# Calling all dogs with Masticatory Muscle Myositis.



## goldhaven

Alli went for her acupuncture yesterday. We aren't seeing any more progress in her jaw function so the vet and I decided to up her dosage of pred to 40 mg twice a day for the time being. We did get the results of her titers. Her distemper/parvo titer came back within the normal range limits but her rabies titer came back the highest that my vet has ever seen. According to her, a rabies titer should come back at a .5 in order for a dog to travel to another country. Alli's rabies titer came back at an 11. My vet is now consulting with another naturalistic vet to see if there is some way to get that number down. I am still planning on taking her to a internist to see if anything else can be done.

Alli was given her rabies shot on March 3. She went in for her yearly Golden Retriever lifetime study exam on March 4 and about 1 week later I noticed her having trouble chewing. One week later, I tried to open her mouth and realized that it only opened about 1 inch. Blood tests and titers confirmed the diagnosis of MMM. It was really beneficial to have the blood results of the lifetime study to compare to the results from the blood we drew 2 weeks later. 
I did contact the GRLS and was told that she is still eligible to remain in the study. Maybe in addition to their study on cancer in goldens, this study will also shed some light on this disease.

I will continue to update Alli's progress. 

Would love to hear others experiences.


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## Claudia M

Our trainer's helper just lost her Belgian Tervuren to it. He was 2 years old. His immune system was down and he contracted pneumonia.


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## abbiedabbie

*My experience with MMM*

I have a mixed breed dog (German shorthaired pointer/dachshund/poodle, etc) who was diagnosed with MMM several years ago. She lives a very happy, full life and I just wanted to share with you all for those who have questions about a recent diagnosis.

We got Maia when she was a puppy, and we honestly don't know when the MMM came about. It wasn't a sudden onset which leads us to believe that she may have already had it when we got her at 12 weeks of age. As she grew, we noticed that she had a somewhat pointier head than other dogs, but just assumed that was the way she looks since she never had any symptoms that we noticed. None of our veterinarians noticed (she had seen several by the time she was a few years old - the vet at the rescue where we got her, and a couple others because we moved). Her third veterinarian is the one who "diagnosed" her - he made this diagnosis purely on the way her head was shaped and was very surprised that she didn't have much in the way of symptoms given her obviously atrophied muscles, aside from the fact that her mouth doesn't open quite as wide as her sister's.

Of course, we were immediately very concerned. It all made sense now why her head was so pointed on top! Being scientists, my husband and I immediately started researching this condition. The more we researched the more we became confused - mostly everyone online has dogs that have an acute bout of MMM followed by some flare-ups, but Maia at this point was already 3 years old and in the chronic stage. What would happen? Will she be ok? What can we do? Should we start her on steroids?

First, our vet didn't recommend any course of action. "As long as she isn't having any problems eating then we won't need to treat it.." But all the concerned pet parents online (most with acute cases) were treating with steroids. Through our own research we found that in cases of chronic MMM that steroids can actually make the inflammation and atrophy worse. We started making sure that she had something to chew on several times a week to keep her chewing muscles working, and that's all we have done for her.

She is doing great. We haven't noticed an improvement nor a worsening of her "condition". She is a happy dog, now 5 years old. Do we worry about her? Of course. Comparing her head shape to her sister's, the difference is striking and I feel like I should have known something was wrong so long ago! But there's nothing we can do about it, and she is living a very happy life. All we can do is provide her a loving, happy home full of chew toys.

The only other symptom we have noticed over the years which may or may not be related is her stools are consistently looser than her sister's. We have tried changing foods, using probiotics, and giving pumpkin with her food, all of which help a little. But her stools are nowhere near as firm as I think they should be! Of course, I do believe the rawhide and chew toys contribute to this as well, but I guess it is better to ensure her jaw muscles are being exercised than not. 

Now that we are living in Chicago, we will be taking her to Dr. Karen Becker's clinic to see if there is anything we can do to stop it in its tracks. I have a feeling she will recommend a raw diet along with supplements. 

Please if anyone can share their experience with this sort of diet I would be extremely helpful.

Abbie


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## goldhaven

Thank you so much for your input. It is good to hear of others experiences. I hope you continue to update on Maia's condition. I had read of Dr. Becker when I was researching the disease but I don't live close to Chicago. I would be interested in hearing about her treatment protocols. As far as the raw diet is concerned, Alli has been on one since she was about 16 weeks old and has always done well on it. The veterinary nutritionist that I consulted with, advised adding more fish and veggies and less fatty meats. 
Alli update --- The increase in prednisone had a horrible effect on Alli and caused a problem that eventually led to anemia so severe that she had to have a blood transfusion. I had called the vet to let them know that the increase in pred was robbing her of quality of life and that I wanted her taken off it. She could no longer play, or go up and down stairs and the slightest movement was like torture. The vet agreed and said that it had to be taken down slowly. One morning, Alli threw up and just by chance, I decided to look at her gums. They were white. Not pale, white. I couldn't tell where the gums ended and the tooth began. I rushed her into the vets office and after blood work found that her PCV level was 11. There was a shortage of dog blood and none available so I raced home to get one of my other girls as a donor dog. After the transfusion her PCV level was 20 and the next day it was 22. For the next 2 weeks we were on a roller coaster of PCV ups and downs with it staying between 17 and 20. No diagnosis was made as to the cause. She was weaned off the pred very quickly from 80 mg a day to none in less than 3 weeks. We believe that the anemia may have been caused by a bleeding ulcer which may have been caused by the pred. I have been treating her with sucrulfate every 4 hours and so far her levels have started coming up. Last week it was up to 26 and this week it is 28. Alli has been off the pred for about 2 weeks now. She is retaining about 3 1/2 inches of jaw function and is acting like a puppy again. She plays and rolls around with all of the other dogs and has even begun barking again. At this point, it is all about her quality of life and so far, she has that back. I know that prednisone has been a lifesaver for some but for me, I think I will pass. I will continue with her acupuncture, raw diet and supplements and my vet and I are already looking for an alternative if the MM rears it's ugly head again.


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## kyras_mommy

Hi Goldhaven, I have a two year old golden with MMM. She is not doing well, we are on our 3rd relapse and she is not doing well with the drugs. We are trying a new drug called Cyclosporine as we are transitioning from Prednisone. Kyra had atypical presentation given that it wasn't bilateral, we suspect that her random eye swelling early on in puppy months was an early indication of the disease. I'm not trying to be a Negative Nelly and it sounds like your pups case was not as severe as Kyra's. I just want you to know that there are others out there. Anyway, please feel free to reach out. We are doing diet and all sorts of things to try to nip this in the bud. I'd be interested in hearing what works for you because we are struggling.


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## goldhaven

kyras_mommy said:


> Hi Goldhaven, I have a two year old golden with MMM. She is not doing well, we are on our 3rd relapse and she is not doing well with the drugs. We are trying a new drug called Cyclosporine as we are transitioning from Prednisone. Kyra had atypical presentation given that it wasn't bilateral, we suspect that her random eye swelling early on in puppy months was an early indication of the disease. I'm not trying to be a Negative Nelly and it sounds like your pups case was not as severe as Kyra's. I just want you to know that there are others out there. Anyway, please feel free to reach out. We are doing diet and all sorts of things to try to nip this in the bud. I'd be interested in hearing what works for you because we are struggling.



I am sorry to hear that Kyra's MM is so severe. I would be interested in knowing how well the cyclosporine works for your dog. It is one of the alternatives recommended by my vet if the MM comes back. Alli is no longer on any medication for the MM and because of her reaction to the pred, she can't go back on that ever again. 

Also, what kind of a diet are you feeding? Are you still doing vaccinations? I have had several vets recommend never vaccinating Alli again.


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## kyras_mommy

Yes, the pred is awful on Kyra. The vet was shocked by her appearance and she had lost 6 pounds. Last relapse we added Azathioprine which caused all her hair to fall out and that drug, given that it's a chemo drug, causes cancer so we were reluctant to go there again given our last golden died of cancer and the rate among American goldens is 61%. It makes me sad because she is two years old and when she is sick she is like an old lady. I have a Hungarian golden who is one and just wants to play with her sissy and cannot. We do not vaccinate Kyra except for Rabies. We did the raw food diet for a while but then had significant problems with her anal glands so now we are on grain free dry food mixed with canned along with pumpkin and salt free green beans (canned). I do recommend avoiding vaccinations however we think it was Trifexis that initially triggered the disease. This last relapse I had the bug man spray the ornamentals and although they assured me it wasn't dangerous when it was dry, she ate a piece of one of the plants and here we are. I am in touch with the breeder and we went through a rough spell with the initial diagnosis I am forwarding her the GRCA article. I'm at the point of considering a quality of life decision with Kyra...if the good days are fewer than the bad, then.... It's not about me, it's about her. Anyway, attaching pic of her and Sissy Aspen prior to the relapse.


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## kyras_mommy

The bad news is that Pred is the fastest acting during a relapse and unavoidable. You could start your pup on that and another drug at the same time but both Azathioprine and Cyclosporine take time to build up levels that suppress the immune system. There isn't another option for immediate treatment other than Pred, I'm afraid. If you've heard something different, please let me know. The Pred is killing my baby.


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## goldhaven

Alli went to the vets yesterday for a complete blood panel and checkup. We are still monitoring her PCV levels to make sure they are still going up and she hadn't been in 2 weeks. I got the results this morning and so far, so good. All of her blood work is normal and she gained an inch (up from 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches) in jaw function. Her PCV level was 39 which is a far cry from the 11 when she first went in. 
We are pretty sure that her flare up was because of the rabies vaccine. There was a blood test before the vaccine and a blood test after which showed this to be true. Because Alli's rabies titer came back so incredibly high, I had asked the vet how to get it back down and she said she didn't know of any way to do that. After Alli's transfusion, I asked if maybe the fact that she lost so much blood and was given blood from another healthy dog, if that would bring down the titer enough to hold the MM at bay. My vet didn't know the answer and said that we will just have to wait and see. We are still in the very early stages, and I know that she will have this disease the rest of her life but so far things are looking up for her. 
I know exactly what you mean about quality of life. There were times when I would look at her and want to cry. If I thought that she would have to live like that forever, I would have made the decision to euthanize her. 
I think that the acupuncture really helped her and will continue to have it done about once a month. I have also spoken to a massage therapist and my vet agrees that if she were to have her jaw massaged that it may help with further jaw function. 

How much pred are you currently giving her?
I will look for some of the articles that I researched when Alli was first diagnosed and post them for you.


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## Songbird

*Mmm*

My girl Brandi got diagnosed at 1 year old. Searched high and low for possible causes -parasites, vaccines, viruses, dna predisposition etc. Took her to many docs and spoke to a lot of owners who have dogs with mmm. personally feel that dogs can end up having multiple triggers. I will be getting tigers done before vaccines to see what her levels are. If the are high, I'm going to try to get a waiver. In addition to taking prednisone (now at 20mg) began at 60- way too high for her weight she is taking plant sterols, probiotics, gi-end cap(-had horrible diarea for over 1 month And lost a ot of weight) and probiotics. Originally told to change diet to bland with rice from raw- I believe the rice made her worse. Once removed , stools started firming up. In addition one of my vets- also practices homeopathy. She Put her on lysson for 3 days - reduce levels of rabies vaccine and thuja for 3. Recommend you find a good homeopathic/alternative vet who has been successful in treating mmm.
Fast forward, I'm still cooking for her, introducing good liver foods, pureed 
peas,pureed beets and yams (panel is up due to prednisone) mouth opens fully,we walk 1 mile a day -trying to rebuild muscle and I get her to play 
everyday with other dogs. Everyday seems to be more positive but I'm always 
concerned about a relapse. Once she's stabilized and off the prednisone, I will continue using alternative medicie and acupuncture to balance her autoimmune responses so hopefully her body will not attack itself again. Time will tell. Good luck with your golden, let me know how you make out. I'll keep my fingers crossed for all are golden angels. 
Patty


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## inge

Tess also has MMM, there are a couple of threads about her on the forum, e.g. http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...standard/117239-tess-mysositis-confirmed.html

So far she has had three attacks, the first one affected her jaw and eyes, the second one her head, the third one wasn't quite clear, only that her energy level was way off and she didn't want to jump anymore. She is only on Azathioprine at the moment, two per week. We titer every 3-6 months, and adjust the medication accordingly. At the moment things are going really well with her.


