Loss Of Facial Cheek Muscle

[moofie]

Thanks, sorry for being so to reply, i seemed to spend a lot of time sleeping, crying & just feeling sad last week. Annoying to be feeling this way whilst Throps still with us, all part of the process i suppose.

 

i think the vet said it was in an inaccessible area to operate. When my friends dog that had some type of brain tumour, the neuro vet did offer to operate,but it was very expensive as would need a team of 3 vets so i think even if that was a possibility, much like the cyberknife treatment (sounds like a Dr Who prop) we wouldn't be able to fund it and I'm not sure if i would want to go that route so perhaps just as well.

 

45MPHK9 I was so sorry Murray's treatment didn't give the results hoped for & he became so unwell, i was curious if it related to the treatment but it wasn't the time to ask questions.

Edited February 4, 2016 by moofie

[moofie]

Throp's muscle loss seems to have got worse so quickly it was barely noticeable just before the new year, he has an even sadder expression than normal now with his wonky head which doesn't help my leaky eyes. Excuse his mucky chops! cleaning it doesn't seem to help much though.

 

 

 

He's not actually miserable though, i took these pics on Sunday after he'd had a catch up with the hounds at the cafe as they finished the organised walk & he was even a choc lab pup. He was a bit fed up of standing around in the cold and feeling tired as had a busy Saturday including a 300mile road trip (he doesn't sleep in the car) to pick up a Doggyride bike trailer i bought on ebay for him. I intend to buy the stroller conversion kit to push it along, I'm hoping if i can get him in the trailer he can go a bit further on walks and for if his legs get a bit doddery we can avoid carrying him back. Its a little low on headroom though Pru has already tested it out at home so may decide its her princess carriage. Terry launched himself in at speed, it moved (right into DBF's shins) and now he's too scared to put more than his head inside it

Edited February 4, 2016 by moofie

[Batmom]

Your boy :wub: .

[greysmom]

[carronstar]

Throp

[RaineysMom]

our little Skipperke had the same thing happen, was a brain tumor as well. Eventually (and I can't remember how long, maybe a year) he started having trouble walking, eating, etc. and acted like he was drunk. He could only eat out of 1 side of his mouth. When it became too hard for him to eat, we let him go. He was 12.5 years old.

 

so sorry you have this diagnosis but hopefully it will grow slowly and he will be with you a long time. Sending hugs.

[moofie]

our little Skipperke had the same thing happen, was a brain tumor as well. Eventually (and I can't remember how long, maybe a year) he started having trouble walking, eating, etc. and acted like he was drunk. He could only eat out of 1 side of his mouth. When it became too hard for him to eat, we let him go. He was 12.5 years old.

 

so sorry you have this diagnosis but hopefully it will grow slowly and he will be with you a long time. Sending hugs.

thanks,Its good to know how it has affected others even if sad, i suppose we all have to go of something or other.

 

my fear is that the eating will become an issue sooner than the mobility, this week I've noticed he gets a lot of flemmy saliva and kibble falls back out the side of his mouth so it takes him longer to eat his meals.

I'm going to try the cold pressed kibble that's dense & like a pastel stick shape to see if that's better than the ball shaped kibble he's on currently. Also looking into raw mince that could make into meatballs but that will require getting a freezer to store.

 

Throps been on good form with walking this week, yesterday he must've done at least 1.5miles as decided he still wanted to goto the park after starting out a different direction which was nice.

 

Its hard knowing what treatments to do for his dodgy leg,had intended to do another 4weekly cartrophen course & hydrotherapy lady has said maybe stop treadmill as more rehab & go for massage/laser

Edited February 11, 2016 by moofie

[Hawthorn]

I'm going to try the cold pressed kibble that's dense & like a pastel stick shape to see if that's better than the ball shaped kibble he's on currently. Also looking into raw mince that could make into meatballs but that will require getting a freezer to store.

 

Have you seen the Nature's Menu raw nuggets? Pets At Home sell them. They're very convenient as already formed into bite-sized nuggets. I give these to one of mine who has swallowing difficulties.

 

What is the cold-pressed kibble? I'm intrigued.

[FiveRoooooers]

Throp You could try pulverizing his kibble and offering it in broth or vanilla Ensure.

 

[greysmom]

Throp!

 

Your biggest challenge is going to be avoiding aspiration when he's eating - sucking small pieces of food into his lungs. Maybe talk with your vet or rehab specialist about whether raising or lowering his food bowl will help, in additon to liquifying his meals.

[carronstar]

Throp

[robinw]

Throp

[sobesmom]

This happened not too long ago to someone else on the forum and I suggested it was Bell's Palsy (having a human friend experience it). Apparently the vet agreed with that suggestion on that grey so I know it can affect canines. Are those symptoms similar?

That was probably my Diana. We left it as "un-diagnosed" but something like Bell's Palsy could've been the culprit. Her entire cheek muscle withered away quickly. It could've also been a brain tumor, or spinal nerve damage, but because of Diana's progressing kidney failure, it was not worth pursuing. After that, the muscle below her cheek also withered. Very quickly. Her eye became cloudy, but she never had any loss of function from it. I'm sure that if there had been time she'd have been affected, but kidney disease took her first.

