OT: Ever have a dog with Trigeminal Neuritis? (updated)

[Old No7]

Sorry for the long story (done as short as I can make it), but other dog owners may want to be aware of this...

* Last Friday, my 2.5 year old female Yellow Lab was fine, no problems.
* Saturday AM early, she was "licking her chops", woke us up.
* Saturday she sneezed way more than ever, seemed out of sorts, was licking her chops.
* Sunday same things, low energy, sneezing, seemed like something was up, but ???
* By Monday, her jaw was noticeably open all the time -- and drooling a lot.
* Tuesday AM, she could not eat at all -- what she normally would devour in under 3 minutes (wet kibble, soaked 10 minutes), took her 15 minutes to eat and she made a HUGE MESS! Kibbles and bits of kibbles were everywhere!
* My wife took her to the Vets and they did a 4DX (Lyme and other tick-borne diseases), Heartworm, CBC (blood count), Chem 10 diagnostics, plus knocked her out and checked her teeth and throat. Nothing was found, and she was put on an anti-nausea pill.
* Wednesday AM, her jaw was dropped even more, drool was heavy and she couldn't seem to keep any food or water in her mouth. I gave her a blueberry, which she loves, and it kept rolling off her tongue. We were all getting frustrated...
* Back to the Vet we went; various options and possibilities discussed, including X-rays of the jaw and more scope work down into stomach and up into nasal passages, or just an antibiotic. Just to be safe, we said "go for it" to find out what it was she had... Again, NOTHING was found, and an antibiotic was prescribed. All of us, Vet & dog too, were very frustrated... And we were $900.00 poorer.....................
* Wednesday PM, my wife the medical assistant Googles "Canine Tongue Paralysis" and the very first hit showed the above syndrome -- with a picture of a dog with a "dropped jaw" that looked just like ours!!! Open mouth, ears down/flat (like she had a headache or something) or was on Novacaine after having teeth removed (you know how it feels...). Just as she says "Hey, look at this!" the phone rings -- this is after 7:30 PM -- and it's the Vet saying she'd just done more research -- and she now suspects the same thing!

Anyway, the article said to put an elastic band around the dog's jaw to help her eat, so we tried it (dog ate late, as she was sleeping off the anesthesia) -- and IT WORKED!!!

NO mess and she was done in 4 minutes! And she could now drink easily too! She still had the "drop jaw" and low energy, but at least we had something to chase. So here's what they say about this darn thing...

Trigeminal Neuritis is characterized by paralysis of the chewing muscles. The cause is unknown, but the paralysis occurs secondary to inflammation of the trigeminal nerves, which supply the chewing muscles. TM occurs in both dogs and cats, but is much more common in dogs. No breed, age, or sex predispositions exist.

What to Watch For:
- Paralysis of the muscles causes an inability to close the mouth, or "drop jaw"
- Affected animals cannot eat or drink normally, with excessive drooling
Diagnosis:
- History and physical exam
- Neurologic exam to exclude other nerve deficits
- X-rays of the jaw to rule out traumatic injury
Treatment:
- Treatment consists of supportive care, mainly consisting of assisting the animal to eat and drink. In some cases, this may require tube feeding.
Home Care and Prevention:
- Most animals recover in 2 to 3 weeks. During the recovery period, owners must ensure their pet is getting adequate food and water. This can usually be achieved by syringe feeding, as instructed by your veterinarian, or feeding via a tube.
Cause:
There is no means of preventing Trigeminal Neuritis, since its cause is unknown.

Other sources suggest a steroid treatment, so we started that on Thursday morning. A Vet at work (my company makes the 4Dx test) said it was "ideopathic" (no known cause) and it should clear up in 2 to 3 weeks -- unless an underlying cause like a tumor or something is putting pressure on the nerve -- but that is very rare he said. Other sources consulted say the same thing -- usually clears up in a few weeks, and serious root causes are very rare. (Fingers crossed, prayers said...)

Well, after 1 day, already we have observed 1/2 hour times when her jaw is closed normally. Her energy level is still low, but we are sure she's getting enough food and water -- thanks to the neat trick with the elastic band! Sources suggest the energy level could lag 2 - 3 weeks after the jaw clears up, so we should be all better by the end of May.

So, what did we learn? A lot... Do we regret spending the $900 bucks? Nope, we’d probably do it all again... (Although that would have bought a nice levergun for sure...) At least we ruled out a lot of other things, and the test results and X-rays give us a baseline (just in case it’s needed over the course of this thing, or for the future).

Thought you all may be interested in this... Sure is a weird syndrome, but I am grateful we are seeing some signs of improvement.