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## roverspirit

*MMM and Relapse - Unexpected "cure"*

Our 10 yo golden retriever appeared to contract MMM in March 2014 one week after receiving a Rabies vaccine. She could not eat and could not hike with us (because she couldn't open her mouth wide enough to pant). Our vet tried to open her mouth under anesthesia and couldn't. He put our dog on 20 mg 2 x p/day. A blood test sent to the San Diego lab came back inconclusive, but our vet concluded that our dog likely had MMM, due to her symptoms and quick response to the Prednisone. 

Our dog was on Prednisone for the next 4 months. The Prednisone appeared to cure her condition, however, a few months later she was diagnosed with low Thyroid. A month or so after getting our dog's thyroid under control (with oral Thyroid), our dog began to have difficulty opening her mouth again. She seemed to have difficulty eating, yawning and drinking too. 

Unsure whether Prednisone would again work on the MMM, our vet put our dog on a trial of Prednisone (20 mg 2x per day) for 4 days. Within a few days of beginning the Prednisone (for the second time) our dog's head appeared to be completely sunken in, cheeks hollowed out and unable to lift her ears and it had NO effect on the symptoms of MMM. Like you, we began searching out as many resources and on-line experiences that we could find. Most of the vets that we consulted, recommended a continuation of the Prednisone (which had appeared to aggravate if not cause the muscle atrophy in her head and face). 

We found naturopathic vet in Park City, Utah that was the answer to our prayers. She gave our dog a thorough examination (evaluating her diet, symptoms and her overall condition, observing how our dog sat, drank and ate.) In our first appointment, Dr. Hanneman gave our dog a chiropractic adjustment to our surprise. (Everything we had read suggested that acupuncture may have some benefit and so we were expecting acupuncture). Before we left Dr. Hanneman's office, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had increased enough so that she was panting and we could see her tongue and lower teeth. Within 3 hours, our dog picked up a toy and began chewing it, which she had not done for more than 6 months. Within 2 days, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had significantly improved and continued to improve over the course of the next month, while the muscle in her head and face began to fill in and improve her muscle mass. She can move her ears, lift her lips around her mouth, chew her food. 

We were completely shocked with our dog's nearly complete recovery from a 2 hour appointment with a naturopathic veterinarian trained in chiropractic. Dr. Hanneman was pleasantly surprised too. 

I hope that this post gives some of you pet owners hope that there is a cure for your pet's MMM condition. ("Cure" is my conclusion, not Dr. Hanneman's.)


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## goldhaven

roverspirit said:


> Our 10 yo golden retriever appeared to contract MMM in March 2014 one week after receiving a Rabies vaccine. She could not eat and could not hike with us (because she couldn't open her mouth wide enough to pant). Our vet tried to open her mouth under anesthesia and couldn't. He put our dog on 20 mg 2 x p/day. A blood test sent to the San Diego lab came back inconclusive, but our vet concluded that our dog likely had MMM, due to her symptoms and quick response to the Prednisone.
> 
> Our dog was on Prednisone for the next 4 months. The Prednisone appeared to cure her condition, however, a few months later she was diagnosed with low Thyroid. A month or so after getting our dog's thyroid under control (with oral Thyroid), our dog began to have difficulty opening her mouth again. She seemed to have difficulty eating, yawning and drinking too.
> 
> Unsure whether Prednisone would again work on the MMM, our vet put our dog on a trial of Prednisone (20 mg 2x per day) for 4 days. Within a few days of beginning the Prednisone (for the second time) our dog's head appeared to be completely sunken in, cheeks hollowed out and unable to lift her ears and it had NO effect on the symptoms of MMM. Like you, we began searching out as many resources and on-line experiences that we could find. Most of the vets that we consulted, recommended a continuation of the Prednisone (which had appeared to aggravate if not cause the muscle atrophy in her head and face).
> 
> We found naturopathic vet in Park City, Utah that was the answer to our prayers. She gave our dog a thorough examination (evaluating her diet, symptoms and her overall condition, observing how our dog sat, drank and ate.) In our first appointment, Dr. Hanneman gave our dog a chiropractic adjustment to our surprise. (Everything we had read suggested that acupuncture may have some benefit and so we were expecting acupuncture). Before we left Dr. Hanneman's office, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had increased enough so that she was panting and we could see her tongue and lower teeth. Within 3 hours, our dog picked up a toy and began chewing it, which she had not done for more than 6 months. Within 2 days, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had significantly improved and continued to improve over the course of the next month, while the muscle in her head and face began to fill in and improve her muscle mass. She can move her ears, lift her lips around her mouth, chew her food.
> 
> We were completely shocked with our dog's nearly complete recovery from a 2 hour appointment with a naturopathic veterinarian trained in chiropractic. Dr. Hanneman was pleasantly surprised too.
> 
> I hope that this post gives some of you pet owners hope that there is a cure for your pet's MMM condition. ("Cure" is my conclusion, not Dr. Hanneman's.)


Thank you for posting. This is exactly the reason that I started this thread. I never even thought to try chiropractic. 
I am so happy that your dog is doing so well and you consider her cured. I am much more cautious than that. I fear calling it a cure and prefer to say that she is in remission. Alli had all of the symptoms of the prednisone. She lost all muscle mass in her head, jaws, and back. I am happy to say that she has made a complete recovery. She has full jaw function, regained all of her muscle mass, and is off all medications. I am very careful about everything that goes into her body. That includes food, vaccinations, and even anesthesia. Unless it is a matter of life and death, she won't be sedated, which means that she won't be spayed. Since we really don't know for sure what causes this, we have no idea what could make it return. That is my biggest fear. 
Alli is in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. I contacted them to let them know her condition and they said that she can remain in the study. That is a big help to me because her condition will be monitored very closely. I am hoping that in the near future, the study will include titres. 
Thanks again for posting, I hope your dog remains cured and I will be seeking out a canine chiropractor, just in case.


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## Debgopool

My 3 year 10 month Siberian was diagnosed last Wednesday with MMM. The vet gave her a shot of long acting steroid. I have to take her back in 2 weeks from that date. She wasn't eating anything. Only drinking water. I had been taking her to another veterinary clinic for 3 weeks in a row. I kept telling them it appeared it was painful for her to chew.The vet checked her teeth and didn't see anything wrong. She started with an ear infection, then it went to an eye irritation. I was told to drop her off in the morning and leave her at the clinic and they would look at her and try to find out what was wrong. When I went to pick her up they told me they hadn't even looked at her yet. They also needed authorization to do blood tests, CBC and a panel. I took my dog home rather upset they hadn't even looked at her. I called to get the blood test results the next day and the vet was in surgery and they told me she would call me back. The day went on and I never received a call. I stopped by and picked up the blood test results and promptly took her to another veterinary. It took that vet less than 5 minutes t diagnose her. She tried to open her mouth and couldn't. She said I know what I need to know she has Masticatory Muscle Mitosis. She explained a little bit about the disease. Gave her the steroid shot. I started feeding her small amounts of baby food. Today she finally ate some Little Caesar dog food. The vet told me to give her Prescription Diet canned food. I couldn't get her to eat that. The shot seems to be working. She's able to open her mouth some and she actually chewed a little soft dog treats today. The visual signs are that her tissues around her skull are sinking in some. I was told that's normal and may return to normal. I've not heard of this disease until last week. They don't know what causes it, and it's primarily found in larger breeds. She (Roxie) will probably on canned food for some time. Oh, and the vet that did the blood test finally called me back the evening I was coming home from seeing the other vet. She went on to explain the blood test results and told me it appeared she had an infection of some sort. She wanted to do an ultrasound of her stomach. So I told her it was in the dogs jaws. I went on to explain that I'd taken her to another vet and she had been diagnosed. I also told her, if you ever see a dog with the muscles hardening around their jaws, that's probably what it is. I'm hoping I got Roxie treatment in time so that it won't be a lasting effect. I'm just thankful I kept getting her checked and didn't stop until I found out what it was. She hadn't eaten in 5 days. But I'll be looking for a good healthy diet for my girl to help her through this. I wish you luck with yours.


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## maryds56

I have a golden who is almost 7 years, she was first diagnosed at age 4y 5m, has had 3 relapses since, each time longer regimen of prednisone. I'm looking for other treatment, started her with acupuncture, 1 session so far, haven't seen any results. Is your Golden still doing well?


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## goldenmamafl

maryds56 said:


> I have a golden who is almost 7 years, she was first diagnosed at age 4y 5m, has had 3 relapses since, each time longer regimen of prednisone. I'm looking for other treatment, started her with acupuncture, 1 session so far, haven't seen any results. Is your Golden still doing well?


I moved my dog to a cooling holistic diet, grain free, no vaccinations, just heartworm meds only, natural flea and tick killer after the third relapse. Also moved her medication to Atopica and she is doing well except that she suffered major muscle atrophy after all the rounds of pred so her hips are shot. She's only 4, was diagnosed at 14 months. Once I get in a better financial situation I plan on adding regular physical therapy and acupuncture for her hips and her jaw muscles. I can only financially manage her special diet and meds at the moment because my other golden is special needs as well.


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## maryds56

goldenmamafl said:


> I moved my dog to a cooling holistic diet, grain free, no vaccinations, just heartworm meds only, natural flea and tick killer after the third relapse. Also moved her medication to Atopica and she is doing well except that she suffered major muscle atrophy after all the rounds of pred so her hips are shot. She's only 4, was diagnosed at 14 months. Once I get in a better financial situation I plan on adding regular physical therapy and acupuncture for her hips and her jaw muscles. I can only financially manage her special diet and meds at the moment because my other golden is special needs as well.


I also use an all natural flea & tick & reasonably priced , 3 ingredients, geranium oil, wintergreen oil & lastly almond oil, I get it from Dr. Mercola website, Dr Karen Becker, who is a veterinarian who practices holistic medicine offers numerous tips. My vet referred me to a local vet that does acupuncture, that, along with a daily regimen of Vitamin B complex, Ester C , vitamin E with tocopherols & Fish oil seem to be helping my golden immensely, she too had weakness in her hind legs & back after being on Prednisone. She is on lowest dose now & our goal is to get her off of it completely. We remain hopeful.


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## 3 goldens

I have never heard of this disease and know nothing about it, but I do want to say I am sorry you sweet much loved dogs are going thru this. You are right to avoid any vax if possible. back in April 2002, I took my 2 1/2 year old golden girl in for her annual vax. it was Good Friday and I was the last one and spent some time talking to my vet--we are in a small town and he had come here 5 years earlier and we had gotten to be good friends. But by this time his reputation was fast growing and he even had clients bringing their dogs and cats out from Corpus Christi. So he was busy and we didn't have the time to chat like we had when he first came here.