[moofie]

 

Have you seen the Nature's Menu raw nuggets? Pets At Home sell them. They're very convenient as already formed into bite-sized nuggets. I give these to one of mine who has swallowing difficulties.

 

What is the cold-pressed kibble? I'm intrigued.

 

I'll look into the nuggets think they're also sold at our local pet store, be worth trying before sorting out the freezer, i'd probably need to bulk buy to help with costs in the longer term. It was seeing a lurcher with megaesophagus on Battersea's POG Dogs that made me think meatballs may work better for throp than kibble.

 

i'm not sure of the exact process but its at a lower temperature than typical extruded kibble & supposed to help maintain the nutrients better. The Cold pressed is denser so it doesn't look as much in the bowl as the same weight of extruded with larger pieces though the sticks break easily and it doesn't float or swell in water like extruded just dissolves. I was feeding Lukullus by Zooplus It does smell nicer than normal kibble even to me, i bought it originally for the puppy and the others kept trying to steal it, ignoring the opened bag of their own food so switched them all over. They all developed lovely silky soft coats on it but sadly i had to go back to autarky for a while to save money and although the coats are still shiny they don't feel as nice.

 

I used one of the map distance trackers and we've done 1.5-2 miles daily this week and 2.4 miles on one walk which he still didn't want to come home from, a bit of sunshine does the world of good it seems and its lovely to see him so full of beans & happy. Back on the water treadmill later on today now his thigh wound is all healed up so shall see how he gets on, throp always appears to know where he's off to & gets excited.

Edited February 13, 2016 by moofie

[moofie]

That was probably my Diana. We left it as "un-diagnosed" but something like Bell's Palsy could've been the culprit. Her entire cheek muscle withered away quickly. It could've also been a brain tumor, or spinal nerve damage, but because of Diana's progressing kidney failure, it was not worth pursuing. After that, the muscle below her cheek also withered. Very quickly. Her eye became cloudy, but she never had any loss of function from it. I'm sure that if there had been time she'd have been affected, but kidney disease took her first.

 

 

Sorry to hear about Diana, its tough to have more than one thing going wrong. Not sure about cloudyness, but the neurologist did mention although Throp's eye nerve isn't affected to watch out for it getting dry & losing its sheen or having a greeny discharge as the eye is kept in place with muscle behind it so would also sink back further as it withers away, which seems to have started now. Its quite shocking just how quick the muscles disappear

Edited February 13, 2016 by moofie

[sobesmom]

 

 

Sorry to hear about Diana, its tough to have more than one thing going wrong. Not sure about cloudyness, but the neurologist did mention although Throp's eye nerve isn't affected to watch out for it getting dry & losing its sheen or having a greeny discharge as the eye is kept in place with muscle behind it so would also sink back further as it withers away, which seems to have started now. Its quite shocking just how quick the muscles disappear

Thank you. Diana had a good life. It was tricky at the end, but we managed it as best we could for her, and every day was a good day. As far as the rate of muscle decay - Diana's was pretty quick. I "might" have not noticed the top muscle deterioration for a little while, but not nearly as long as the vet suggested it "must have been to get to this point". And when her lower cheek muscle disappeared - it happened within 2 weeks. I was WATCHING her face every day at that point.

 

Whatever's going on with your dog - do the best you can - love your pup - and enjoy every day.

Thanks, sorry for being so to reply, i seemed to spend a lot of time sleeping, crying & just feeling sad last week. Annoying to be feeling this way whilst Throps still with us, all part of the process i suppose.

 

I know exactly what you mean. When my Diana was first diagnosed with kidney failure I went through a horrible funk. But - it's not over TODAY. So -you have some good time. Live it. Love it. Enjoy it. The bad stuff isn't actually as bad as the anticipation of the bad stuff. Been there. Done that.

[SanTanSnuggles]

Sorry that your loved one is having this trouble. Perhaps to make you both have some quality time together, you could do some of the things with him that you always wanted to do- a little sooner.

My San Tan Snuggles only spent 14 months with us and I miss her dearly, but I am glad to have known her. She got to experience one of each holiday with us and learned how to open Christmas

presents. She got a chance to play in the snow. We have had five fur baby greyhounds, and I must say, even though she was ill for her last four months, she knew and lived it with all the love and

vigor she could muster up. I pray that you get a chance to have additional quality time together. God Bless. Our prayers go up for you and your loved one.

[GreyTzu]

 

 

Sorry to hear about Diana, its tough to have more than one thing going wrong. Not sure about cloudyness, but the neurologist did mention although Throp's eye nerve isn't affected to watch out for it getting dry & losing its sheen or having a greeny discharge as the eye is kept in place with muscle behind it so would also sink back further as it withers away, which seems to have started now. Its quite shocking just how quick the muscles disappear

 

This is what we used for Danger to keep his eye lubricated, GenTeal Severe Dry Eye Relief. Our Eye Vet swears by it! I am not sure what the UK version is. Since Walgreens now owns Boots, perhaps you can check there or see if it can be shipped to you or to your nearest store. Sending comforting hugs and energy.