Wondering if anyone else has ever dealt with this thing called TM???

Hug your dogs. And remember, Google is your friend!!!

Old No7

ps: Just remembered… You guys like pictures with posts… Here she is on a better day!

Iris - March 20th (small).JPG

[JReed]

Wow never heard of it myself. Glad to hear you all have gotten it figured it and she is on the mend.

[J Miller]

Old No7,

So far we never had any of our dogs or cats come up with this ailment ... that we know of.
Up until your post I'd never heard of it. I'm glad to hear your dog is improving. Here's to a full recovery.

Joe

[Grizz]

Thanks for a very useful post.

[spaceman spiff]

"Do we regret spending the $900 bucks? Nope, we’d probably do it all again... "



I admire that. It's what I would do for my pets.



Spaceman

[gamekeeper]

Thanks for a very useful post.

+ 1

[Thunder50]

I wonder if its related to "Bells Palsey" that we humans get. Its an inflamation of the myelin (sp?) sheath surrounding the nerve that goes to the facial muscles and mimics a stroke. The sheath swells and pinches the nerve.
I had it once, with no after effects, but it can do permanent damage if really severe. Lasted about 3-4 weeks. Had one side of my face partially paralyzed, but with some, its almost a complete paralysis. At least I could close my eyelid,just barely, but some cannot do that and tape the eyelid shut or have to constantly put drops in the eye as you cannot blink. Made it tough to eat also, as only had the muscle strength on one side of my face, to chew. If I wasn't careful, kind of "drooled" out one side of the mouth.
If I had it on both sides, could mimic the symptoms your dog had.

Antibiotics early, the first few days, help, but stubborn( I could give a mule lessons) old me waited to see the doc and by then he said had to just let it run its course. At first I thought it was a stroke and nothing could be done about it, but after about 5 days, symptoms didn't add up, so thats when I went to my PCP. This was about 10 years ago, you know, younger and dumber. It comes on slowly as the sheath swells.
Doc said usually happens in cold weather, when your jaw area gets cold, but can happen anytime.

Here I have ranted too long, but hope your dog gets better. Tough on us too, when they are sick

[madman4570]

You friend are a Saint!
We have a yellow 6 month old (as of next week) Lab we love more than anything!
I will keep this and put a copy of it in her Medical Records booklet!
Thank you!

Your dog is beautiful!

[Hobie]

Thanks for posting this! I hope your dog makes a full recovery. I'd have spent the $900, too.

[Pete44ru]

That's a new one on me.

I hope your dog recovers soon.

The only time(s), I've seen a dog with the lower jaw hanging, is when one's lower jaw got dislocated via a well-placed kick, with an upward twist to the toe at the very end, by a motorcycle rider fending off a close chaser/leg-biter.

.

[brno602]

Good to hear you took care of the hound!
I freak out when my Dog, aka four legged son is sick it has only happened twice in are 11 years together. Once he over ate,( stole food) the other time he pulled a muscle and had a bad limp after a fight with a porky no quills in him he learned from the first time! dad would be along with his trusty 16 ga to take care of the Porky But dam could he jump over that porky and he drue blood on the porky by biting him in the head. I am just glad he stay's about 15' from a Skunk and barks to say there he is shoot the stinking Chicken stealing thing.
Now that he is older he does get stiff in the mornings, my vet told me to buy Glucosamine and not to bother to buy the stuff for dogs from him or any other vet and go to Safeway or any other store and buy people stuff as it is much cheaper, just make sure it has Cod liver oil in it, he wrote it down for me, it has to have D glucosamine in it and cod liver oil seems to work great, I think I might take some after a day of cutting firewood.

[brno602]

Thanks for posting this! I hope your dog makes a full recovery. I'd have spent the $900, too.

900.00 bucks for your best friend is a small price to pay now a day's.
Now just try and explain to your wife it is okay for the dog to sleep in the bed? He was first before I met her, she should know better? when she can swim a icy cold stream or ditch to find a Phesant in thick cat tails on the other side and bring it back. Oh that got me in trouble but I am still married Now she say's where is my dog!
Ah life is good!

[brno602]

Sorry for the long story (done as short as I can make it), but other dog owners may want to be aware of this...

