I wander if he had an allergic reaction to the painkiller and antibiotic he had the week earlier.My Harvey swelled up in the face and this lasted for about four days.It was very bad but the vet said it was a bad reaction to something what i dont no.Hope you find out what it is soon and hope he has a speedy recovery.

So sorry about Jake,no advice,but wishing you and Jake the best and hope the results from the vets are good news for you.xx

How worrying for you. Sounds like allergic reaction alright. Poor Jake. Get well soon

The poor thing, and what a mystery. Get well soon Jake. Is there any more news?

Hello everyone.
Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and feedback
Appt today is at 12.30pm and I'm pleased to report that Jake does not seem to be any worse, he's just had his dinner and is playing as usual
Last night however he scared the life out of us with a series of snorting noises (about 9 or 10 on the trot) it was as if he couldn't breathe...and he was wide awake. Gonna tel the vet about that today.
Fingers crossed you are all correct and it's simply an allergy that has given him a permanent grin lol !
I'll post later when hopefully we'll have the blood results.
Thanks again everyone, you are such a friendly and thoughtful bunch

Hi everyone.
The great news is that Jake's health is still absolutely fine at the moment - no change, still eating/sleeping/playing well and even his urination is more regular already now he's on antibiotics

The vet said the blood tests did not reveal any alarming abnormalities, and that he is in perfectly good health apart from the weird wasted muscle around his eyes (not contracted nerves after all, but wasted muscle, my bad ) which he said could be related to an under active thyroid. He said it's a real intriguing case, but as Jake's health is not at risk (unless there are any really noticable changes in him in the next 4 wks) then we are to take him back to be tested for an under active thyroid.
Well my mind at last not going around in circles and we know Jake is in safe hands. His prognosis is excellent unless he takes a really bad turn for the worse in the next 4 weeks.

When we go back in 4 wks we'll also ask if Woody, his brother, should also be tested if it is a genetic condition.

Anyways, my partner and I would like to offer you all huge thanks for all your support, encouragement and general lovliness - I'm so glad I found this board. I'm going to hang around here and on the offchance something I know may help others who are as stressed about their pets as I was

I'll also update this in one month after the thyroid results are in, in the hope it'll shed some light for anyone else who may find themselves where we are.

Thanks once more to you all. I'm off now to watch the england match - I am so happy now, all we need to is win the match so I've have the perfect day!

Hi Jake and Woody thank you for the update ..things are sounding better...
I am very puzzled about the 'muscle wastage' this does not happen instantly but comes over a long period of time. Because of the instant nature of the problem I am still more inclined to think the cause was a severe allergic reaction of some kind...even if there was a thyroid problem that would not really account for the sudden change in facial expression without other symptoms , but an allergy would particularly if it was in the form of a sting/substance possibly affecting a nerve .
I will follow Jakes progress with interest ..

Just wanted to offer support and best wishes and hope you find out what the cause was soon.

I am very pleased to read that Jake is in good health otherwise and the vet said his health is not at risk - that must be a huge relief.

What a strange thing to have happened:smt017

Big hugs to Jake and all the best in finding out the problem

Hello, forgive me I haven't read all the thread but my mums dog Sadie (lurcher) gets this kind of thing every year in the summer. The vet has never put a finger on what it is exactly but thinks it is most likely hayfever. It lasts for a few days usually. I understand how worrying it is, we were exactly the same when it first happened. She is otherwise very happy and healthy and is now 8 years old, just something that happens in the summertime.

Hope it's maybe the same thing, looks exactly the same from the pics. Feel free to PM me if you want

Hi,

My Boxer who has since passed away developed something like that when he was about 8. The vet gave it a long name, but kept saying it was MMM. Something with a muscular disorder in the face. Although my Buddy looked as if the muscles in his face were caving in...giving him a very strange expression. I don't know if this helps or not...I really wish I could remember the actual name of the disorder. I know it was neurologic, though.

Good luck with your baby!

Murf's Mom

Murphy - fawn male - boxer 5/11/04
Buddy - Mama's boy- boxer 5/31/93-11/24/03...