl. Drooling EVERYWHERE. He slept with me...just in case. I gave him a benadryl in the morning, as things hadn't really improved (except the eyes).
I took him to the vet this morning. He was breathing fine through the nose..The vet asked me if he had experienced and physical trauma yesterday. I was shocked at this question. No. She felt the lymph nodes..and I'm sure some other things I didn't notice. I was starting to get a little nervous at this point. I thought she was going to say, oh..he's got a cold. Here's some antibiotic.
So, she suggested they take xrays of his jaw/head. Of course, whatever needs to be done
Nothing. So, she suggested taking them to an orthopedist. At this point...I'm flipping out. Of course, whatever we need to do to make him better. I dropped the films to an orthopedic surgeon. and worried all afternoon.
I got a call around 6 from my vet. The orthopedist didn't find anything (fractures, breaks, dislocations or anything. BUT, he did some research and it just happened that a vet tech of his was actually going through this same thing with her dog. He faxed her a bunch of information (for free it seems) and came up with some different possibilities..but one was especially interesting. It's very rare...and we think it's a disease called
trigeminal neuritis. Symptoms are a acute onset of the dropped jaw, no pain associated with the condition, trouble eating/drinking..which is what is going on with him. There aren't any known causes, diagnosis would consist of tissue biopsies and a bunch of other stuff that would probably cost me a fortune. The treatment...nothing. It should get better on its own in 1-9 weeks. Hopefully. I'm also going to do some other tests tomorrow just to rule out some other thing as well (tick borne diseases, and something else I can't remember the name of). Just to make sure.
In the meantime, I have to ensure he gets his nutrients..which may become difficult. I think food should be okay (messy..but doable). Its the hydration I'm worried about. He's trying to drink a LOT... I hand fed him tonight and I've tried administering water with a water bottle and turkey baster. It's messy...but he's trying. I hope he gets better. Soon.
Here's a video of what he looks like...
It's kind of hard to tell in these. I'll try to get some more video/pictures for you guys. Thanks for listening!!!