* Last Friday, my 2.5 year old female Yellow Lab was fine, no problems.
* Saturday AM early, she was "licking her chops", woke us up.
* Saturday she sneezed way more than ever, seemed out of sorts, was licking her chops.
* Sunday same things, low energy, sneezing, seemed like something was up, but ???
* By Monday, her jaw was noticeably open all the time -- and drooling a lot.
* Tuesday AM, she could not eat at all -- what she normally would devour in under 3 minutes (wet kibble, soaked 10 minutes), took her 15 minutes to eat and she made a HUGE MESS! Kibbles and bits of kibbles were everywhere!
* My wife took her to the Vets and they did a 4DX (Lyme and other tick-borne diseases), Heartworm, CBC (blood count), Chem 10 diagnostics, plus knocked her out and checked her teeth and throat. Nothing was found, and she was put on an anti-nausea pill.
* Wednesday AM, her jaw was dropped even more, drool was heavy and she couldn't seem to keep any food or water in her mouth. I gave her a blueberry, which she loves, and it kept rolling off her tongue. We were all getting frustrated...
* Back to the Vet we went; various options and possibilities discussed, including X-rays of the jaw and more scope work down into stomach and up into nasal passages, or just an antibiotic. Just to be safe, we said "go for it" to find out what it was she had... Again, NOTHING was found, and an antibiotic was prescribed. All of us, Vet & dog too, were very frustrated... And we were $900.00 poorer.....................
* Wednesday PM, my wife the medical assistant Googles "Canine Tongue Paralysis" and the very first hit showed the above syndrome -- with a picture of a dog with a "dropped jaw" that looked just like ours!!! Open mouth, ears down/flat (like she had a headache or something) or was on Novacaine after having teeth removed (you know how it feels...). Just as she says "Hey, look at this!" the phone rings -- this is after 7:30 PM -- and it's the Vet saying she'd just done more research -- and she now suspects the same thing!

Anyway, the article said to put an elastic band around the dog's jaw to help her eat, so we tried it (dog ate late, as she was sleeping off the anesthesia) -- and IT WORKED!!!

NO mess and she was done in 4 minutes! And she could now drink easily too! She still had the "drop jaw" and low energy, but at least we had something to chase. So here's what they say about this darn thing...

Trigeminal Neuritis is characterized by paralysis of the chewing muscles. The cause is unknown, but the paralysis occurs secondary to inflammation of the trigeminal nerves, which supply the chewing muscles. TM occurs in both dogs and cats, but is much more common in dogs. No breed, age, or sex predispositions exist.

What to Watch For:
- Paralysis of the muscles causes an inability to close the mouth, or "drop jaw"
- Affected animals cannot eat or drink normally, with excessive drooling
Diagnosis:
- History and physical exam
- Neurologic exam to exclude other nerve deficits
- X-rays of the jaw to rule out traumatic injury
Treatment:
- Treatment consists of supportive care, mainly consisting of assisting the animal to eat and drink. In some cases, this may require tube feeding.
Home Care and Prevention:
- Most animals recover in 2 to 3 weeks. During the recovery period, owners must ensure their pet is getting adequate food and water. This can usually be achieved by syringe feeding, as instructed by your veterinarian, or feeding via a tube.
Cause:
There is no means of preventing Trigeminal Neuritis, since its cause is unknown.

Other sources suggest a steroid treatment, so we started that on Thursday morning. A Vet at work (my company makes the 4Dx test) said it was "ideopathic" (no known cause) and it should clear up in 2 to 3 weeks -- unless an underlying cause like a tumor or something is putting pressure on the nerve -- but that is very rare he said. Other sources consulted say the same thing -- usually clears up in a few weeks, and serious root causes are very rare. (Fingers crossed, prayers said...)

Well, after 1 day, already we have observed 1/2 hour times when her jaw is closed normally. Her energy level is still low, but we are sure she's getting enough food and water -- thanks to the neat trick with the elastic band! Sources suggest the energy level could lag 2 - 3 weeks after the jaw clears up, so we should be all better by the end of May.

So, what did we learn? A lot... Do we regret spending the $900 bucks? Nope, we’d probably do it all again... (Although that would have bought a nice levergun for sure...) At least we ruled out a lot of other things, and the test results and X-rays give us a baseline (just in case it’s needed over the course of this thing, or for the future).

Thought you all may be interested in this... Sure is a weird syndrome, but I am grateful we are seeing some signs of improvement.

Wondering if anyone else has ever dealt with this thing called TM???

Hug your dogs. And remember, Google is your friend!!!

Old No7

ps: Just remembered… You guys like pictures with posts… Here she is on a better day!

Iris - March 20th (small).JPG

[brno602]

Sorry for the long story (done as short as I can make it), but other dog owners may want to be aware of this...

