# Tilting head when yawning....



## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

We have two/1 year old pups. They are the light of our life! They go and do everything we do, including eating at outdoor restaurants, frozen yogurt places and shopping. My kids never want to be without them. Hiking, swimming, day trips to antique, beach, drive in movies, carline, grocery store, lowes, pet stores, lakes, any woods we decide to hike or walk through, eating establishments all over town, parks, agility centers, play dates, and Millie's therapy work visiting hospitals cheering up the sick. 

Our female Millie, loves to grab sticks and run from miles (her fur brother)....I noticed the next day she was having a hard time yawning, the following day she could not yawn or chew without tilting her head. She could not open her mouth very much and we had to soften her food so she would not whine. We took her to the vet, they did not want to hurt her, and did not want to put her under unless absolutely needed....so they gave her strong antibiotics, and a steroid to help with the swelling and pain. The vet spoke to a specialist (this vet goes above and beyond)....and he felt it was an injury, that caused an abscess....Millie's symptoms very much sounded like what the diagnoses would match. After her first dose of meds she was communicating she wanted a treat, and was opening her mouth a little wider....by day 3 she was completely back to her old self...she was snatching toys to get miles to chase her...her favorite game with her fur brother...over the last two days....when she yawns she is tilting her head again!!! While she was recovering last time, we saw the vet 6 times just to make sure she was chewing properly and that the swelling was going down like it should. So we have no problem taking her back! I just would like to know if anyone else has experienced this??? My kids are so upset and afraid she will get sick again. 
There is no swelling, no marks in her mouth or around the gums. She is eating normally, Orijen puppy formula, grain free and wonderful reviews. They love the food, their coats are so soft, silky and smooth, they barely shed....and she never has had a reaction to the food before, she has been on it since she was 2 months old...! She still has ALL of her energy to play and harass her brother. They tested for yeast In the ears, they were spotless, so no infections. 
The only symptoms....she will slowly grab her chuck it balls, and when she yawn...her head tilts to one side! 
Someone told us we take them to many places she could have gotten some weird Bactria or injury...that dogs should not have to go everywhere their people go. Guess that is more my girls, but the dogs never turn down the chance to get in the car. Very worried parents....she has an appointment Monday if she is not better or it gets worse, I would just like to know what topics to discuss to find a solution! This is the first time she has be hurt or sick and we are so worried. If anyone has any ideas or has seen injuries like this please let us know which direction to lead the vet in....or should I skip the normal vet and go straight to the specialist? 


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

never had this problem, but if this were a human, i would almost think a partial dislocation of the lower jaw occurred. i would start with your reg vet.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

she may have had some trauma to the area - like the stick being jammed or the other dog whizzing by and whacking the stick while she was holding it causing her neck to torque , so a muscle strain on one side . She may have had an abscess . Chances are she is sore .

Traumeel is a good safe remedy to have on hand Traumeel Home

I had a dog that had a big bruise on his face when two dogs ran through a wooded area and he hit a poorly sawed off branch that stuck out too much from the trunk of a tree . He is totally fine . 

which reminds me , maybe a cold compress on the area that is favoured.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

Second Traumeel.

While on subject of homeopathy...it's possible there is a splinter lodged deeper down in the throat. 
To expel foreign objects, the homeopathic Silicea in 6C dose 4x a day for two weeks. 
You may want to look for drops rather than little pills, Squirt under the tongue and give away from food and water (by about 15mins.)


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

huntergreen said:


> never had this problem, but if this were a human, i would almost think a partial dislocation of the lower jaw occurred. i would start with your reg vet.


Thank you for the idea...they did check her jaw...no dislocation. So we are good there! I will stick with the regular vet for now! Thanks for your advice. 


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

carmspack said:


> she may have had some trauma to the area - like the stick being jammed or the other dog whizzing by and whacking the stick while she was holding it causing her neck to torque , so a muscle strain on one side . She may have had an abscess . Chances are she is sore .
> 
> Traumeel is a good safe remedy to have on hand Traumeel Home
> 
> ...


Thank you! I will definitely try that....the tilting is always to the same side....so it seems that will be a good start for the cold compress.... 



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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

GatorBytes said:


> Second Traumeel.
> 
> While on subject of homeopathy...it's possible there is a splinter lodged deeper down in the throat.
> To expel foreign objects, the homeopathic Silicea in 6C dose 4x a day for two weeks.
> You may want to look for drops rather than little pills, Squirt under the tongue and give away from food and water (by about 15mins.)


Do you have to order that? I will start the search....we are so worried about her. Thank you for taking the time to offer your advice! 


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

carmspack said:


> she may have had some trauma to the area - like the stick being jammed or the other dog whizzing by and whacking the stick while she was holding it causing her neck to torque , so a muscle strain on one side . She may have had an abscess . Chances are she is sore .
> 
> Traumeel is a good safe remedy to have on hand Traumeel Home
> 
> ...


One more question! How long did it take for your dog to feel better? 
Thank you so much for your advice! 


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

the swelling did not show up till a few days later --- I would say back to normal about 10 days . Up to that point he was delicate with himself when eating his raw chicken frames , that was my first signal to watch . Instead of grabbing , crunching like some dinosaur , he would lay down and tear bits with frontal teeth. Swelling was external -- . He was stiff with his head carriage , now back to being the careless fool charging into things like normal.


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

carmspack said:


> the swelling did not show up till a few days later --- I would say back to normal about 10 days . Up to that point he was delicate with himself when eating his raw chicken frames , that was my first signal to watch . Instead of grabbing , crunching like some dinosaur , he would lay down and tear bits with frontal teeth. Swelling was external -- . He was stiff with his head carriage , now back to being the careless fool charging into things like normal.


