A poor dog with his jaw stuck open is on the mend thanks to rescuers. Stray Rescue of St. Louis saw a video of the hound dog named Dob and knew they needed to help him immediately. “We personally haven’t seen anything like this before and know this dog must be in so much pain,” they wrote.
Dob was down in rural Missouri and needed to be transported to their shelter in St. Louis. Dob couldn’t close his mouth at all, which made eating and drinking a challenge. They wrote, “He couldn’t close his mouth at all, leading to a lot of pain. He couldn’t relax, and eating/drinking was quite difficult.”
As soon as Dob arrived, they immediately gave him a dental X-ray. They discovered his jaw wasn’t broken but dislocated. Worried about a possible abscess, they scheduled a CT scan for him. After the evaluation Stray Rescue said, “This guy has a lot going on, WOW.” Dob’s dislocated jaw was caused by some blunt force that hit him “really hard in the lower part of his jaw (the ramus).” Fortunately, Dob was sedated and the ramus was “popped back into place.”
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Unfortunately, after putting the bone back into place, Dob’s right eye started to bulge due to swelling behind the eye. “Having his jaw out of place for so long caused the soft tissue to thicken and swell behind his eye,” they explained. “Because the thickened soft tissue formed a knot that bulged his eye, it needed to be sutured shut (temporarily) so it won’t ulcerate and will stay lubricated. The optic nerve is fine, so he shouldn’t have any eyesight issues at all when he is healed.”
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Poor Dob! His jaw has been dislocated for so long his muscles have to be “retrained” to stay in place, and, as “barking, yawning, or otherwise widely opening his mouth could cause his jaw to dislocate again,” he’ll have the soft muzzle for six weeks. Thankfully, he can still eat and drink, but it just has to be soupy food.
“This is something we have never seen before, and we are so thankful we can help him,” Stray Rescue wrote. They revealed, “He’s 5 years old and a real sweetheart.” That sweetness was on full display recently when Stray Rescue got to visit the St. Louis Wheel for Dog Day.
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Despite his restricted vision and restricted jaw, Dob enjoyed his day out. Stray Rescue said, “He hopped right up in the seat and wanted to meet everyone. He is such a delightful boy and an absolutely wonderful patient.”
Visit Stray Rescue of St. Louis to find out more about how you can support this wonderful rescue organization.
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