* Last Friday, my 2.5 year old female Yellow Lab was fine, no problems.
* Saturday AM early, she was "licking her chops", woke us up.
* Saturday she sneezed way more than ever, seemed out of sorts, was licking her chops.
* Sunday same things, low energy, sneezing, seemed like something was up, but ???
* By Monday, her jaw was noticeably open all the time -- and drooling a lot.
* Tuesday AM, she could not eat at all -- what she normally would devour in under 3 minutes (wet kibble, soaked 10 minutes), took her 15 minutes to eat and she made a HUGE MESS! Kibbles and bits of kibbles were everywhere!
* My wife took her to the Vets and they did a 4DX (Lyme and other tick-borne diseases), Heartworm, CBC (blood count), Chem 10 diagnostics, plus knocked her out and checked her teeth and throat. Nothing was found, and she was put on an anti-nausea pill.
* Wednesday AM, her jaw was dropped even more, drool was heavy and she couldn't seem to keep any food or water in her mouth. I gave her a blueberry, which she loves, and it kept rolling off her tongue. We were all getting frustrated...
* Back to the Vet we went; various options and possibilities discussed, including X-rays of the jaw and more scope work down into stomach and up into nasal passages, or just an antibiotic. Just to be safe, we said "go for it" to find out what it was she had... Again, NOTHING was found, and an antibiotic was prescribed. All of us, Vet & dog too, were very frustrated... And we were $900.00 poorer.....................
* Wednesday PM, my wife the medical assistant Googles "Canine Tongue Paralysis" and the very first hit showed the above syndrome -- with a picture of a dog with a "dropped jaw" that looked just like ours!!! Open mouth, ears down/flat (like she had a headache or something) or was on Novacaine after having teeth removed (you know how it feels...). Just as she says "Hey, look at this!" the phone rings -- this is after 7:30 PM -- and it's the Vet saying she'd just done more research -- and she now suspects the same thing!

Anyway, the article said to put an elastic band around the dog's jaw to help her eat, so we tried it (dog ate late, as she was sleeping off the anesthesia) -- and IT WORKED!!!

NO mess and she was done in 4 minutes! And she could now drink easily too! She still had the "drop jaw" and low energy, but at least we had something to chase. So here's what they say about this darn thing...

Trigeminal Neuritis is characterized by paralysis of the chewing muscles. The cause is unknown, but the paralysis occurs secondary to inflammation of the trigeminal nerves, which supply the chewing muscles. TM occurs in both dogs and cats, but is much more common in dogs. No breed, age, or sex predispositions exist.

What to Watch For:
- Paralysis of the muscles causes an inability to close the mouth, or "drop jaw"
- Affected animals cannot eat or drink normally, with excessive drooling
Diagnosis:
- History and physical exam
- Neurologic exam to exclude other nerve deficits
- X-rays of the jaw to rule out traumatic injury
Treatment:
- Treatment consists of supportive care, mainly consisting of assisting the animal to eat and drink. In some cases, this may require tube feeding.
Home Care and Prevention:
- Most animals recover in 2 to 3 weeks. During the recovery period, owners must ensure their pet is getting adequate food and water. This can usually be achieved by syringe feeding, as instructed by your veterinarian, or feeding via a tube.
Cause:
There is no means of preventing Trigeminal Neuritis, since its cause is unknown.

Other sources suggest a steroid treatment, so we started that on Thursday morning. A Vet at work (my company makes the 4Dx test) said it was "ideopathic" (no known cause) and it should clear up in 2 to 3 weeks -- unless an underlying cause like a tumor or something is putting pressure on the nerve -- but that is very rare he said. Other sources consulted say the same thing -- usually clears up in a few weeks, and serious root causes are very rare. (Fingers crossed, prayers said...)

Well, after 1 day, already we have observed 1/2 hour times when her jaw is closed normally. Her energy level is still low, but we are sure she's getting enough food and water -- thanks to the neat trick with the elastic band! Sources suggest the energy level could lag 2 - 3 weeks after the jaw clears up, so we should be all better by the end of May.

So, what did we learn? A lot... Do we regret spending the $900 bucks? Nope, we’d probably do it all again... (Although that would have bought a nice levergun for sure...) At least we ruled out a lot of other things, and the test results and X-rays give us a baseline (just in case it’s needed over the course of this thing, or for the future).

Thought you all may be interested in this... Sure is a weird syndrome, but I am grateful we are seeing some signs of improvement.

Wondering if anyone else has ever dealt with this thing called TM???

Hug your dogs. And remember, Google is your friend!!!

Old No7

ps: Just remembered… You guys like pictures with posts… Here she is on a better day!

Iris - March 20th (small).JPG

Love the pic I will see if I can get some of my 35mm pics to go on the comp will need my wifes help . But your pic looks just like my hound a ,Golden with hunting lines bringing back a Sharp Tail Grouse. As you can tell I love my dog and dog's in general.That's a fine looking Lab!

