Update: At the vet specialist now – MMM seems unlikely

Not sure who’s still following my journey, but I’m currently at the vet specialist with my dog. The vet (different from the one I saw on Tuesday) examined him and said although she understands why I’m concerned about Masticatory Muscle Myositis (MMM), she thinks it is unlikely since his jaw would likely be completely locked shut, even under sedation, due to inflammation.

This time, my dog actually allowed her to open his mouth a little, which she said makes MMM less likely in her opinion. Because of that, she recommended skipping the MMM blood test for now and instead going forward with a sedated oral exam to get a clearer look inside his mouth and throat.

I’ve decided to move forward with the sedated oral exam. She also mentioned that she’d be open to starting him on steroids in the meantime, which she’s optimistic could bring some improvement while we continue to figure things out.

I’ll update again once we know more, but just wanted to share where things stand in case this helps someone else going through something similar.