Well, hubby and I had planned to go to the Good Friday Service at church, but due to my having yakked with Rickey and then got home and we were hungry, I decided to skip church and started working on supper. Our kitchen and livingroom is partially separated by a bar and I was at the bar mixing salad and I saw KayCee sit down behind the recliner (it's back was to the bar) then get up and run down the hall, head and tail down. She sat down for a few seconds, then ran back and got behind the recliner, She did a repeat and when she returned to the recliner that time I went around to check her and as I reached I could feel the heat. I also saw her eyes were swollen almost shut and it looked like she had pencil erasers under the skin all over her snout.

Ran and got the thermometer and I I got back and laid her down I could her stomach was one fire endgine red thick hive. Her temp was just under 107, which is lethal. Called me vet, got his answering service and they said they would contact him at once. While waiting we wrapped her in a wet towel and poured cool--not cold--water over the towel. and bathed her feet with alcohol. It seemed forever, but was only a few minutes and our vet's wife called and said he had called her from church and told her to call us and tell us to get KayCee to the hospital , which is only a tick over a mile from our house. Got there and he had injections ready and we stayed until her temp went down to 103. Told me to take it every 15 to 30 minutes and if it started climbing, call him. But it didn't./

He was pretty sure it was the lepto that caused the reaction. She had never had a problem with any of her ax in the pasty. But he decided to be on the safe side, no more vax except law required rabies and even then he bucked our town law. Texas said rabies vax every 3 years, but leaves it up to each county and city to make their own law and at the time our city was every year. But he only gave her one every 3 years for the rest of her life.

THEN I made the grave error of switching my much loved Hunter (KayCee's ;littermate and my avatar) from the monthly pill to the 6 month injection, ProHeart6 and it killed him Oct. 2003 at age 4 years, 2 months. Ten moths later the FDA made them pull it because of the high number of deaths and reactions. It was off the market for 4 years being reformulated and is back, but I will never use it.

So I learned to avoid as much as possible. Dogs here HAVE to have heart guard prevention year round. We have had to put on mosquito spray while duck hunting in Dec. and Jan. So we have n o choice. But I avoid all I can. Our 112 1/2 yer old golden girl had her rabies vax 2 months ago and had a bad seizure just under 48 hours later. No proof it was related, she had had had one once before, a year ago and we don't remember details or anything different at that time except possibly that followed a Bravest tablet.

you are wise to avoid any vax or drugs that are not 100% necessary. One thing--when one of my goldens had to have a tooth removed and also a mouth tumor at the same time, I pureed his food and he could lap it I did this until he could chew. If you dog has severe trouble eating, this might be a way to get it to get enough nutrition. Good luck with your precious dogs. up


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## Rosamond Green

*New diagnosos*

Am having the blood test tomorrow and am trying to,learn as much as I can. My dog hads IBD as well...thanks


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## drphilipdavis

Hello, 

Very sorry to hear about what your pup went through. I am interested in your comment regarding Trifexis. Why do you think Trifexis triggered it and have you heard of any other cases where Trifexis was identified as the trigger? 

Thank you! 

Golden owner in SoCal.


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## gsnaps6281

*Just got diagnosed*

I have a 10 year old lab and we were diagnosed last week. We have been on 10mg twice a day of prednisone and it seems to be helping him. His was so bad that his third eye lid was coming up to cover some of his eyes. We went to a specialist and did the blood work but her tested negative, but the vet seems to think that he has it. His face, back and top of his head has started to sink in. He is now able to open up his jaw more and is able to eat soft food but will probably be on the prednisone for 5-6 months before we finally get off it. I honestly think stress triggered his. We went on vacation and had a new person watching him at there kennel. So I believe that stressed him out and he had anxiety which I think triggered it. I pray that this does not flare up again because I don't even want to have to make a decision to euthanize him. I will look into a naturopathic veterinarian. Thank you all for sharing your stories and experiences.


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## Donna Cameron

Recently diagnosed. My 6 year old girl was doing great. She stayed with grandpa while we went on vacation. 10 days later and she was eating SUPER slow (totally abnormal for Goldies). It took me two more days to recognize that she wasn't opening her mouth. First thing Monday, called vet. Blood test confirmed MMM. 30mg of prednisone BID x 2 weeks. Some improvement. Now on 20mg BID and gaba for pain. Mouth is open, but oh the boniness of her head. It is so stark. What bothers me more is that she seems depressed. She won't play with our other girl. They used to play A LOT. I lost my first Goldie to liver cancer at this age. Now, I see a subdued Goldie and that makes me nervous.


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## Kaebee27

Thank you goldhaven for this thread. I feel so alone dealing with this disease. Most vets have never treated it. I've been a vet tech for 27 years and this is the first case I've ever seen. My dog was diagnosed at 1.5 years old. He's now 3.5 yo. I went to an integrative medicine specialist and he was treated with pred, azathioprine, acupuncture and Chinese herbs. After 13 months he was finally off all meds and doing great. 9 months later (July 2017) he relapsed. I went to a regular vet who put him on pred and atopica. I also have him on herbals that I ordered myself (from an herbalist/vet). He does horrible on pred but I know it's for the best. I don't think the atopica is doing anything. I have an appointment with an internal medicine specialist in 2 days just to get a better plan. I wish I knew what triggered this round so I could avoid it. 

He doesn't get vaccines anymore and I'm switching back to a home cooked diet. Would love to find more alternative treatments or even more recent studies on this disease. There's not much out there. 

Donna, my goldie is also very subdued (highly unusual for him) and eats slow (also highly unusual). It's very sad.


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## smp

Just posted this on another thread, but thought I should add it here. Getting bummed about the prognosis...
---

Hi All, It's been a while since I've posted about our now 1 year old, Sadie, but she's been having a scary situation that I thought would be helpful to share. About 3 weeks ago, we noticed a little eye tearing and puffiness/redness of her left eye. We had just installed a fence, and attributed it to some allergies since she was spending a lot more time outdoors. Over the course of 2 weeks it came/went and affected the right eye some too. It didn't seem to bother her at all, so we thought we would just watch it. We went away for vacation and when we got back this week, we knew something was wrong.

She was not opening her mouth very much - taking little sips of water with the tip of her tongue and eating very slowly, and she was drooling much more than she's every had before (previously just with waiting for treats, etc.). I had remember her seemingly poking herself in the mouth retrieving a stick around the time that it all starting and I was worried she had lockjaw from tetanus or possibly an oral abscess that had spread infection in her skull - but she still seemed in good spirits.

Took her to the vet yesterday and even under sedation, they couldn't get her jaw opened. They sent us to a referral center and she had a head CT that didn't show any abscess. They also weren't able to open her mouth under sedation, but the oral surgeon who was there felt fairly confident that he knew the diagnosis...

Masticatory myositis

As a people doctor, I've never heard of this, but it all started to make sense. I feel so awful that we waited so long to have her see the vet as the prognosis really seems to depend on how much damage has taken place. At this point, she's started on steriods and seems to be a little better this morning. We have labs for the 2M antibodies pending and we expect at least a week before we'll really see much improvement.

Ugh...just feeling awful for this little girl.


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## maryds56

Hi, Do not lose hope. My Golden, Lucy will be 8 years old 10/01/2009. She was diagnosed with Masticatory myositis in March 2014 at 4 1/2 years old. We are thinking either Rabies or Parvo vaccine precipitated this. Nonetheless, our vet recognized it instantly, thankfully. Lucy loves her teeth brushed but when I attempted to do so she cried out , so of course, I made an appt. She was given a Prednisone of treatment 20 MG weaning eventually for 20 days. We saw instant improvement. Unfortunately came back in 01/2015 put her on another regimen & has since occurred 4X since then. Initially all we noticed was her jaw while brushing teeth & her reluctance to play with her squeaky toys & tennis balls which were a daily ritual. The last re- occurrence, her eye bulged & teared first. We , once again had to give Pred, we've been lucky, our vet works with us, we give minimal, start out with 20MG for a week, then every other day, then take it down to 10 MG every other day & now 10 Mg 2X weekly as maintenance. This seems to be working well.Aside from some muscle weakness in hind legs, which acupuncture has helped with, no other issues. We also were advised to give Lucy Pepcid AC with the pred, a tablet with each pred or 1/2 tablet when Pred is cut in half. Along with that we also were advised to give her 1 tlbs coconut oil on her food & a vitamin regimen of Ester-C, 1000MG & Fish Oil 1000MG daily as well as vitamin E 400IU & B- Complex vitamins every other day. All seems to be working . She is happy , energetic , playing & walking 3 1/2 miles with me daily, as well as keeping her weight of 69 Lbs.


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## Rostama

*Cooper's story*

Cooper is 4.5 yrs old and was just diagnosed with MMM. Blood test confirmed after he had symptoms of eye puffiness and trouble opening his mouth. Vet initially put him on a non- steroidal until we could get the blood tests back. Cooper seemed to do better each day he was on the non- steroidal so I was certain the blood test would come back negative. No luck, so now he is on his second 10 day stint of steroid with much longer to go. 

Pred is an awful drug ... makes me heartbroken to see the side effects - his aggressive hunger, severe muscle loss, lots of panting, lots of water consumption and therefore lots of potty breaks. His mood has completely changed - not the same affectionate dog, nor even the same personality of happy go lucky wanting to take long walks and play with his ball and chew on bones and sticks. 

He also has severe muscle loss in his face and seems like entire body since having started the pred. Vet says the pred can actually cause the muscle loss but she doesn't want to back off the pred earlier than planned in case it is the MMM. We are getting acupuncture treatments once per week but I am curious about any other herbal supplements that may help. Some posts mention the K9 immunity - is that something worth adding to his diet? I wish I could put him on raw but he has such a sensitive stomach and suffers from gulping fits if he eats anything too far off from kibble, even cooked fresh food. Anything else I could be doing for him at this point?

Has anyone reached out to their breeder to advise them of the diagnosis? I did so and never got a response back. Not sure if I should keep pursuing.


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## Apeteddy

Thank you for this thread. My 6 year old English Bulldog, Idgie, is currently being diagnosed with MMM. It seemed to have come out of nowhere. She couldn't open her jaw on the left side and her third eye was swollen. It's been 6 weeks and about 6 vet visits and about $4K to finally figure what's going on. She's also had several rounds of facial swelling as well and has been so depressed and lethargic. It just breaks my heart to see her this way. She had a CT scan this past week and I am thankful that it's not cancer or a tumor causing all this. They did a muscle biopsy and should get results back this week. They started her on pred and is showing improvement in her jaw opening and her mood and energy. Though the hunger symptom is hard to watch. She's also super gassy which isn't normal for her. She's also on an antacid and a med that prevents ulcers. 

I'm extremely interested in treating her naturally as bulldogs are super sensitive to meds and these seem to be hard hitting. Thanks to all the suggestions here. We will be seeing a neurologist at Tufts University Vet hospital next week to talk next steps and I'll be asking about all I've seen here. Definitely will be finding a holistic vet to consult as well. 

I have chronic Lyme disease and I am seeing that my treatment and hers might look very similar. I hate seeing her beautiful schmooshy biggo bully head become so sunken and small. 

Now to figure out her triggers and get her well.


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## Madge

*Mmm*

My 4.5 year old Rottweiler 'Flower' got diagnosed on 2 Jan 2018. She was put on steroids and 'blended wet food' as she could not open her jaw anymore. After some days she was able to eat 'wet food'. After 1 week her poo was pure liquid and full of blood. She was put on antibiotics. Her head started caving in real bad. After 12 days, from one moment to the next she was limping badly (just coming out of her bed). Her back knee made horrible noises. X-rays were taken and it showed her other knee had the same predicament. She was in so much pain. So now we were looking at 2 knee operations. We made the very hard decision to let her go, with her immune system so down from the steroids, there was no guarantee these operations would even work, and the very long re validation. I want my dogs to be happy and playful, I want my dogs to be able to be dogs. I have no idea if the steroids did this to her, as until recently she was a very playful active dog, that went on long walks. She used to play with the 18 month old Rottweiler boy we have as well. Now there is a BIG empty space.


