Masticatory Myositis

Dear Dr Mike, A while ago you answered a question regarding masticatory myopathy from a Rich and Linda. The symptoms they described match exactly those of our 5 year old retriever. Only he has no problems at all eating and exhibits no visible jaw or any other pain. I was wondering what is the long term prognosis and what can we expect??? Also is this a common condition and how is it caused and what are the treatments? Look forward to hearing from you :) !

  • Vetinfo

    By: Kara McCarty El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    Because he isn't exhibiting any pain or difficulty eating it's unlikely that this is Masticatory Myositis. Pain, muscle swelling then atrophy and difficulty eating are hallmarks of this disease. What do his eyes look like? If they appear more prominent it's possible he has Extraocular Myositis. It's most common in Golden Retrievers and is caused by the immune system attacking his extraocular eye muscles. If his eyes don't look any different than he may have Neurogenic Atrophy of his temporal muscles which is caused by loss of nerve stimulation of the muscle with subsequent muscle mass loss. The last possibility is atrophy of his muscles from an endocrine disorder like hypothyroidism or an adrenal gland abnormality.

    Because it's unclear what is causing your dog's symptoms I recommend he see his veterinarian for bloodwork and possibly a muscle biopsy. Once his diagnosis is clear you'll know what kind of treatment he needs and what his prognosis will be. Neurogenic Atrophy and Extraocular Myositis are treated with high doses of steroids and usually respond well if caught early enough. Hypothyroidism is treated with replacement therapy and adrenal gland disease can be treated with replacement therapy for underactive or suppression therapy for overactive adrenal glands.

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