Hi.
I am relatively new, having only posted a couple of times in the Weimaraner forum (where I have also posted this message). I am really worried about my 10 week old Weimaraner puppy, Zeke, and am hoping to get some advice. I'm afraid it is long winded, but here goes .....
Last Saturday, I was taking him for a drive in the car, and we stopped in at a vet as he was due for a worming tablet. The vet nurse offered to give it to him, and I happily agreed (hate giving dogs tablets). Anyway, about half an hour later, while almost home, he threw up in the car, I'm pretty sure due to car sickness, as he had been drooling beforehand (so much for the worming tablet). Anyway, that night and the next day he didn't quite eat all of his food, and by Sunday night he seemed really tired and not his usual playful self. Come Monday morning, he was really, really lethargic, didn't want to engage, and looked really miserable. Took him to the vet that morning who gave him (what I thought) was a very cursory examination. Thought it could possibly be an intestinal blockage and sent us home to keep an eye on him and feed a bland diet. Later that day, I was stroking him on both sides of his neck, behind his ears, and he yelped in pain. Happened a couple more times, and he also yelped whilst just lying in his kennel. Back to the same vet that afternoon, who also had another vet look at him. Said his neck seemed fine and the only reaction they could elicit was a slight yelp when pushed on the top of the head, and a slight groan when his tummy was pushed up whilst standing (he has always groaned when settling himself down into a lying position, which I have always assumed was a feeling of contentment). Said it was a very weird presentation and sent us home again saying that if he was no better by next morning, bring back for X-rays, blood tests etc. By next morning, still very miserable, doing nothing but sleeping, could only be coaxed out of bed to eat soft food and wee and pooh (normal), so took him to a different vet, as the first one seemed to be concentrating on his tummy, and I just felt it wasn't that. This vet examined him and immediately got a horrible yelping in pain from him when she tried to open his mouth. Asked if we had been playing tug games with him (we hadn't). Sent us home with Metacam and said if he was no better in 2 days (today) bring him back for x-rays etc.
Whilst he has definitely improved a little bit in terms of energy levels, and interest in us, he is still a long, long way from the pup he was, and still seems to be having problems eating hard food. I think the Metacam is masking the pain and making him feel a little better, but not fixing the problem. Whilst he used to love chasing and chewing toys, and eating kibble, pigs ears etc., he just doesn't want to know any more. There seems to be nothing wrong with his appetite, but if you give him kibble he's not that interested, or you think he's eaten some and 20 mins later it will fall out of his mouth unchewed. It's hard to explain, but it's like he has no teeth at the back. I gave him half a sausage yesterday and whilst he looked like he was chewing it normally, it came out of his mouth unchewed and like it had only been 'gummed'. Throughout all of this his temperature and wees and poohs have been normal, no vomiting, and he has been eating (soft) food and drinking. He is also drooling a lot after eating, which he never did before. Long strands of drool hanging down from the sides of his mouth, and he also paws down the sides of his mouth for a few seconds after meals.
Of course, I have been researching and I am worried that it might be Masticatory Muscle Myositis (MMM). I am going to take him back to the vet tomorrow morning and will mention it. In the mean time, does anyone have any idea, suggestions, input at all as to what might be going on? We have only had him a couple of weeks but love him so much already, and we hate to see him suffering. The problem seems to be with his jaw in that he is reluctant to fully open his mouth, and the only other thing I can think of, simply because of the timing, was that something happened when the vet nurse gave him the tablet, but that couldn't be it surely, could it?
Sorry for the extremely long post but I am just so worried, and would appreciate any other thoughts. Thank you!