[rjohns94]

thanks for the post. I would have spent the money too

[Lawyer Daggit]

Please give us an up date on how your dog is doing.

[medicdave]

That does sound very much like Bells Palsy in humans, except its the Facial nerve (cranial nerve 7) that causes Bells Palsy instead of the Trigeminal (cranial nerve 5). Good luck with your pooch, I like my two more than most people.

[Nath]

Thanks for the education sir and best wishes to your Lab, I have seen a cat with this.

Virus's can cause trouble with nerve sheaths, my wife suffered as a child and somewhat still today with a disease that affected her nerve sheaths.

Best wishes and thanks for the phone call D. Made my day

Take care.

Nath.

[Old No7]

Thanks all! I really appreciate your kind and supportive words!

Yesterday before I flew "across the big pond", we took my pup to the beach -- one of her favorite places to run and play.

She showed LOTS more energy than she had all week, running in the sand & water -- which got everywhere in the SUV and us (but who cares?!?!) and she fetched the same stick over & over, and then did it all again!

Now she did all this with "heavy drool" as her jaws still won't stay closed without that darn elastic band (which is a neat trick and works GREAT for feeding time), so we're just getting used to carrying a "drool rag" with us... Just like we used to do with our kids when they were little.

I had wondered about that Bell's Palsy too, and I've some friends who had it, dealt with it and fully recovered later...

So there are some small signs that my dog will fully recover, so our fingers are crossed and I hope she RUNS out to greet me when I return from this trip come Friday evening.

Cheers to all!

Old No7

[Old No7]

Hi all:

Thanks again for all the kind words and encouragement! Especially those who said "they'd pay the $$ too"...

I am very pleased to say my dog was showing a lot more energy once I got home from my week-long business trip over to northern England * and southern Germany than she was before I'd left.

* Missed out on seeing Nath, darn it, but at least I got to call him on the phone...

She's been on Prednisone for about a week now, and has a few more days of that treatment to go. Today, and also for the last 2 days, she is now able to eat her morning & evening meals without needing the elastic band to hold her jaws together. (Yeah!!!) She's regained most of her energy too, but is still maybe 75% to 80% of her old (young) self. We're hoping we will continue to see more and more improvement over the next few days and weeks.

There is one other side effect of this Trigeminal Neuritis you may want to be aware of...

We read that her face and head could get very "skeletal" due to muscle atrophy -- and sure enough, we're seeing signs of that over the last week. I especially noticed it, since I'd been away all week. I'll have to check with one of our vets at work to see what they say about this, but an article we read online said it is "normal" with this condition, and that her features will improve as the condition lessens and goes away for good. (We pray. )

This pix shows her face a month ago, and then today when she was out on the boat...

Iris before & after TN.jpg

Her open jaw today was due to the "hot" 82 degrees temps, and not the "drop jaw", as she doesn't seem to be showing that symptom any more. But you can see her face is a little skinny and the top of her skull more bony looking... She enjoyed a swim at the dock and some retrieves of a dummy duck after the boat ride ("no fish", in other words...), so it was great to see her showing some spunk and enjoying the water.

I hope that none of your dogs ever get this condition, but "just in case", maybe this info will prove helpful for somebody else.

Tight groups!

Old No7

[Nath]

Glad for all of you No7

Best wishes.

Nath.

[JD2]

My German Shorhair Pointer just came down with the same thing. One evening he is fine, the next morning he has sagging eyes, and drooping jaw, can't eat or drink. Mainly the jaw and facial muscles are paralized, and the tongue to a lesser degree. The vet neurologist said that in most cases it cures itself in 8 to 10 weeks. It was a devil of a time in finding out what was wrong, but finally we went to the vet neurologist, and he knew what it was... Like you about $900 worth of vet bills, but at least we have strong hope that it will go away.

We're still feeding him by hand with wet pulverized dog food mixed with canned food and water, from which we make little "meat balls" to drop down his throat. Water is dribbled down his throat with a large syringe. We will have to give the elastic band trick a try....

He's starting to show a few small signs of improvement, which hopefully will continue.

I was amazed to find someone else had the same problem.

Hope your dog gets better!!!

JD

[madman4570]

Old No7,
Glad that fine looking dog is doing so much better. She is an absoulute beauty.
The love that dog gives you guys/$900 is nothing in comparison. Well done friend!
I am looking at those two poses and its tough because she is posing so different.
I know that when they pant and drop their ears back their head will look a lot rounder.
Also going through that ordeal her weight could be down some?
I think she looks perfect! I love that color!