carlotta

Hi, I am new to forums so I hope I will be clear enough. Carlotta (a two-year old basset) has been with us for 9 months. Last night she was sleeping on my lap on the floor, when all of a sudden she jumped up whining. We discovered her lower jaw was stuck open. We immediately went to the vet (luckily they have a night emergency call) and the jaw was put back in its place after having to anesthetise the dog. Carlotta now has to wear a muzzle to avoid yawning or biting things.
The point is we do not know for how long. The vet said it could be dysplasia of the temporomandibular joint, but they have no experience with such disorders. They have enquired at other vet studies out of town who suggested possible surgery. We have asked the kennel which we trust and they had heard of a single case that was solved thanks to keeping the muzzle for three weeks.
Do you have any suggestion? Thanks in advance from Italy

Houndsong

I've never seen it or heard of it, but someone here will have some information about it. I suppose the dog can eat a regular diet?

carlotta

Yes, but the vets suggested we give her only "very soft" food, to avoid the strain of chewing too much or too hard. She has not lost her appetite. It's heartbreaking seeing those eyes above the muzzle... When we take it off it's a totally different dog, playful, cheerrful and everything.

murraysmom

I've never heard of this, hopefully someone on the forum will see this who has informtion.

The only suggestion I have is to try to find someone in your area who has some expertise in this. In the US, there are vet teaching hospitals (University of Pennsylvania for example) which can often help in difficult cases when the local vets are stumped.

At any rate, I'll be interested to hear the outcome of this- please let us know how she progresses-

Yogi's Mom

I have never heard of this either. I just wanted to say that I hope everything works out for Carlotta and I hope that you will let us know how she is doing.

Dean

We had a young male with this problem -- the vet thought he might have tried to grab somebody as they ran past or some other form of physical trauma--he wore a muzzle for several months to let the muscles repair. It happened afew times after that, and the vet was able to get the joint back in place without putting him to sleep. A friend in GA wanted a pet and was willing to put up with his problem -- he became a totally spoiled pet and lived for many years. His momma learned how to get the jaw back in place and he would come to her when it popped out.

carlotta

Thank you for your messages and information.
We took her to a specialised orthopeadic vet on Friday. He said he had had a dog like that a few years ago and that we have to live with the problem. He taught us how to kind of massage the jaw if it happens again. Eventually the dogs themselves learn how to put the jaw back in place or avoid making the movements that might cause the problem. He suggested to quit the muzzle in order for the biting and chewing muscles to strengthen (they are obvioulsly very weak now) thus supporting the loose joint.
If she gets arthritis when she is older (it might happen), then surgery will have to be considered.
Carlotta is sooo happy she is not wearing the muzzle anymore and we are too!
I will keep you posted on the developments. Thanks again for the messages.

Barbara Winters

I know of a basset bitch that it happened to twice. I believe they referred to it as a wry mouth or jaw. Initally her jaw had to be set and wired but don't think she had any addiltional problems after the second time, when it popped back in on its own. A dog with this defect shouldn't be bred.

Hope your pup has no further problems with this.