Aspergillus spreading and causing dog neurological symptoms?

I have a 3.5yr old male French Bulldog that had a total ear ablation 2 years ago due to having Aspergillus in that ear. They had positive cultures of the fungus after removing his middle ear and they said they may not have gotten it all so it could spread. He has been well and happy the past 2 years but 3 days ago he had this random episode where his neck seizes up, he can slightly move it but he is all hunched, panting and in terrible pain for about 2 hours. He has now had 4 episodes. The vets aren’t really sure what’s going on, but not convinced it’s muscle based. He is on pain relief and anti inflammatories but they don’t stop it from happening. Next steps is MRI, but they are crazy expensive and we want to explore any other testing initially. Any advice, or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Hello!  If I understand this coreectly, then the patient currently has a hunched neck / head to one side, thought to be caused by a muscle injury, where as previously they have had a known Aspergillus infection which (you don't state, but I suspect) may have been thought to cause a head-tilt.  The question that you want your vets to answer is, can they be sure that this is a muscle problem and not a contuation of the Aspergillus-related ear problem?

I'm afraid that I'm out of my depth here, particularly as I can't remember seeing Aspergillosis in a dogs' ear.  It tends to prefer the respiratory system, particularly around the nose or sinuses, although there are anatomical links between the two and I understand from Merick's veterinary Manual that Aspergillosis can become involved in Otitis Externa (external ear disease).  You sound to be looking for a 'yes' or 'no' answer for your dogs' particular case - perhaps this could be insurance-related? - and of course, the best person to provide that information would be the vet in charge, who has examined the dog thus far.  Usually vets like to be asked questions and if they can't answer them, perhaps the further inestigations you mention would be in order.

Hello again!  I have just been on the Facebook site and found pictures of circling and panting in what I trust is the same individual?  Circling is often linked to the neurological system and may suggest that a certain cranial nerve has become involved, but whether this is linked to the previous aspergillosis infection (either directly or because both are secondary to anatomical changes in the area caused by the same thing), might not be obvious.  It's a tricky decision regarding having advanced imaging as it is hard to know in advance how useful the results are going to be.  Good questions for your vets are, What might you find? and Will that change how you treat the case?   I hope that something there is useful.   Wishing you both all the best and please let me know how you get on.