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## cwag

I'm so sorry about your girl. 4.5 is way too young to say goodbye. You took care of her in the most loving and unselfish way possible.


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## Christina R

goldhaven said:


> roverspirit said:
> 
> 
> 
> Our 10 yo golden retriever appeared to contract MMM in March 2014 one week after receiving a Rabies vaccine. She could not eat and could not hike with us (because she couldn't open her mouth wide enough to pant). Our vet tried to open her mouth under anesthesia and couldn't. He put our dog on 20 mg 2 x p/day. A blood test sent to the San Diego lab came back inconclusive, but our vet concluded that our dog likely had MMM, due to her symptoms and quick response to the Prednisone.
> 
> Our dog was on Prednisone for the next 4 months. The Prednisone appeared to cure her condition, however, a few months later she was diagnosed with low Thyroid. A month or so after getting our dog's thyroid under control (with oral Thyroid), our dog began to have difficulty opening her mouth again. She seemed to have difficulty eating, yawning and drinking too.
> 
> Unsure whether Prednisone would again work on the MMM, our vet put our dog on a trial of Prednisone (20 mg 2x per day) for 4 days. Within a few days of beginning the Prednisone (for the second time) our dog's head appeared to be completely sunken in, cheeks hollowed out and unable to lift her ears and it had NO effect on the symptoms of MMM. Like you, we began searching out as many resources and on-line experiences that we could find. Most of the vets that we consulted, recommended a continuation of the Prednisone (which had appeared to aggravate if not cause the muscle atrophy in her head and face).
> 
> We found naturopathic vet in Park City, Utah that was the answer to our prayers. She gave our dog a thorough examination (evaluating her diet, symptoms and her overall condition, observing how our dog sat, drank and ate.) In our first appointment, Dr. Hanneman gave our dog a chiropractic adjustment to our surprise. (Everything we had read suggested that acupuncture may have some benefit and so we were expecting acupuncture). Before we left Dr. Hanneman's office, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had increased enough so that she was panting and we could see her tongue and lower teeth. Within 3 hours, our dog picked up a toy and began chewing it, which she had not done for more than 6 months. Within 2 days, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had significantly improved and continued to improve over the course of the next month, while the muscle in her head and face began to fill in and improve her muscle mass. She can move her ears, lift her lips around her mouth, chew her food.
> 
> We were completely shocked with our dog's nearly complete recovery from a 2 hour appointment with a naturopathic veterinarian trained in chiropractic. Dr. Hanneman was pleasantly surprised too.
> 
> I hope that this post gives some of you pet owners hope that there is a cure for your pet's MMM condition. ("Cure" is my conclusion, not Dr. Hanneman's.) <img src="http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/images/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Smile" class="inlineimg" />
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for posting. This is exactly the reason that I started this thread. I never even thought to try chiropractic.
> I am so happy that your dog is doing so well and you consider her cured. I am much more cautious than that. I fear calling it a cure and prefer to say that she is in remission. Alli had all of the symptoms of the prednisone. She lost all muscle mass in her head, jaws, and back. I am happy to say that she has made a complete recovery. She has full jaw function, regained all of her muscle mass, and is off all medications. I am very careful about everything that goes into her body. That includes food, vaccinations, and even anesthesia. Unless it is a matter of life and death, she won't be sedated, which means that she won't be spayed. Since we really don't know for sure what causes this, we have no idea what could make it return. That is my biggest fear.
> Alli is in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. I contacted them to let them know her condition and they said that she can remain in the study. That is a big help to me because her condition will be monitored very closely. I am hoping that in the near future, the study will include titres.
> Thanks again for posting, I hope your dog remains cured and I will be seeking out a canine chiropractor, just in case.
Click to expand...

Our 10 month old golden Harper hasn't been diagnosed with MMM yet but we are pretty sure she has it. We took her to get spayed on Friday and the vet was unable to intubate her due to her jaw being stuck. She wasn't able to get spayed as a result. 
He did xrays which didn't show anything and and her bloodwork was normal. He ran the 2M bloodwork. She was given a steroid shot while at the vet and has been on liquid prednisone since Sat morning. Her jaw is starting to open a little more but she still can't get a ball in her mouth. I notice that she is starting to get that sunken in look on her face. She is only 10 months and we are so upset about this. From what the vet said and what I read online it seems prednisone is really the only treatment. After reading everyone's posts on here I see that there are alternative treatments. But do they work really? Has anyone had success with acupuncture or chiropractor? Also how do you build up the muscles in the jaw?


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## herekittykitty68

Is there any way to reach you by PM? I have questions and am still trying to find things that work. I have 2 littermates (although not Goldens) diagnosed w MMM. Since mine are not Goldens I do not want to tie up this thread. is it permissible to give my email on here for contact? [email protected]


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## Diesel1

*2 year old new diagnosis*

Hi all,
Our dog a 2 year old male just diagnosed without bloodwork done. Diagnosed based on the caving in on top of the head and difficulty opening mouth. He also ate slower.
He has been through a lot lately due to allergies. He had a bad allergy flair up and was on a bunch of different meds all at the same time, Cytopoint, an anti fungal keto..., antibiotic, and pred steroids. Within days of the last shot of cytopoint is when his head caved in on both sides.
Took to the vet, the wanted to start him on pred again. I've been looking all over the web for a more holistic approach as I think the meds are what caused this. She also told me the caving (muscle atrophy) will not get better. 
Has anyone seen these muscles come back?


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## Rostama

Diesel1 said:


> Hi all,
> Our dog a 2 year old male just diagnosed without bloodwork done. Diagnosed based on the caving in on top of the head and difficulty opening mouth. He also ate slower.
> He has been through a lot lately due to allergies. He had a bad allergy flair up and was on a bunch of different meds all at the same time, Cytopoint, an anti fungal keto..., antibiotic, and pred steroids. Within days of the last shot of cytopoint is when his head caved in on both sides.
> Took to the vet, the wanted to start him on pred again. I've been looking all over the web for a more holistic approach as I think the meds are what caused this. She also told me the caving (muscle atrophy) will not get better.
> Has anyone seen these muscles come back?


I have not seen any muscle regrowth since my Cooper was diagnosed about a year ago. At that time, I followed the vet’s recommendation for prednisone treatment (which was horrible on Cooper) but I swore I would look for holistic treatment options if he ever had a relapse. We are in a relapse period and seeing a homeopathic vet who started Cooper on a Mercurius remedy. So far so good, although we are only about half way normal opening of mouth. I plan to give him a stronger dose shortly to see if that works the entire way. I also have Cooper on a fresh cooked food diet (go raw if you can) and some supplements my vet has recommended. In sum, I strongly suggest pursuing a naturopathic vet as it certainly doesn’t hurt to give it a try. I have done a lot of research and reading of many success stories with natural medicine and am so happy to see Cooper responding to the Mercurius.


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## Katy Hartshorn

*18 month old/Myositis*

My 18-month-old Golden, Millie was initially diagnosed with a retrobulbar abscess. After she was unable to chew her toys and eat normally, I asked the vet about MMM. Although we couldn't afford the test, the vet agreed that this was the most likely cause of her trouble. She is on Day 5 of Prednisone (10mg/2x per day). I have been reading all threads on this site in regards to myositis and I am so grateful to each of you that have shared your stories. It really helps to know what to expect, what you have tried, what questions to ask. Due to the fact that this has progressed SO much in the last 8 days (see pics attached) I am curious if we should up the steroid dose. My vet has now referred us out to an internal medicine vet but we can't get in for another week. I am so afraid of how much more she will deteriorate before then. I would appreciate thoughts and suggestions. Thank you.


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## kyras_mommy

Katy, that dose is not high enough. Have your vet look at the information from Dr. Diane Shelton at UC San Diego, she’s the one that developed the test. It’s either 2mg per kilo or 1 Mg per pound if your dog is acute. Did it start suddenly?


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## kyras_mommy

My Golden was 14 months at her first bout and was 70 pounds. They put her on 60mg and the doc thought it might be too low. The second time she got 80mg. You can’t wait a week, the damage is fast. I had Kyra to the ER and was dosing her within 24 hours.


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## zipotontic

Rostama said:


> I have not seen any muscle regrowth since my Cooper was diagnosed about a year ago. At that time, I followed the vet’s recommendation for prednisone treatment (which was horrible on Cooper) but I swore I would look for holistic treatment options if he ever had a relapse. We are in a relapse period and seeing a homeopathic vet who started Cooper on a Mercurius remedy. So far so good, although we are only about half way normal opening of mouth. I plan to give him a stronger dose shortly to see if that works the entire way. I also have Cooper on a fresh cooked food diet (go raw if you can) and some supplements my vet has recommended. In sum, I strongly suggest pursuing a naturopathic vet as it certainly doesn’t hurt to give it a try. I have done a lot of research and reading of many success stories with natural medicine and am so happy to see Cooper responding to the Mercurius.


Wow, this is bizarre and amazing to read! 

Bizarre because our Golden is also named Cooper and he was also just started on Mercurious! Amazing because you are having results with the remedy! That is so great to read and I am so happy for you!! I really needed to see this post. I am not generally patient and was becoming worried about possibly wasting time on a homeopathic remedy when so many others are going straight to steroids. I hope your post is a sign that I should stick with this a bit longer... I want so badly to avoid Prednisone at all costs but I'm beginning to panic and worry I'm making a mistake.

Our beautiful 2 year old puppy boy was unofficially diagnosed last week with Masticatory Myositis. We are still waiting for the 2M titer for confirmation but his symptoms point to yes. He was happy and running and chewing 2 weeks ago. His first symptom was a decrease in appetite and then a couple of days later he cried out when I was brushing his teeth. At that point I thought he maybe had something stuck in his teeth or possibly a cracked tooth so made an appointment with our holistic Vet. Then the next day he was all better so I cancelled. 3 days later he suddenly began having issues picking up toys and eating so I emailed our Vet and she said to bring him in right away and told me she suspected MM. She did a gentle exam, blood work (which we are waiting on) and also laser therapy to relieve the pain. She also started him on the Mercurious remedy. I gave him one dropper full last Wednesday and then a second dose on Thursday. So far I've seen no improvement but she says it can take 2 weeks to see any changes. She also mentioned she was involved in homeopathic treatment for a Golden who did regrow his jaw & head muscles. She said she's never seen that before but attributed it to homeopathic versus steroidal treatment. 

Can I ask what Mercurious dosage your doctor prescribed and how often you are giving? What supplements are being prescribed? How long did it take to see improvement?

Also, where are you located? Would you mind sharing the name of your homeopathic Vet?

Thank you so much for your post, I am so grateful for the hope. Also thank you to the person who started this forum and all who have participated. I am so glad I found this. Totally worth the sleepless night.

I will post my Cooper's progress as it happens. I am remaining positive....or, at least, trying to.

Best to you all,
Susan


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## Rostama

Susan - I’m located in the Seattle area and am using Mercy Vet in Mercer Island right now. I gave Cooper 2 doses of Mercurius 200c and we are 8 days out from the second dose. I didn’t see immediate improvement and was getting impatient, but my vet encouraged me to keep waiting. Just today he seems like he can open his jaw a bit more than he had this past week. I also took him in for laser treatment (helps with the swelling) and think I will take him in for another this coming week. I honestly will try just about anything over the Prednisone. He’s on turmeric paste, L-Carnitine 500 mg / day, Co-Q 10 - 200 mg / day, Niacinamide 500 mg, fish oil and Cell Advance 880, because he also has a mast cell tumor that we are trying to manage. 

