Masticatory Myosotis

[Kerry Daly]

Apollo was diagnosed with Masticatory Myositis yesterday. He has had a high fever all week and was at the vet everyday since Monday. We finally figured it out by him whimpering when his face was touched. He is now on steroids for at least the next 6 months. His fever broke today and he is doing much better. Happy Apollo is back- except for peeing constantly now. I am grateful to my vet for being on top of this and helping to catch it early so he did not lose the function if his jaw. Anyone else ever hear of a doodle getting this? They say rare!

Here is an article about it. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_masticatory_myositis.html

[Jill, Woody & Maxi]

I am so sorry to read this! What does your vet think the reason behind it is?  I am glad he is feeling better, and thank you for making us all aware of this!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I am so sorry to hear that Apollo has it.  My Gracie Doodle had it and we treated it for one solid year using prednisone.  The affects of prednisone are heart breaking.  I have posted many times regarding our status on Gracie.  If you go up to the "search" area on the top right side of the home page and type in Masticatory Myositis it will take you to many discussions regarding it.  Some are Google results and some are Doodlekisses.  Look for "Nancie & Graciedoodle" and those are my discussions.  I am happy to say that at the end of one solid year of sadness, tears and concern, Gracie came back to her good old self.  Her personality came back, her collapsed back feet came back strong, all the bacterial infections that she got on her legs (due to the prednisone killing all the good bacteria) came back and her hair which was over 50% gone.  She is back better than ever!!!  We are very careful now only because we don't ever want to trigger anything within her to bring this horrible autoimmune disease back.  Her food and treats are carefully monitored, I am not doing vaccinations any more.  We think the Rattlesnake vaccine that she was getting once a year may have triggered it.  I am not even going to do her rabies when they come due.  I have two vets who are willing to write the letter stating that due to her health, she should not have the vaccine in her system.  Fingers crossed she still gets her pet license.  We caught her first sign on a Saturday and had her in the vet on Monday and started treatment on Wednesday.  Can't catch it much earlier than that.  Same thing...she didn't want anyone touching her head.  She couldn't hold her tennis balls...nothing.  I am happy to say she is now once again carrying and catching two tennis balls.  She was 5 years when she got this.  Research within DK and get back to me if you have any further questions.  Good Luck!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Oh Nancie, I immediately thought of Gracie as I read about Apollo. I'm so glad you saw this to be a source of encouragement for this family. Blessings.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Kerry, I am so sorry Apollo has this.  I am glad your vet is so on top of it.   So glad you saw this Nancie. I was just going to e-mail you so you could post your experience to Kerry.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

JD has two different immune-mediated diseases, Inlfammatory Bowel Disease and Atopic Dermatitis. They are all basically the same, only the part of the body/body system affected is different, and nobody knows for sure what causes them. They are all caused by an overactive immune system. 

While they are not curable, most can be managed, and your dog can have a good quality of life. This is my wish for Apollo. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

Thank you so much for telling us about Apollo! How very scary! Thank goodness he is on his way to wellness. Keeping you all in my thoughts. Please continue to update.

[Kerry Daly]

He is already reacting positive to steroids. He is eating and chewing on toys like nothing happened. We will keep him on for 6 months but vet thinks we should be able to reduce to a lower dosage after initial 3 weeks. But not off for 6 months. I have has friends with dogs on steroids for long periods of time and every dog reacts differently. I am praying Apollo does not get some if the side effects I heard about. Time will tell. Thanks for info! Will read up more on Gracie. Hope all is better.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

JD has been on steroids non-stop since December 2011. We have gotten him down to 5 mg every other day, which is a very low dose for a dog his size (80 lbs). There are no obvious side effects. No hair loss, no skin issues, no muscle wasting, no excessive water consumption or urinating, no ravenous appetite, no weight gain, no lethargy. He acts like a healthy 9 year old dog.

We do bloodwork twice a year to monitor several things, including his liver enzymes. He has one liver enzyme which is elevated, but it has been at the same level for 18 months. His specialists feel that he can live a normal life span with this regime. 

I hope Apollo will do well, too. :) 

[Kerry Daly]

I am happy to hear that. I have my fingers crossed. So far so good with Apollo as well but he is on 25mg right now so just watching. Hoping they are right and we can reduce after 3 weeks to a more manageable dose. He is so happy right now! He is playing again! He liked like he had a migraine early this week!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Poor Gracie was on 40 mg and we weaned her off too soon twice and so it ended up dragging out to 1 year.  Twice we were clear for a month or more and then she would start to cry when she yawned. For us it was a long slow process for that reason!  

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am sad to hear about Apollo but it is great that he is already responding to treatment. GOod luck with him.