Post surgery has been a bit bumpy for Oakley, though he healed up well from his surgery, no complications at all, after he was released from wearing the cone, I noticed he seemed to be having some reluctance to pick up toys (play fetch) and wasn't really himself. I chalked up to continuing to recover from the surgery and the week long heat wave, (we were all 'melting', doing as little as possible), but once it cooled down he perked right up, bright eyed, energetic, wanting to go for walks and play some. Then I noticed he was having difficulty opening his mouth more than half way, and was chasing but refusing to pick up or carry a lightweight frisbee, couldn't pick up a ball the size of a tennis ball. He was still eating well (crunching his kibble) and drinking fine, no other signs of illness or discomfort.
Knowing he had no issues prior to the surgery, I suspected that perhaps something happened to cause his discomfort, and after a visit to the vet, and much discussion about possible causes, (the vet mentioned muscle strain/sprain due to the intubation procedure, rare but it does happen), among other things, we decided to try the least invasive (and least traumatic for him) potential solution first, and treat for muscle strain/sprain with anti-inflammatories for 5 days. By day 2 on the medication he was able to and wanted to play fetch, pick up and carry a lightweight frisbee (much to my delight!) but (as per the vet) we are continuing with the 5 days of anti-inflammatories, with hopes/goal of resolving the issue completely and life can get back on track.

I have nursed multiple dogs through different surgeries, including dental surgery, and have never had one go through anything like that, nor have I ever had a vet even suggest jaw muscle strain/sprain can happen when a dog goes in for surgery.