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11-01-2020, 02:59 PM | #1 |
Yorkie Yakker | Lock Jaw Need Help My almost 11 year old yorkie female has lost 2.5 lbs. She weights 3.5 lbs and is skin and bones. We initially took her to the vet because she was having trouble walking. The vet thought she was having joint issues, so put her on meloxidyl and a muscle relaxer. We took her to a follow up visit she noticed the weight loss and gave us a high calorie food. Over the next week, I noticed she was having a hard time eating and looked like a chicken pecking at their food. Well after observing her even further, I noticed her jaw was not opening. Took her back to the vet and she mentioned cancer as a possibility because MJ had also been vomiting. She gave us more of the canned food and put her in a low dose of a steroid, plus muscle relaxer and antibiotic. It’s been about 10 days and no more vomiting, but she hasn’t gained any weight. She hasn’t lost any but she is still pretty weak and boney. Her jaw is still locked and only opens a tiny bit. She is sick of the canned food and won’t eat it alone. We have to syringe feed her. She wants to eat other things like treats and chicken or salmon, but we have to chew It or grind it down so she can eat the crumbs. I’m at a loss of what to do. I’ve searched the forum for lock jaw issues, but nothing came up in the search. If anyone has any information or can point me in the right direction I’d appreciate it. |
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11-01-2020, 03:46 PM | #2 |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,448
| You need to get her to an internal med specialist ASAP. I would never try to guess what is wrong.....losing 1/2 of her body weight is frightening. Please tell me you have done blood work so that the vet can have a general idea of what is going on... You can find a specialist here www.acvim.org
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11-01-2020, 04:37 PM | #3 |
Yorkie Yakker | Bloodwork was done at her 2nd visit. She had a few things out of range, but the vet didn’t seem too concerned. Thank you for the link of specialists. What is the difference between the internist and a regular vet? This is my first dog and I’ve never had to see a different vet, except once when she swallowed something and had to have surgery. Thanks again |
11-01-2020, 05:55 PM | #4 |
YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: North Carolina, USA
Posts: 370
| Your poor little girl. She must be miserable, slowly starving to death but unable to eat & drink normally. The following article lists possible causes of Lockjaw in dogs. The possibilities are quite diverse, so your vet needs to do enough testing to figure out the cause and possible treatment. https://wagwalking.com/condition/lockjaw Good luck. |
11-01-2020, 06:19 PM | #5 |
Yorkie Yakker | Thanks, but I’ve already “googled” possibilities and reasons for lock jaw. I was hoping to get some insight from others who may have experienced a similar condition with their babies. Unfortunately I’m finding it difficult to locate any posts in this forum regarding lick jaw. Which is why I posted. My baby is eating, so I’m hopeful she is not suffering nor starving to death. We feed her 5 times a day, per her vets recommendation. She eats an entire can of food per day. I appreciate the well wishes |
11-01-2020, 09:29 PM | #6 | |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,448
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My suggestion is to get her to a vet tomorrow! Call your vet and if she doesn't have a diagnosis, ask for a referral to a specialist. Your pup sounds very ill. Please don't use Dr. Google!
__________________ Last edited by ladyjane; 11-01-2020 at 09:31 PM. | |
11-02-2020, 07:54 AM | #7 |
YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: North Carolina, USA
Posts: 370
| Just to be clear, I was in no way advocating, in my earlier post, for self-diagnosing via google. I was just pointing out the numerous and diverse possible causes for the main symptoms: a locked jaw and serious weight loss. There is no advantage, and there are many serious — potentially fatal — disadvantages, to guessing at the possible cause of this poor baby’s symptoms. Testing and an exact diagnosis are crucial to saving her life. |
11-02-2020, 10:43 AM | #8 |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| I'm wondering if it possible that a tooth infection or abscess could be causing the jaw to not be opening. I would think your vet would look into that. Teeth issues can cause dogs to loose weight if they are having pain when eating. I definitely think you need to look further into this and figure out what the issue is as soon as possible instead of just waiting because obviously something is going on that needs to be addressed and it sounds painful and we have to remember dogs are extremely good at hiding pain.
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! |
11-02-2020, 12:09 PM | #9 | |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,448
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