I’ll try to keep posting progress as well, hoping to encourage others to try natural remedies before prednisone. 

Thanks,
Mindy


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## zipotontic

Rostama said:


> Susan - I’m located in the Seattle area and am using Mercy Vet in Mercer Island right now. I gave Cooper 2 doses of Mercurius 200c and we are 8 days out from the second dose. I didn’t see immediate improvement and was getting impatient, but my vet encouraged me to keep waiting. Just today he seems like he can open his jaw a bit more than he had this past week. I also took him in for laser treatment (helps with the swelling) and think I will take him in for another this coming week. I honestly will try just about anything over the Prednisone. He’s on turmeric paste, L-Carnitine 500 mg / day, Co-Q 10 - 200 mg / day, Niacinamide 500 mg, fish oil and Cell Advance 880, because he also has a mast cell tumor that we are trying to manage.
> 
> I’ll try to keep posting progress as well, hoping to encourage others to try natural remedies before prednisone.
> 
> Thanks,
> Mindy



Mindy, 

Thank you so much for your reply! I actually just got home from Mercy Vet to find your message. After talking with the girls at the clinic 
during our appointment last week I found out you were also a patient there. Actually left a note with the front desk for you today with all of my contact info. No pressure at all but, if you're interested, thought it might be nice to connect. Knowledge is power and maybe we can learn something from one another.

We have been prescribed all of the same supplements as you, although I did make one change which is to give a Curcumin supplement instead of the turmeric paste. Not sure it makes a difference but I have always been told the active inflammatory ingredient in turmeric is curcumin and that turmeric has a low percentage of curcumin....so was told it was better to take a curcumin supplement. I'm sure the docs at Mercy Vet know better than I do though so I am not suggesting you change anything. Just my personal choice. The other thing is I cannot figure out how to get Cooper to take the VetriScience Cell Advance 880. They are such big, stinky capsules...he finds them in his food and eats around them and I'm not sure he would eat if I empty the powder directly into the food. I'm going to do an experiment with a mixture of tripe and sardines...figure, if anything is stinky enough to cover up the smell/flavor, those would be it. Also doing the laser treatment...I can't tell whether or not it's helping but I was told it helps to heal from within and can also give relief from pain & swelling. Definitely can't hurt so I plan to do this once or twice a week as needed.

As far as the remedy, it sounds like our experience is very similar. For the first 7 days after taking his first 2 doses, nothing changed. On the 8th day, my Cooper actually seemed to worsen slightly and then suddenly the next days was better than he had been since this all started...and has been improving every day since. I did a bit of reading about homeopathy over these last few days and found out that is almost a textbook response for nearly any remedy...often the symptoms worsen a bit and then begin to get better. Obviously my Cooper still has limited movement of his mouth and chewing, yawning, etc can still be painful...but he's running around playing and able to grab smaller toys and play tug! I am so hopeful and doing my very best to stay positive. 

Our doctor mentioned a Vet in Maine who has successfully treated generations of Goldens with Masticatory Myositis homeopathically. I got her name and phone number and have a phone consult scheduled with her next Thursday, 8/2. Even though everything seems to be going fine with our current treatment, I figure I can never have too much information and am very curious to see what this other doctor might have to say. I'll post anything that seems useful or relevant.

I am sorry to learn of your Cooper's other issue with the Mast Cell tumor. It sounds like you have so much to deal with and my heart goes out to you. We went through a long chain of health problems with our last Golden, including 2 years of cancer, and it can just be absolutely heartbreaking. Me and my Cooper will send you both positive energy. 

I hope things continue to go well for you!! Please keep us updated!

Thank you,
Susan


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## Pono

I am so grateful to find this thread. After struggling the past few weeks to figure out what was wrong, our 1 year old golden retriever was diagnosed today. It appeared to be just a sore mouth initially. Gradually, his range of motion became more limited & last week we noticed he no longer could pick up his tennis ball. After blood work, x-rays & more blood work, we finally figured out cause. He just started steroids today. As much as I hate to have him on them after reading about all of the terrible side effects, I am relieved to already see his mouth open slightly more. He seems very happy, other than his very limited range of motion in his jaw. I am curious to hear updates from those of you who have been through treatment. How are your dogs doing now? I have started to explore holistic approaches as well in hopes to ease the negative side effects of the steroids. For those of you who have tried supplements &/or acupuncture, do you feel it was helpful addition?


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## Rostama

Pono - I am so sorry your pup was diagnosed but happy to hear was responsive to prednisone. As you can read from the above posts, I have been struggling with Cooper. His first attack was a year ago, went on Pred and things went back to normal but here we are again with another attack. I have been trying homeopathy for the last two months and it has been a slow go. He was getting better as of a couple of weeks ago and then crashed again yesterday. I’m giving homeopathy one last chance this week and then will move to Chinese medicine, which seems to have more reported cases of success. This is a tough disease and to compound matters, I am trying to treat a mast cell tumor at the same time. I’m sorry I can’t give you a natural medicine success story at this time. Hopefully it’s in our future!


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## maryds56

HI, Lucy, my golden, was diagnosed in 03/2014 at 4 1/2 yrs.old with MMM. We noticed immediately because we brushed her teeth 2x daily & she yelped when I attempted to brush them. Our vet immediately diagnosed MMM & put her on a regimen of 10MG Pred (29 tablets)for 32 days. Lucy weighs a consistent 68LBS. She will turn 9 on 10/03 & has lived with this for 4 1/2 years.Initially, we went 9 months from when she had finished Pred, before 2nd flare up(01/2015) and our vet prescribed 20MG Pred (11 tabs) over 28 days, then 7 months until third occurrence (09/2015). Lucy stayed well until 07/2016 , so again on Pred thru 11/2016, but finally got a referral for acupuncture . She started in August of 2016, weekly for 3 months, then by weekly.In the interim it flared up again January 2017 her 5th flare up since diagnosed , only 2 months healthy, and it was worsening, affecting her eye as well as not being able to open her mouth.She was prescribed 52 does of 10MG Pred starting daily then every other day.Finished in April, another flare up by May 2017, only a month between occurrences.Since flare ups seemed to come more frequently, we discussed options with both vets and started Lucy on a maintenance program, she gets Ester C w/bioflavonoids, 1000MG daily, Fish Oil, 2000MG daily, B Complex vitamins 1 every other day & Vitamin E w/alpha tocopheroyls, 400 IU every other day. We adjusted the Prednisone to 10MG 2 times a week indefinitely. Since then , (May 2017) we have had no flare ups, having gone over a year! We did discontinue acupuncture since last November, because had not determined if it actually helped or not, since that was nearly 8 months ago & she is still going strong.... We believe initially an immunization caused it( we think the Parvo) had her titered when it was due this past October & avoided getting the shot because it was still active in her system. We also believe undue stress brings it on, IE: when we board her, so now we don't. I know this was lengthy, but I hope it helps. Lucy's head is caved in from the disease, we get blood work done every 6 months , to make sure Pred is not harming her unduly, so far, no real issues. We are thrilled we will be celebrating her 9th birthday Oct.3rd, never thought she would last that long with this disease because initially it really took it's toll on her head & face. We also feed her grain free, Orijen 6 fish & lots of fresh veggies & fruits. Good Luck!! Sincerely, Mary


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## Pono

Thank you for your response regarding MMM. There doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there & our vet has not seen a lot of cases (if any!). He has been consulting with other vets & we also began seeing a holistic vet. I thought she would have more experience in the "weird". They are in agreement about continuing the Pred. He is on 30 mg 2x per day for the first 2 weeks. I had gotten concerned though last week because his head began to have the characteristic sunken in look. It breaks my heart.. he is so young. I was told that it is not uncommon & probably due to the lack of muscle use he had over the past few weeks... the last week especially. He is taking Pepcid AC to protect his stomach. We also have added in supplements for liver support (due to the side effects of the Pred), fish oils, immune support, & muscle support. We also decided to give acupuncture a try. The consistent thing I am reading is to be aggressive asap to prevent scar tissue build up. His range of motion seems to be back to normal. He can pick up a tennis ball. I don't think he is feeling great with all the steroids though... he is panting constantly (a side effect again) and pacing in the night. He doesn't seem like he can relax. He isn't as interested in playing fetch, but he can. I wonder if his mouth is still bothering him. We will continue acupuncture 1x a week for these first few weeks. The plan is begin tapering him down next week to 20 mg 2x a day and continue a slow taper until we find a maintenance dosage. I worry though about that process as it sounds like many have had extend periods of time off the Pred before having additional episodes. I worry a lot. It seems like a hard disease to pin point & I feel like we are flying in the dark a bit with treatment. I am glad many dogs don't have this disease, but it makes it harder to find a tried and true protocol. Good luck with your treatments! I do completely believe in feeding your dog the healthiest food possibly! Love the fresh food!! Curious if Lucy had tried a lower dosage than 10 mg. How did you land at that level.


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## maryds56

Lucy also gets Pepcid AC on the days I give her the Pred, as well as 175MG Milk Thistle. We arrived at the 10MG twice weekly to maintain, the acupuncture vet used a formula that I do not precisely recall other than she felt Lucy could safely take @ 980 Mg of Pred over the course of a year for her weight of 68lbs without incurring further damage to her system. Both vets thought it was the lesser of two evils , to maintain rather than risk the constant flare ups & then subsequently higher doses to get the disease under control. They also used a much shorter regime & lower dosage the last time Lucy had an occurence, which as I had mentioned previously , was a year ago. We did not want to rock the boat by trying less than the 10MG, since it seems to be working & twice a year blood work to monitor any other issues that may crop up do to continued Pred usage. So far so good. Thanks


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## zipotontic

maryds56 said:


> Lucy also gets Pepcid AC on the days I give her the Pred, as well as 175MG Milk Thistle. We arrived at the 10MG twice weekly to maintain, the acupuncture vet used a formula that I do not precisely recall other than she felt Lucy could safely take @ 980 Mg of Pred over the course of a year for her weight of 68lbs without incurring further damage to her system. Both vets thought it was the lesser of two evils , to maintain rather than risk the constant flare ups & then subsequently higher doses to get the disease under control. They also used a much shorter regime & lower dosage the last time Lucy had an occurence, which as I had mentioned previously , was a year ago. We did not want to rock the boat by trying less than the 10MG, since it seems to be working & twice a year blood work to monitor any other issues that may crop up do to continued Pred usage. So far so good. Thanks


Pono,

I am very sorry you are joining us in the battle of MMM. This is the strangest disease and I, myself, had never even heard of it before our Cooper was diagnosed this July. 

Like Rostama, I tried homeopathy which did not work at all for my boy. We moved on to Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture which actually seemed to be working very well on their own but, by the time we had started these, Cooper was having a very tough time and I was becoming concerned about permanent fibrosis. So, we started the Prednisone. :-(

I do think there are more natural ways to treat this disease but every dog is different so the trick is finding the method that works best for your dog. Homeopathy may work for one dog but not at all for another and the same with Chinese Medicine and herbal supplements. This can be very costly and, given the rate at which this disease progresses, can consume valuable time. I have actually been in contact with 2 people who have used completely natural therapies exclusively for years with great success, never having another relapse. One woman's dog was diagnosed with the 2M titer in 2014 and was so far advanced was told Prednisone was not even an option...after using exclusively natural alternatives, he now has full range of motion, is chewing bones and happy as can be. I have also been told of at least 4 dogs treated naturally by one of our current Vets that did great with no relapses. And, if natural treatments don't work for you, I have personally talked to several people who have treated their dog with Pred just the one time and never had another relapse. Obviously, what works for one, may not work for another but maybe this will bring you some hope. Dogs can live very long, happy lives with this disease...it can be done.