THANK YOU!!! That makes me feel better! I will try what you suggested and see if that helps her. I hope she does not have anything splintered off. I never thought about that...
Thank you again for your time....glad to hear your furbaby recovered and is back to normal. 


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

GatorBytes said:


> Second Traumeel.
> 
> While on subject of homeopathy...it's possible there is a splinter lodged deeper down in the throat.
> To expel foreign objects, the homeopathic Silicea in 6C dose 4x a day for two weeks.
> You may want to look for drops rather than little pills, Squirt under the tongue and give away from food and water (by about 15mins.)


Does the does change for weight? 
Do I give 15 mins before food or after? 

I emailed Millie's vet, she has never used this product so she would not know dose...but supports natural remedies....

Thank you.... In advance!!!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I wonder if it could be Masticatory Muscle Myositis. We have a board member whose SAR dog developed this disease, and as far as I know is back to normal with medication. 

Masticatory Muscle Myositis


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

Castlemaid said:


> I wonder if it could be Masticatory Muscle Myositis. We have a board member whose SAR dog developed this disease, and as far as I know is back to normal with medication.
> 
> Masticatory Muscle Myositis


The specialist that the vet called mentioned this but due to the fact she was wonderful one night and the next day having issues felt it was more likely injury. I guess with it starting again...it really maybe something to consider. 
I am not sure what Millie will do if she is never able to open her mouth to grab a soccer ball again....:-( That is her addiction....so worried....but know our vet adores her and will work to find out what is wrong with her....


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

mcdanfam said:


> Does the does change for weight?
> Do I give 15 mins before food or after?
> 
> I emailed Millie's vet, she has never used this product so she would not know dose...but supports natural remedies....
> ...


 Weight doesn't matter. You can give any time
just don't follow up with a treat to wash it down for instance. doesn't need to have near meals, probably better to give a good timeline away from food as food uses energy, and homeopathy is energy based healing...you don't have to space out the way you would a pharmaceutical, i.e. every 6 or 8 hrs. or so. If you give at 8am and again at 10, then not again til 6, that's fine too....that's what's great about homeopathy...if it doesn't work, no harm was done and can be used with conventional medicine.


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

GatorBytes said:


> Weight doesn't matter. You can give any time
> just don't follow up with a treat to wash it down for instance. doesn't need to have near meals, probably better to give a good timeline away from food as food uses energy, and homeopathy is energy based healing...you don't have to space out the way you would a pharmaceutical, i.e. every 6 or 8 hrs. or so. If you give at 8am and again at 10, then not again til 6, that's fine too....that's what's great about homeopathy...if it doesn't work, no harm was done and can be used with conventional medicine.


Okay....thank you....will see if I see a difference before her appointment... On Tuesday....I did not want to give her the wrong dose....thanks for getting back to me....! 


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

Update......!!! 

Called the vet, she cleared the meds suggested for Millie....and said if she was still tilting her head we could try it. Maybe Avoid another round of the steroids.....so last weekend we started her on the things suggested! Monday afternoon, she was catching and snatching her chuck it balls from the air!!! Bulling her brother again, stealing his toys and treats! It has been happy days again! We have our pre injured Millie back!!! I don't think she learned her lesson as if yesterday, my daughter had to grab a stick to avoid her playing "chase me with a stick at full speed around other trees"....with her brother! So happy she is back on track! Thank you all for the suggestions and help!!! 
Hopefully this will be it and we will not have to worry about this for a while....but knowing she is a bit nosey and adventurous....always jumps before looking....it maybe sooner than we want it to be! 
Again.....thank you all!!!


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

Castlemaid said:


> I wonder if it could be Masticatory Muscle Myositis. We have a board member whose SAR dog developed this disease, and as far as I know is back to normal with medication.
> 
> Masticatory Muscle Myositis


Knowing people who's dog have this....did their dog recover and get sick again....? I guess what I am trying to ask, did they look like they were better and than feel bad again? Just wondering if we should have this blood test just to be on the side of caution??? Is it a simple test???


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

HOORAY !!! -- so happy for you . 
Homeopathy works .


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

Back at the school playground/basketball courts and in full action mode! I agree! Homeopathy worked! )) 










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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

glad things are back to normal!


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

Thank you!!! We are so happy!!!


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## TerryAbi (Oct 8, 2014)

Hello, what was the result of the head tilt?


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## mcdanfam (Aug 27, 2013)

About two months after she got better...she started having trouble again. The vet referred her to a specialist...they did catscan, biopsy, and X-rays...she did get diagnosed with MMM...we have just hit our 6 month mark on the steroid and are starting to switch the dose to 15mg every other day...so far she seems okay...I will keep you up to date...I think that she will make a full recovery....fingers crossed! Thank you for checking on her! It has been a very scary summer...haven't been on here in such a long time...


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## Danig (Apr 14, 2020)

mcdanfam said:


> Update......!!!
> 
> Called the vet, she cleared the meds suggested for Millie....and said if she was still tilting her head we could try it. Maybe Avoid another round of the steroids.....so last weekend we started her on the things suggested! Monday afternoon, she was catching and snatching her chuck it balls from the air!!! Bulling her brother again, stealing his toys and treats! It has been happy days again! We have our pre injured Millie back!!! I don't think she learned her lesson as if yesterday, my daughter had to grab a stick to avoid her playing "chase me with a stick at full speed around other trees"....with her brother! So happy she is back on track! Thank you all for the suggestions and help!!!
> Hopefully this will be it and we will not have to worry about this for a while....but knowing she is a bit nosey and adventurous....always jumps before looking....it maybe sooner than we want it to be!
> ...


Hello! I noticed my dog tilting when yawning, may I ask what helped your dog? Thanks


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