Masticatory Muscle Myositis Progam

At about 6 months old we took all of our 3 dogs afield for our annual bird hunting trip. Shortly after we returned, Ranger began to feel ill. He began to lose his appetite, was losing energy, and looked like he was often in pain. He began to present with some neurological ‘ticks’ like turning his head down, and to the right side when he yawned. He had a gray/green mucous discharge constantly forming in his eyes. Soon we started noticing his muscle mass deteriorating; particularly throughout his facial and head muscles, but his hips started to lose muscle also. He began to have tremors where he would twitch and wobble even sitting down. At his worst he would barely be able to stand, and could not chew food very well. We started in with veterinarian visits and various lab tests right away but nothing ever showed up as positive. We employed regular vets, chiropractic/acupuncture vets, holistic vets, specialty vet clinics, etc. We also began to study on the internet and searched veterinarian websites earnestly. I actually suspected Ranger perhaps had masticatory muscle myositis (MMM) or the related polymyositis and mentioned it early on during the testing. Eventually after exhausting many test options our vets decided to test for MMM. The test came back positive; above the borderline levels. Our vet told us there was little hope for recovery. Ranger by this time had become quite emaciated and weak. At the advice of both our regular and holistic vet we began a regimen of steroids; prednisolone. We needed to get Ranger’s immune system to stop attacking his musculature and give his body a rest from the constant immune response he’d been dealing with. The prognosis wasn’t very good according to the vets. Ranger may have to live his life on steroids they told us. Unwilling to accept that we again sought treatment advice online; looking for a natural healing remedy. That’s how we found McDowell’s Herbal Treatments I immediately contacted McDowell’s Herbal Treatments with info about Ranger’s condition. They were extremely helpful and suggested a protocol tailored specifically towards MMM. We purchased the tinctures and began a correspondence with them; keeping them updated regarding Ranger’s condition. Even before the tinctures arrived, we began to implement the diet portion of the protocol, adding the suggested supplements to Ranger’s meals. The prednisolone initially was a life changer for Ranger. Within 24 hours he began to improve. His puppy energy levels began to return, his appetite increased, and his pain began to recede. We kept him on the steroid for about 2½ months; working with our holistic vet intending to begin tapering down his dose as his conditions improved. And his conditions did improve! Ranger slowly began to regain his strength. His playfulness and energy returned, the discharge in his eyes stopped, his neurologic ticks disappeared, and his facial and hip musculature began to regrow. We tapered him off the prednisolone slowly; watching for any signs of potential relapse, but saw none. After 2½ months he was off pred entirely. We kept up the correspondence with McDowell’s Herbal Treatments and Ranger stayed on the MMM protocol for about 8 months. We eventually weaned him off the protocol tinctures, but continued the dietary regimen they suggested. Ranger today is vigorous and vibrantly healthy; larger than both his mom and dad. He is amazingly fast and can outpace almost any dog. Contrary to what our standard vet had told us would not happen, Ranger’s damaged musculature actually did return to normal! Our heartfelt thanks go out to all the professionals who helped with Ranger’s recovery and especially to the McDowell’s Herbal Treatments staff!