For our Cooper, we have settled on a combination and are currently treating with a rainbow of various therapies. Cooper is currently being treated with: Prednisone (which has already been tapered down twice), Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture, Cold Laser, CBD Oil, Supplements and Massage. So far he is doing great with minimal side effects from the Pred and in a week's time went from barely being able to stick out his tongue to now being able to open his mouth at least 3 inches (maybe more, not sure) and is very happy. Who know what tomorrow brings but we are very hopeful. His Vets are very aggressive about getting him off the Pred and onto a more natural treatment plan which is scary for me but the Pred is scary for me too so we're just taking it day by day. 

I hope this helps you...I do believe there is more than one solution out there and I really hope you can find the best one for your puppy!! 

All the best,
Susan


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## zipotontic

Posted a 2nd message accidentally and cannot figure out how to delete it. Just ignore this message...or tell me how to delete. :-/


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## CAROLINA MOM

*zipotonic*, just delete the post, however the entry will remain. 

You have up to 4 hours to edit a post, after that, the post remains on the board and no changes can be made to it per the Site Owner's policy.


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## zipotontic

CAROLINA MOM said:


> *zipotonic*, just delete the post, however the entry will remain.
> 
> You have up to 4 hours to edit a post, after that, the post remains on the board and no changes can be made to it per the Site Owner's policy.


Thank you so much!! I did not see an option to delete the post...only edit it. If I tried to delete the text, it told me the post was too short. Oh well, I guess my ignorance will go down in history. :laugh:


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## CAROLINA MOM

zipotontic said:


> Thank you so much!! I did not see an option to delete the post...only edit it. If I tried to delete the text, it told me the post was too short. Oh well, I guess my ignorance will go down in history. :laugh:


You would select the Edit button, then highlight the text, then delete. 

Occasionally the board will make a duplicate post, when it happens to me, I delete the text and put Duplicate Post. 

The entry remains on the board as posts/threads can not be deleted per the Site Owner's policy.


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## Pono

Thank you both for sharing your experiences. I agree, with the rate of progression, we had no choice but to start with the Prednisone. The side effects are not pleasant for our guy. He first had many accidents. We stepped down and his urinary control has improved. However, he seems anxious & has a hard time sleeping. He has also had weight loss due to muscle loss & is definitely not his usual self. He will play & go for walks... but he is not nearly as energetic. Did you see improvements with muscle mass (head & whole body) once you were able to decrease the dosage? The latest concern is digestive... not sure if it's the new supplements or the prednisone. He began an anti-diarreha medication (Metronidazole) and food that are easier on his system for the next few days to get things to calm down. We are very eager to reduce the prednisone, but the vet seems to want to keep him at this dosage a little longer. He will go in for another check before we do another taper, but both our vets seem to agree it's important to take it slow. I can't wait to reduce the prednisone!!!


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## zipotontic

Pono said:


> Thank you both for sharing your experiences. I agree, with the rate of progression, we had no choice but to start with the Prednisone. The side effects are not pleasant for our guy. He first had many accidents. We stepped down and his urinary control has improved. However, he seems anxious & has a hard time sleeping. He has also had weight loss due to muscle loss & is definitely not his usual self. He will play & go for walks... but he is not nearly as energetic. Did you see improvements with muscle mass (head & whole body) once you were able to decrease the dosage? The latest concern is digestive... not sure if it's the new supplements or the prednisone. He began an anti-diarreha medication (Metronidazole) and food that are easier on his system for the next few days to get things to calm down. We are very eager to reduce the prednisone, but the vet seems to want to keep him at this dosage a little longer. He will go in for another check before we do another taper, but both our vets seem to agree it's important to take it slow. I can't wait to reduce the prednisone!!!


Hello 

We have 2 Vets for our Cooper and they tapered his Prednisone quite quickly...which is scaring me but we're staying on top of his blood work (including regularly repeating the 2M titer) and monitoring closely his symptoms. Cooper lost quite a bit of weight early on before he began treatment so weighed 64 pounds when he started Prednisone. He was prescribed 60mg daily for 4 days then 40mg daily for 6 days, 30mg daily for 4 days, 25mg daily for 4 days and is now at 20mg daily which he will stay for some time. His Vets were concerned about the degree of muscle loss so have been trying to balance the dosage in order to treat the disease but simultaneously reduce the severity of the more serious side effects. Additionally he is getting a whole ton of supportive care in the form of Acupuncture, Massage, Cold Laser, Chinese Medicine and a rainbow of supplements. Currently, Cooper is doing really well and has been happy all along, ever since day 2 of Prednisone with very manageable side effects. I'm not sure if this is the right approach...many would say we are making a mistake reducing the Pred so quickly...but it is what I am comfortable with and I trust both of his doctors implicitly.

As far as the jaw/head muscle coming back...some dogs do regrow the muscle, some never get it back. I have been told by a lot of people that regularly chewing on bones helps more than anything else in this regard. I've been giving Cooper a raw bone daily and yesterday his Vet said she's noticed a very slight improvement in his head (which I personally don't see)...so maybe it's helping already, despite him still being on Prednisone. It helps me because I'm so fearful of relapse and I feel like, as long as he's chewing on bones without pain, he's doing okay. I have noticed most people I have come across did not start noticing regrowth until after Prednisone was completely stopped...but every dog is different.

Regarding tummy upset, I would research natural ways to manage this if you are able to. Maybe you can try to find a holistic Vet in your area to guide you. So far my Cooper has had no tummy issues from Prednisone at all which surprised the heck out of me considering how many he was having just prior to beginning treatment. When he was in pain we had to change his diet a whole bunch so we were dealing with lots of diarrhea. Once we started Pred and he could eat normally the tummy issues disappeared and so far no more problems. He's been eating raw his whole life and I really think that helps deal with the digestive issues. Additionally, our Vet prescribed a supplement (Thorne Phytoprofen) that contains ginger and Boswellia to support the tummy and it also contains Turmeric/Curcumin to aid in the inflammatory process...so maybe that is helping. Back when he had diarrhea they prescribed a mixture they call "Digestive Soother" which is a mixture of prebiotics and Slippery Elm....I was amazed at how quickly this resolved his issues. Literally in one day and his stool was normal. I really hope we can avoid antibiotics...definitely do not want to throw any more meds into the mix.

Sorry I'm so long-winded on all my posts...I just know how difficult this is and am hoping to help in any way possible. I hope your Pono is feeling good today. :smile2: Keep us posted!


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## JAV

goldhaven said:


> Thank you for posting. This is exactly the reason that I started this thread. I never even thought to try chiropractic.
> I am so happy that your dog is doing so well and you consider her cured. I am much more cautious than that. I fear calling it a cure and prefer to say that she is in remission. Alli had all of the symptoms of the prednisone. She lost all muscle mass in her head, jaws, and back. I am happy to say that she has made a complete recovery. She has full jaw function, regained all of her muscle mass, and is off all medications. I am very careful about everything that goes into her body. That includes food, vaccinations, and even anesthesia. Unless it is a matter of life and death, she won't be sedated, which means that she won't be spayed. Since we really don't know for sure what causes this, we have no idea what could make it return. That is my biggest fear.
> Alli is in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. I contacted them to let them know her condition and they said that she can remain in the study. That is a big help to me because her condition will be monitored very closely. I am hoping that in the near future, the study will include titres.
> Thanks again for posting, I hope your dog remains cured and I will be seeking out a canine chiropractor, just in case.


Can you tell us what protocol you used for Allie to get her back to her healthy state? We have a 4 year old golden doodle with MMM. First signs we noticed appeared a little over a month ago. I suspect triggered by the flu vaccine a few months prior. On prednisone now-initial round, but would like a more natural approach.


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## zipotontic

JAV said:


> Can you tell us what protocol you used for Allie to get her back to her healthy state? We have a 4 year old golden doodle with MMM. First signs we noticed appeared a little over a month ago. I suspect triggered by the flu vaccine a few months prior. On prednisone now-initial round, but would like a more natural approach.


Yes, I would love to know this as well. My Cooper is doing good but he's getting close to the end of his treatment and I would love all the input I can get my hands on to help him return to his best health.


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## Crystalpuggle

Hi any update? I’m currently going through this with my dog and I’m devastated 


maryds56 said:


> HI, Lucy, my golden, was diagnosed in 03/2014 at 4 1/2 yrs.old with MMM. We noticed immediately because we brushed her teeth 2x daily & she yelped when I attempted to brush them. Our vet immediately diagnosed MMM & put her on a regimen of 10MG Pred (29 tablets)for 32 days. Lucy weighs a consistent 68LBS. She will turn 9 on 10/03 & has lived with this for 4 1/2 years.Initially, we went 9 months from when she had finished Pred, before 2nd flare up(01/2015) and our vet prescribed 20MG Pred (11 tabs) over 28 days, then 7 months until third occurrence (09/2015). Lucy stayed well until 07/2016 , so again on Pred thru 11/2016, but finally got a referral for acupuncture . She started in August of 2016, weekly for 3 months, then by weekly.In the interim it flared up again January 2017 her 5th flare up since diagnosed , only 2 months healthy, and it was worsening, affecting her eye as well as not being able to open her mouth.She was prescribed 52 does of 10MG Pred starting daily then every other day.Finished in April, another flare up by May 2017, only a month between occurrences.Since flare ups seemed to come more frequently, we discussed options with both vets and started Lucy on a maintenance program, she gets Ester C w/bioflavonoids, 1000MG daily, Fish Oil, 2000MG daily, B Complex vitamins 1 every other day & Vitamin E w/alpha tocopheroyls, 400 IU every other day. We adjusted the Prednisone to 10MG 2 times a week indefinitely. Since then , (May 2017) we have had no flare ups, having gone over a year! We did discontinue acupuncture since last November, because had not determined if it actually helped or not, since that was nearly 8 months ago & she is still going strong.... We believe initially an immunization caused it( we think the Parvo) had her titered when it was due this past October & avoided getting the shot because it was still active in her system. We also believe undue stress brings it on, IE: when we board her, so now we don't. I know this was lengthy, but I hope it helps. Lucy's head is caved in from the disease, we get blood work done every 6 months , to make sure Pred is not harming her unduly, so far, no real issues. We are thrilled we will be celebrating her 9th birthday Oct.3rd, never thought she would last that long with this disease because initially it really took it's toll on her head & face. We also feed her grain free, Orijen 6 fish & lots of fresh veggies & fruits. Good Luck!! Sincerely, Mary


any


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## Laura n Tilly

roverspirit said:


> *MMM and Relapse - Unexpected "cure"*
> 
> Our 10 yo golden retriever appeared to contract MMM in March 2014 one week after receiving a Rabies vaccine. She could not eat and could not hike with us (because she couldn't open her mouth wide enough to pant). Our vet tried to open her mouth under anesthesia and couldn't. He put our dog on 20 mg 2 x p/day. A blood test sent to the San Diego lab came back inconclusive, but our vet concluded that our dog likely had MMM, due to her symptoms and quick response to the Prednisone.
> 
> Our dog was on Prednisone for the next 4 months. The Prednisone appeared to cure her condition, however, a few months later she was diagnosed with low Thyroid. A month or so after getting our dog's thyroid under control (with oral Thyroid), our dog began to have difficulty opening her mouth again. She seemed to have difficulty eating, yawning and drinking too.
> 
> Unsure whether Prednisone would again work on the MMM, our vet put our dog on a trial of Prednisone (20 mg 2x per day) for 4 days. Within a few days of beginning the Prednisone (for the second time) our dog's head appeared to be completely sunken in, cheeks hollowed out and unable to lift her ears and it had NO effect on the symptoms of MMM. Like you, we began searching out as many resources and on-line experiences that we could find. Most of the vets that we consulted, recommended a continuation of the Prednisone (which had appeared to aggravate if not cause the muscle atrophy in her head and face).
> 
> We found naturopathic vet in Park City, Utah that was the answer to our prayers. She gave our dog a thorough examination (evaluating her diet, symptoms and her overall condition, observing how our dog sat, drank and ate.) In our first appointment, Dr. Hanneman gave our dog a chiropractic adjustment to our surprise. (Everything we had read suggested that acupuncture may have some benefit and so we were expecting acupuncture). Before we left Dr. Hanneman's office, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had increased enough so that she was panting and we could see her tongue and lower teeth. Within 3 hours, our dog picked up a toy and began chewing it, which she had not done for more than 6 months. Within 2 days, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had significantly improved and continued to improve over the course of the next month, while the muscle in her head and face began to fill in and improve her muscle mass. She can move her ears, lift her lips around her mouth, chew her food.
> 
> We were completely shocked with our dog's nearly complete recovery from a 2 hour appointment with a naturopathic veterinarian trained in chiropractic. Dr. Hanneman was pleasantly surprised too.
> 
> I hope that this post gives some of you pet owners hope that there is a cure for your pet's MMM condition. ("Cure" is my conclusion, not Dr. Hanneman's.)


