She is at the vet right now, they will sedate and x-ray her trying to figure out what it is. Our first thought was tetanus / lockjaw, but she doesn't seem sick any other way. Even this morning she was playing with the puppies and running around the yard without any other symptoms.
UPDATE: The vet found no answers. They did an x-ray, they gave her some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory, and tested for tetanus. She is too young for it to be arthritis and the x-ray didn't show any sign of that either. They sedated her and tried to pry open her mouth with their hands, no luck. They said just keep giving her an antibiotic and slurried wet food and hope it doesn't get any worse. It doesn't look like a good prognosis for her. Their only guess is some neurological issue, which can't be easily tested for.
We also called the man who sold her to us, wondering if it was genetic. She is a purebreed and purebreeds can have lots of problems. Luckily Mark remembered Pixie's mother's name, 'Telladaga', so we knew it was the same breeder when we called. He has never had a dog with a problem like this.
We also called the man who sold her to us, wondering if it was genetic. She is a purebreed and purebreeds can have lots of problems. Luckily Mark remembered Pixie's mother's name, 'Telladaga', so we knew it was the same breeder when we called. He has never had a dog with a problem like this.
Update 2 years later: Our dog still has a mostly locked jaw. They never could get it any better. She has lost a lot of weight but she learned how to eat through the bit of space she does have -- and does pretty well when the other dogs leave her alone with the dish to herself. My husband still gives her bits of fat and good pieces of meat sometimes to make sure she is getting calories. She seems to be okay with things as they are - plays some, wrestles the puppy some, never exuberantly but at least she isn't always acting like she is in pain. She still tries to bark at the deer and squirrels - but it sounds like somebody has a bag over her nose. We wish luck to all those who have commented with ill pups - hope your story is at least as happy or happier than this one.
Final Update 3 years, 2 months from original posting date: Our girl passed away today - we did as much as we could for her, for so long... She didn't even let us know she was bad off at the end. She was being herself. I think her cheerful 'what now?' attitude was a large part of her surviving this long. Still will wish hope for others who have had this happen to their animals -- take care of the while you can and let them enjoy what they can while they are here.
