Post Anesthetic Myositis in Dogs

Anesthetic is commonly used by surgeons to induce unconsciousness to operate on them. Some dogs react badly to anesthetic, and this reaction can manifest itself in a number of ways. Sometimes a dog's breathing may begin to slow, or their blood pressure may drop while under anesthetic. After having been under anesthetic, some dogs may experience myositis in the muscles.

  1. Myositis

    • Myositis is an inflammation of the muscle. Sometimes myositis can be brought on as a side effect of a drug, such as an anesthetic. Myositis in dogs occurs most commonly in the masticatory muscles, the muscles that control movement in the mouth, but can occur in any muscle.

    Symptoms

    • Myositis can cause the muscles to swell or shrink, and your dog may appear to be experiencing pain in the affected muscle. The affected area may appear weak and your dog may appear to tire easily. If the myositis is in the jaw, your dog may seem to have difficulty swallowing.

    Treatment

    • Myositis is generally treated with prescribed immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroids. Treatment is intended to ease and get rid of the symptoms of myositis, and to attempt to prevent the disorder from occurring again. For this reason, your dog may need to be treated for far longer than the symptoms last.

    Esophagus

    • In some cases, myositis can affect the esophagus, in which case your dog may have difficulty swallowing and may begin to regurgitate undigested food and mucus. A malfunctioning esophagus is a serious problem and needs to be treated immediately. This treatment will likely include nutritional support, as your dog may not be able to swallow food.

    Considerations

    • If your dog exhibits any of the symptoms of myositis after having been put under anesthetic, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. It is especially serious if your dog regurgitates food, as it may indicate a different, more serious reaction to the anesthetic that may require different treatment. Myositis can damage the affected muscle quite badly, and should be seen to as quickly as possible.