Masticatorā€‹y Muscle Myositis

lskaliser

New member
Apr 12, 2010
4
0
Charlotte, NC
Bulldog(s) Names
Stella
So my little puppy has MMM..... she was having problems with her jaw about 3 weeks ago and was just diagnosed yesterday. Has anyone ever dealt with this?
 

cadillactaste

New member
Feb 28, 2011
454
19
OHIO
Bulldog(s) Names
Tank and Sarge
No I'm sorry I have no knowledge with this problem...but wish to say,"I am soooo sorry that your dealing with this" (((((HUGS)))) What sort of long term prognosis did your vet say your puppy would be facing with this diagnosis? And...have you contacted the breeder over this issue?

Just did a quick google...It's treatable...But it really depends on the case as to the mobility of the jaw once recovered...one does have the chance of 100% recovery if the muscle isn't damaged...What is the vet saying...

They listed some breeds...bulldogs wasn't among the list. But...it stated most cases were found in. It didn't exclude other breeds...

I wish you the best...and send prayers out to your puppy...please keep us updated so we know what's going on with the your lil' girl.
 

kazzy220

..........
Jul 31, 2010
8,556
441
Grafton, OHIO
Country
England
Bulldog(s) Names
Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
So my little puppy has MMM..... she was having problems with her jaw about 3 weeks ago and was just diagnosed yesterday. Has anyone ever dealt with this?


[MENTION=473]lskaliser[/MENTION] Hi, oh yeah ... lots of experience with this one!!! Maggie has had it twice, in fact it happened at the same time every year for two years and last year was the first time we got through with no episode.

As I am sure you know already, your bullys body no longer recognises the muscle fibres that exist in the jaws of the muscle. Therefore, the dogs immune system attacks these muscles because they are now "foreign". Once the jaw or masticatory muscles are attacked then the use of the jaw becomes weaker until it finally locks into place. If it's not caught early then you will see the face become more sunken as the muscles deteriorate.

The first time it took us a while to recognise the symptoms, and when we did realise that Maggies jaw was no longer moving the vet did x-rays etc to make sure there was nothing stuck in the jaw that could be holding it shut. Even when they put Maggie to sleep they could not move the jaw which proved what my vet had already diagnosed as MMM.

Maggie was on steroids, and the effect was really quick when it came to the jaw movement. Of course steroids can't just be stopped, so your bullie will spend many months on them as you gradually wean her off. Should be about 6 months ....

So that was the first year, and at EXACTLY the same time the next year it happened again. So I asked the doctor if it could be some kind of seasonal allergy that was trigggering this auto-immune response. Her reply was that it was not proven or unproven, but it was an interesting theory.

So that covers 2008 and 2009. During 2010 I found this website and I posted a thread with a plea for help for anything that could BOOST Maggies immune system. I was just thinking that if I could make her immune system ultra-boosted that maybe it could help fight off MMM - an auto-immune disease (to me it sounded logical). Our vet said if it came back for a third year then we would need to consider putting her on a low dose steroid for the rest of her life. Luckily for me and Maggie, [MENTION=4]Lindathedogsmaid[/MENTION] answered my cry for help and recommended Fromm Salmon n Veg and Grizzly Pet Products salmon oil because that would super-boost her immune system. I should add that before I found this site I was quite innocently feeding Maggie Beneful (or :poo: as we now call it). In 2010 there was no MMM :up:.

Yes it could just be fluke ..... BUT my vet is very responsive to nutrition and has done a paper on food so doesn't discount the theory. It could be we were just very lucky and it will come back.

For your peace of mind, don't fret. She will make a full recovery, and if it does come back then you will notice the signs VERY quickly like we did with Maggie the second time. It is frightening that first time and I share your pain!!!
 

finnsmum

New member
Aug 2, 2011
5
0
My dog isn't a bulldog but we are waiting for test results for MMM and my forum has not dogs with this condition, he has begun on prednisone. can you tell me, how long after starting steroids did you notice improvement? Did your dog have lethargy on the prednisone? We are only on day 4 but it is heartbreaking to see him so down. He is 20 months old sighthound.
 

kazzy220

..........
Jul 31, 2010
8,556
441
Grafton, OHIO
Country
England
Bulldog(s) Names
Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
[MENTION=2929]finnsmum[/MENTION] You should see some improvement on the jaw in the next few days. I am assuming you read my first post about what MMR really is. Prednisone is a steroid and your dog will drink a lot more and therefore pee a lot more. The vet will also have him on Prednisone for at least six months because he will have to be weaned off the dose over a very long time. Any sudden stop of a steroid can have a disastrous effect so you will have to cut the dose very slowly. See what happens in the next 24 hours and then if he is still VERY lethargic with no improvement in his jaw movement I would certainly call the vet.
 

finnsmum

New member
Aug 2, 2011
5
0
Thanks for the info, I did read your post and found it to be very helpful, there were a few articles online that suggested very rapid improvement - but others said a couple of weeks so I was hoping for VERY RAPID IMPROVEMENT!!! just me not wanting to see him in pain. The lethargy seems to come and go, we have two young pups here as well and they know enough to leave him alone for the time being thankfully. By the way, one of his best friends is an English Bulldog! ta
 

kazzy220

..........
Jul 31, 2010
8,556
441
Grafton, OHIO
Country
England
Bulldog(s) Names
Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
[MENTION=2929]finnsmum[/MENTION] please don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you need to. In a matter of days you should see some loosening of the jaw. Once the steroids get into their system it works very fast.
 

