Why is my dog's head bony, eyes sunken, and he flinches when touched?

Question

My dog is 8 years old and his skull is really bony and his eyes look sunken in and the actual eye looks weirder than normal and I don’t know if this has anything to do with it but sometimes if you pet him too hard he will kind of twitch like it hurts him but I’m not sure if it’s just old age (but he’s not all that old) or if something is wrong. I know it’s kind of hard to tell In this photo. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 8 years and 7 months old | 59 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

It appears that Hunter is losing his temporal muscles, which is giving that caved-in head appearance. Considering he is also sensitive to the area, I am suscipicious of a condition known as masticatory myositis https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/masticatory-myositis-in-dogs However, this could be due to general muscle wasting. It's expected that some muscle wasting will occur as they age, but if he seems to be losing a lot of muscle, then this could indicate a chronic disease from an infection or cancer. I don't want you to worry about Hunter having a terrible disease, but it's best to have him evaluated by a veterinarian. They will be able to tell if there are any potential major problems and can help narrow-down the cause of this. I hope that helps and Hunter gets better soon.

Why is my dog's head bony, eyes sunken, and he flinches when touched?

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