Hello, I have a 16 month old labradoodle that was found to not have normal jaw opening during a routine teeth cleaning. Vet did head xrays and suggested prednisone. She mentioned MMM but wasn’t definitive (she didn’t tell me that she felt some muscle loss in her head, tech told me that yesterday) I decided to do the prednisone and recheck in 10 days, hopeful her function would return and not worried about MMM. Within 4 days she has had complete wasting of all the muscles in her head and face. I am beside myself. They can’t do the blood text for MMM since she’s on the prednisone, but is at the vet now as a drop off hoping she’ll be able to do a biopsy to confirm dx. I am so worried we are doing more harm. What tigers should be drawn? There is a naturopath Vet near me...going to check into that. Could the prednisone have made her worse!!?? Help!


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## Laura n Tilly

Katy Hartshorn said:


> *18 month old/Myositis*
> 
> My 18-month-old Golden, Millie was initially diagnosed with a retrobulbar abscess. After she was unable to chew her toys and eat normally, I asked the vet about MMM. Although we couldn't afford the test, the vet agreed that this was the most likely cause of her trouble. She is on Day 5 of Prednisone (10mg/2x per day). I have been reading all threads on this site in regards to myositis and I am so grateful to each of you that have shared your stories. It really helps to know what to expect, what you have tried, what questions to ask. Due to the fact that this has progressed SO much in the last 8 days (see pics attached) I am curious if we should up the steroid dose. My vet has now referred us out to an internal medicine vet but we can't get in for another week. I am so afraid of how much more she will deteriorate before then. I would appreciate thoughts and suggestions. Thank you.


This is exactly what happened to be labradoodle. I think this must have happened over Christmas. She got a horrible swelling in her right eye with the 3rd eyelid covering 1/2 her eye and I mentioned she was eating slower. We took her to emergency vet as it was Xmas day. No one thought MMM. She was drooling more and seemed to have worsened bad breath so brought her in for a teeth cleaning and she couldn’t open her mouth more than 1.5 inches. Started her on 20mg/2x/day and by day 4 all her muscles have wasted away in her head! Following all these threads to get some help!


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## RottieGirl2017

goldhaven said:


> If you dog has been diagnosed with MMM, please share your stories here. I am looking for as much information as I can get my hands on. I have been researching both homeopathic and traditional ways to treat this disease.
> My girl Alli was diagnosed about a month ago. When diagnosed, she could only open her mouth about an inch. She was started off with 30 mg of prednisone twice a day along with acupuncture and within a week she was able to open her mouth about 3 1/2 inches. We have been to a veterinary nutritionist and on her advice, Alli is also getting chinese herbs, centrum, selenium, l carnitine, gnc's triple fish oil, and vitamin e. She has been on a raw food diet and upon advice of the nutritionist, we have started adding more white fish and some pureed veggies. She is still only able to open her mouth about 3 1/2 inches.
> If you have a dog that has MMM, please share your story here on the forum to help me and others dealing with this disease. It would be greatly appreciated.
> I have also been researching the lines that it is found in. If you have access to their pedigrees, please PM me with a link to their pedigree.
> I have read that some dogs will have to be on pred for the rest of their lives and some are able to come off of it completely.
> I will keep this thread updated with Alli's progress and hope to read of others experiences as well.
> Thanks in advance for your participation.


Could you PLEASE let us know what your treatment plan is with Alli that keeps her “at bay”??? My boy looks like total death right now and I feel like I am the reason he’s declining from all the prednisone.. and now amoxicillin from a urinary tract infection! ;-(


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## CAROLINA MOM

RottieGirl2017 said:


> Could you PLEASE let us know what your treatment plan is with Alli that keeps her “at bay”??? My boy looks like total death right now and I feel like I am the reason he’s declining from all the prednisone.. and now amoxicillin from a urinary tract infection! ;-(


Welcome!

This thread is from 2014, feel free to post a new thread.
There are additional posts with updates on page 1 of this thread.


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## Kat.FawnDoobieMom

roverspirit said:


> *MMM and Relapse - Unexpected "cure"*
> 
> Our 10 yo golden retriever appeared to contract MMM in March 2014 one week after receiving a Rabies vaccine. She could not eat and could not hike with us (because she couldn't open her mouth wide enough to pant). Our vet tried to open her mouth under anesthesia and couldn't. He put our dog on 20 mg 2 x p/day. A blood test sent to the San Diego lab came back inconclusive, but our vet concluded that our dog likely had MMM, due to her symptoms and quick response to the Prednisone.
> 
> Our dog was on Prednisone for the next 4 months. The Prednisone appeared to cure her condition, however, a few months later she was diagnosed with low Thyroid. A month or so after getting our dog's thyroid under control (with oral Thyroid), our dog began to have difficulty opening her mouth again. She seemed to have difficulty eating, yawning and drinking too.
> 
> Unsure whether Prednisone would again work on the MMM, our vet put our dog on a trial of Prednisone (20 mg 2x per day) for 4 days. Within a few days of beginning the Prednisone (for the second time) our dog's head appeared to be completely sunken in, cheeks hollowed out and unable to lift her ears and it had NO effect on the symptoms of MMM. Like you, we began searching out as many resources and on-line experiences that we could find. Most of the vets that we consulted, recommended a continuation of the Prednisone (which had appeared to aggravate if not cause the muscle atrophy in her head and face).
> 
> We found naturopathic vet in Park City, Utah that was the answer to our prayers. She gave our dog a thorough examination (evaluating her diet, symptoms and her overall condition, observing how our dog sat, drank and ate.) In our first appointment, Dr. Hanneman gave our dog a chiropractic adjustment to our surprise. (Everything we had read suggested that acupuncture may have some benefit and so we were expecting acupuncture). Before we left Dr. Hanneman's office, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had increased enough so that she was panting and we could see her tongue and lower teeth. Within 3 hours, our dog picked up a toy and began chewing it, which she had not done for more than 6 months. Within 2 days, the range of motion in our dog's jaw had significantly improved and continued to improve over the course of the next month, while the muscle in her head and face began to fill in and improve her muscle mass. She can move her ears, lift her lips around her mouth, chew her food.
> 
> We were completely shocked with our dog's nearly complete recovery from a 2 hour appointment with a naturopathic veterinarian trained in chiropractic. Dr. Hanneman was pleasantly surprised too.
> 
> I hope that this post gives some of you pet owners hope that there is a cure for your pet's MMM condition. ("Cure" is my conclusion, not Dr. Hanneman's.)


Just wanted to verify that you


goldenmamafl said:


> I moved my dog to a cooling holistic diet, grain free, no vaccinations, just heartworm meds only, natural flea and tick killer after the third relapse. Also moved her medication to Atopica and she is doing well except that she suffered major muscle atrophy after all the rounds of pred so her hips are shot. She's only 4, was diagnosed at 14 months. Once I get in a better financial situation I plan on adding regular physical therapy and acupuncture for her hips and her jaw muscles. I can only financially manage her special diet and meds at the moment because my other golden is special needs as well.


think it could be the chiropractic adjustment that helped suppress the mmm symptoms?
A few days ago my fawn 2 ½ year old Doberman pinscher was just put on 20mg Prednisone twice daily for mmm.the blood test was sent off the day I took her in but the vet was confident enough that they started her on the pred. even without the confirmation of the blood results. I found this thread while I was searching for a possible alternative to the Prednisone. I've always been a firm believer in the healing abilities of a knowledgeable caring chiropractor.


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## Kat.FawnDoobieMom

goldenmamafl said:


> I moved my dog to a cooling holistic diet, grain free, no vaccinations, just heartworm meds only, natural flea and tick killer after the third relapse. Also moved her medication to Atopica and she is doing well except that she suffered major muscle atrophy after all the rounds of pred so her hips are shot. She's only 4, was diagnosed at 14 months. Once I get in a better financial situation I plan on adding regular physical therapy and acupuncture for her hips and her jaw muscles. I can only financially manage her special diet and meds at the moment because my other golden is special needs as well.


Is Atopica an effective alternative to Prednisone?my girl just started on pred. a few days ago and I'm searching for possible alternatives


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## MichaelJRinger

Hey all, I'm so sorry for all of you, really. I found out my 4 year old German Sheppard mix has MMM yesterday. I've always been strongly against vax's because I know and have seen what can happen. We were about to move to Mexico from Spain and naturally, I was forced to get the Rabies shot. 3 days later, she's lethargic, didn't want to eat, when she did she would yelp an ear curling cry, rubbing her nose almost violently on everything and anything, extremely sad looking, for a two days, I could open her mouth, but when I did she would scream the loudest I've ever heard her in excruciating pain. I took her straight back to the original vet the second day, after a check up we were given normal antiinflammatory drugs for 15 days. She was perking up, still seemed off, but the crying stopped. 

Over the weekend Friday she started rubbing her nose again, cried once, but I didn't think much of it. Saturday the nose rubbing got more and more intense, the Sunday was non stop, she didn't want to be anywhere near me, and just sat in a cool dark spot in the house and didn't want to come out. Then it hit me the Monday (yesterday) morning that it could be MMM. I ran to the vets, we couldn't open her mouth again, so she had to be put on anesthesia, even under it, completely knocked out, she was in pain, moving her head to make us stop and weeping, COMPLETELY knocked out. After xrays and a few other tests she was diagnosed with MMM.

I've got Prednisone and Omeprazol, today she's eaten tuna mixed with her normal dog food, without a hitch! I'm going to be adding (self prescribed after researching) CBD oil, 2x drops 10-12% inside her mouth per day, 1 drop rubbed into each of the head muscles per day, omega 6&3 along with Vitamin E, suitable bones so that she can rebuild her muscles. Next check up is in one week, I'll keep you all updated.