VoicesInMyHead

New member
Jul 15, 2011
268
41
Phx, Az
Bulldog(s) Names
Arwen Undomiel
*snip* Luckily for me and Maggie, @Lindathedogsmaid answered my cry for help and recommended Fromm Salmon n Veg and Grizzly Pet Products salmon oil because that would super-boost her immune system. *snip*

Arwen's breeder had her on Canidae All Life Stages, and I have continued that for the few days she has been here at her new home. I will be switching her to Fromm in a couple of weeks, once I know she is completely comfortable and done with the stress of the transition to my home.

I hadn't picked what formula of Fromm yet. Have you kept Maggie on the Salmon n Veg? Do you just feed that to all your dogs? It sounds like if Arwen tolerates the Salmon, that might be a good choice for her to head off any possible chance at MMM, however remote it may be. Thanks!
 

VoicesInMyHead

New member
Jul 15, 2011
268
41
Phx, Az
Bulldog(s) Names
Arwen Undomiel
My dog isn't a bulldog but we are waiting for test results for MMM and my forum has not dogs with this condition, he has begun on prednisone. can you tell me, how long after starting steroids did you notice improvement? Did your dog have lethargy on the prednisone? We are only on day 4 but it is heartbreaking to see him so down. He is 20 months old sighthound.

I'm so sorry for you & your hound!!! Looks like you have some great support and resources here!
 

GatorRay

I am in total control....I think
Feb 25, 2011
3,432
227
Louisville, KY
Bulldog(s) Names
Gator & Lucy Goosey, the Basset and Gigi (AKA Gypsy)
[MENTION=2793]VoicesInMyHead[/MENTION] I think for a puppy, you could try any of the Fromm and the puppy food might not be a bad choice. You don't need to worry about allergies really just yet so limiting the ingredients now may actually be a factor in later allergies (if she has any). As she gets bigger, anywhere from about 5 to 8 months, then consider moving her to an all stages food. If she begins to display allergy symptoms, those will help guide you to the proper adult food. Some go ahead and put their puppies on the all stages (I did with no real issues) but my thought is to stick with the puppy formula for now.

Sorry for the hi-jack :)
 

VoicesInMyHead

New member
Jul 15, 2011
268
41
Phx, Az
Bulldog(s) Names
Arwen Undomiel
[MENTION=1906]GatorRay[/MENTION] Well, she is already on an All Stages food... what kind of issues would that cause, if I went to a puppy based formula, if any? Not sure I want to move her to a puppy food, then back to an all stages in the span of a few months. She is also on supplements and I will be getting some salmon oil soon.

ThreadDirection.jpg
 

finnsmum

New member
Aug 2, 2011
5
0
Thanks again, tonight we noticed he has swelling on his forehead, called the vet and probably will have him in again tomorrow.
 

kazzy220

..........
Jul 31, 2010
8,556
441
Grafton, OHIO
Country
England
Bulldog(s) Names
Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
Arwen's breeder had her on Canidae All Life Stages, and I have continued that for the few days she has been here at her new home. I will be switching her to Fromm in a couple of weeks, once I know she is completely comfortable and done with the stress of the transition to my home.

I hadn't picked what formula of Fromm yet. Have you kept Maggie on the Salmon n Veg? Do you just feed that to all your dogs? It sounds like if Arwen tolerates the Salmon, that might be a good choice for her to head off any possible chance at MMM, however remote it may be. Thanks!


I wouldn't be too concerned about the MMM as it's not something that bulldogs are known to get. It seem more prevalent in other dog breeds, but trust Maggie to have to get something that is rare in bulldogs :blink:

I like all the Fromm 4* range but out of all of them they seem to do the best with the Beef frittata, and then the salmon and surf n turf come in as close 2nds. Your baby is so young that the chance of allergies at the moment is not great. They seem to develop allergies as they grow older. I would certainly go ahead and start on the Salmon, and the nice thing about the Fromm 4* range is that you can swap and change amongst the flavours. So each bag could be a different protein source.
 

kazzy220

..........
Jul 31, 2010
8,556
441
Grafton, OHIO
Country
England
Bulldog(s) Names
Maggie (My Angel Baby 5/31/2012). Daddy (2 years). Linus (1year). Bella (4 years)
Thanks again, tonight we noticed he has swelling on his forehead, called the vet and probably will have him in again tomorrow.

I would certainly get him to the vets ... you sometimes see some swelling where the cheeks would be but the forehead is not something I have heard of before. Maybe he is having a reaction to the prednisone. I hope he is ok!!! :pray:
 

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