With love,

Michael & Vero


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## Hina the weim

I have a one year old Weimaraner that we noticed slight swelling in her face about a month ago. When we took her to the vet because we noticed that when we would pet her on her face she would cry out of nowhere the doctor prescribed rimadyl and carprofen indicating she might have a tooth issue. The doctor wasn’t able to look in her mouth because she would cry when we opened it. The meds seemed to work but right about the two week mark before the meds ran out I noticed swelling start to appear on the other side of her face. At 830am, 200pm, and 530pm there is a drastic difference where her face swelled to the point her eye wouldn’t even open. I ended up taking her to the ER last week Friday. And immediately the vet told me he has seen this before diagnosed MMM, perscribed prednisone, and said I needed to follow up with my vet for a blood test. It has only been 4 days with 20mg pred twice a day and the swelling is completely gone but now her face is sunken really bad. I’ve sat here and read every single one of these posts and just get more concerned because I don’t want her face to stay how it is but I know she is feeling better each day on the meds given by the ER. I have an appointment for a blood test this coming week but her face looks to be getting smaller every time I see her and I get more and more concerned. She is eating again her normal raw diet and is extra lovable because she isn’t feeling well. I keep telling myself her face muscles will get better and she will be the happy Weim she was just two weeks ago but my hopes aren’t high after reading all these posts. Does anyone have advice on how I can improve her quality of life more and make her facial muscles return? I’ll post pictures I’ve taken all since last Friday and you can see the huge difference. Any advice or help would be great so I can get this under control early


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## Hina the weim

Hina the weim said:


> I have a one year old Weimaraner that we noticed slight swelling in her face about a month ago. When we took her to the vet because we noticed that when we would pet her on her face she would cry out of nowhere the doctor prescribed rimadyl and carprofen indicating she might have a tooth issue. The doctor wasn’t able to look in her mouth because she would cry when we opened it. The meds seemed to work but right about the two week mark before the meds ran out I noticed swelling start to appear on the other side of her face. At 830am, 200pm, and 530pm there is a drastic difference where her face swelled to the point her eye wouldn’t even open. I ended up taking her to the ER last week Friday. And immediately the vet told me he has seen this before diagnosed MMM, perscribed prednisone, and said I needed to follow up with my vet for a blood test. It has only been 4 days with 20mg pred twice a day and the swelling is completely gone but now her face is sunken really bad. I’ve sat here and read every single one of these posts and just get more concerned because I don’t want her face to stay how it is but I know she is feeling better each day on the meds given by the ER. I have an appointment for a blood test this coming week but her face looks to be getting smaller every time I see her and I get more and more concerned. She is eating again her normal raw diet and is extra lovable because she isn’t feeling well. I keep telling myself her face muscles will get better and she will be the happy Weim she was just two weeks ago but my hopes aren’t high after reading all these posts. Does anyone have advice on how I can improve her quality of life more and make her facial muscles return? I’ll post pictures I’ve taken all since last Friday and you can see the huge difference. Any advice or help would be great so I can get this under control early







  








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Hina the weim


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Oct 20, 2021




Friday 8am










  








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Hina the weim


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Oct 20, 2021




Friday 230pm










  








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Hina the weim


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Oct 20, 2021




Friday 530pm










  








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Hina the weim


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Oct 20, 2021




Tuesday 72 hours of prednisone










  








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Hina the weim


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Oct 20, 2021




Tuesday 72 hours


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## Dor

goldhaven said:


> If you dog has been diagnosed with MMM, please share your stories here. I am looking for as much information as I can get my hands on. I have been researching both homeopathic and traditional ways to treat this disease.
> My girl Alli was diagnosed about a month ago. When diagnosed, she could only open her mouth about an inch. She was started off with 30 mg of prednisone twice a day along with acupuncture and within a week she was able to open her mouth about 3 1/2 inches. We have been to a veterinary nutritionist and on her advice, Alli is also getting chinese herbs, centrum, selenium, l carnitine, gnc's triple fish oil, and vitamin e. She has been on a raw food diet and upon advice of the nutritionist, we have started adding more white fish and some pureed veggies. She is still only able to open her mouth about 3 1/2 inches.
> If you have a dog that has MMM, please share your story here on the forum to help me and others dealing with this disease. It would be greatly appreciated.
> I have also been researching the lines that it is found in. If you have access to their pedigrees, please PM me with a link to their pedigree.
> I have read that some dogs will have to be on pred for the rest of their lives and some are able to come off of it completely.
> I will keep this thread updated with Alli's progress and hope to read of others experiences as well.
> Thanks in advance for your participation.





3 goldens said:


> I have never heard of this disease and know nothing about it, but I do want to say I am sorry you sweet much loved dogs are going thru this. You are right to avoid any vax if possible. back in April 2002, I took my 2 1/2 year old golden girl in for her annual vax. it was Good Friday and I was the last one and spent some time talking to my vet--we are in a small town and he had come here 5 years earlier and we had gotten to be good friends. But by this time his reputation was fast growing and he even had clients bringing their dogs and cats out from Corpus Christi. So he was busy and we didn't have the time to chat like we had when he first came here.
> 
> Well, hubby and I had planned to go to the Good Friday Service at church, but due to my having yakked with Rickey and then got home and we were hungry, I decided to skip church and started working on supper. Our kitchen and livingroom is partially separated by a bar and I was at the bar mixing salad and I saw KayCee sit down behind the recliner (it's back was to the bar) then get up and run down the hall, head and tail down. She sat down for a few seconds, then ran back and got behind the recliner, She did a repeat and when she returned to the recliner that time I went around to check her and as I reached I could feel the heat. I also saw her eyes were swollen almost shut and it looked like she had pencil erasers under the skin all over her snout.
> 
> Ran and got the thermometer and I I got back and laid her down I could her stomach was one fire endgine red thick hive. Her temp was just under 107, which is lethal. Called me vet, got his answering service and they said they would contact him at once. While waiting we wrapped her in a wet towel and poured cool--not cold--water over the towel. and bathed her feet with alcohol. It seemed forever, but was only a few minutes and our vet's wife called and said he had called her from church and told her to call us and tell us to get KayCee to the hospital , which is only a tick over a mile from our house. Got there and he had injections ready and we stayed until her temp went down to 103. Told me to take it every 15 to 30 minutes and if it started climbing, call him. But it didn't./
> 
> He was pretty sure it was the lepto that caused the reaction. She had never had a problem with any of her ax in the pasty. But he decided to be on the safe side, no more vax except law required rabies and even then he bucked our town law. Texas said rabies vax every 3 years, but leaves it up to each county and city to make their own law and at the time our city was every year. But he only gave her one every 3 years for the rest of her life.
> 
> THEN I made the grave error of switching my much loved Hunter (KayCee's ;littermate and my avatar) from the monthly pill to the 6 month injection, ProHeart6 and it killed him Oct. 2003 at age 4 years, 2 months. Ten moths later the FDA made them pull it because of the high number of deaths and reactions. It was off the market for 4 years being reformulated and is back, but I will never use it.
> 
> So I learned to avoid as much as possible. Dogs here HAVE to have heart guard prevention year round. We have had to put on mosquito spray while duck hunting in Dec. and Jan. So we have n o choice. But I avoid all I can. Our 112 1/2 yer old golden girl had her rabies vax 2 months ago and had a bad seizure just under 48 hours later. No proof it was related, she had had had one once before, a year ago and we don't remember details or anything different at that time except possibly that followed a Bravest tablet.
> 
> you are wise to avoid any vax or drugs that are not 100% necessary. One thing--when one of my goldens had to have a tooth removed and also a mouth tumor at the same time, I pureed his food and he could lap it I did this until he could chew. If you dog has severe trouble eating, this might be a way to get it to get enough nutrition. Good luck with your precious dogs. up


My Golden is now 2 years old snd was diagnosed officially as of September 2020. He was on prednisone snd was weaned off it after about 6 to 8 months. He had a flare up after being totally off prednisone for about 3 months. Back on prednisone again for a month snd gradually weaned off again. He had been fine. I noticed a slime on his stool snd vey said probably from prednisone. It’s gone now and he gets frozen pumpkin on a lick mat. Every day he gets a huge raw carrot after each meal. If he refuses the carrot we are at the vet no later than the next day. I feed him Royal Canin Adult Golden Retriever kibble. I still vaccinate since vet hasn’t mentioned that I shouldn’t. No change in diet had been mentioned. His head shows very little indentation since I got him to the vet very quickly the very first time in early 2020 when he couldn’t open his mouth. I have been advised by a veterinarian Neurologist at UGA to make sure he chews hard chews every day. I buy white knuckle bones when I can get them. I avoid giving these bones too often since they break up and are seen in his stools. Carrots are the best. He’s a large GR but has picked up weight from steroids. I’m currently exercising him to get the weight off. I wish anyone whose dog has this best of luck. It is treatable but we must be hyper vigilant.


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## Kel K

Hina the weim said:


> I have a one year old Weimaraner that we noticed slight swelling in her face about a month ago. When we took her to the vet because we noticed that when we would pet her on her face she would cry out of nowhere the doctor prescribed rimadyl and carprofen indicating she might have a tooth issue. The doctor wasn’t able to look in her mouth because she would cry when we opened it. The meds seemed to work but right about the two week mark before the meds ran out I noticed swelling start to appear on the other side of her face. At 830am, 200pm, and 530pm there is a drastic difference where her face swelled to the point her eye wouldn’t even open. I ended up taking her to the ER last week Friday. And immediately the vet told me he has seen this before diagnosed MMM, perscribed prednisone, and said I needed to follow up with my vet for a blood test. It has only been 4 days with 20mg pred twice a day and the swelling is completely gone but now her face is sunken really bad. I’ve sat here and read every single one of these posts and just get more concerned because I don’t want her face to stay how it is but I know she is feeling better each day on the meds given by the ER. I have an appointment for a blood test this coming week but her face looks to be getting smaller every time I see her and I get more and more concerned. She is eating again her normal raw diet and is extra lovable because she isn’t feeling well. I keep telling myself her face muscles will get better and she will be the happy Weim she was just two weeks ago but my hopes aren’t high after reading all these posts. Does anyone have advice on how I can improve her quality of life more and make her facial muscles return? I’ll post pictures I’ve taken all since last Friday and you can see the huge difference. Any advice or help would be great so I can get this under control early


Has anyone replied? This has happened to my Golden Doodle who just turned one year old.


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## JB13

Hi all,
I’m very sorry to hear what you all are going through, and I can certainly sympathize as my wife and I are now going through it with our 2 year old mini goldendoodle, Lucy. She stopped picking up her tennis ball or doing so gingerly recently (about a month ago), and has showed some pain eating. We were worried about MMM, and the day before the vet appointment we made for her, her face swelled up. I thought it might be a bee sting because I found her in the back yard pawing at a yellow jacket. We took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with inner and outer ear infections, and she was running a fever- we were also given pred in addition to the antibiotics because we had expressed worry about allergies. The vet said she doubted MMM given Lucy’s size, and the rareness of MMM generally- the thought was that the ear infections were bad and making her sick. Within a day the swelling in her face was gone, and within three she was in the backyard and full of energy again. We began weening her off the pred, and boom, a few days later she started to act sick again, the next day her face was swollen. We took her to the vet and were prescribed double the dose of pred and they did the blood test for MMM (awaiting results but vet seems convinced it is MMM). It is now Tuesday and her face/head is extremely swollen and tender, and she is very uncomfortable. One of her eyes is swollen shut. I’m very worried that since she basically went off pred too quick the first time this relapse is going to be hard to subdue and a lot of damage will be done because of the pred. We’re just hoping to see some signs of improvement soon and go from there… in my next post are some pics of Lucy- has anyone seen swelling this bad in their pup’s initial outbreak? Did pred help them recover? I will post updates to hopefully give help for others reading this down the road.. good luck to all.


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## JB13




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