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Facial Paralysis
I have a 91/2 year old Mixed breed 85 lb dog who has developed a facial
paralysis. I first noticed only a droopy jowl (which he has had before and it cleared up). I thought he may have an infection in his mouth because he DID have a lip cut and there was some swelling. He was on antibiotics for another reason and the swelling in his mouth went away. The droopy jowl continued and I noticed that when he ran the ear on the same side would just bounce around. I took him to the vet where we discovered he also has a problem closing his eyelid. This is not evident if you don't blow in his face. He is walking straight, running and generally his 91/2 year old self. The vet felt like it was a "peripheral" problem probably caused by a trauma. I can't rule out trauma because our 52 lb hound mix likes to charge him and "butt" his jaw with her nose. He is low thyroid, and I read where facial paralysis can be caused by low thyroid, so now I'm wondering if his condition has fluctuated and his dosage of thyroid medication is too low. I am going to have a conversation with the vet next week about additional blood work even though he recently had a bunch of bloodwork done with his last vet visit. The vet prescribed artificial tears ointment 4 times a day, but said his eye looked very moist given the paralysis. My questions a does anyone have any experience with this condition? Can it reverse? Am I doing the right things? I need to add that this dog is a HORRIBLE patient. (The vet has to treat/examine him in a field by the clinic because he goes into severe stress colitis (lovely) when he goes to the vet.) Any suggestions would be appreciated, To respond directly, please remove "nospamatall" |
#2
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Check over at alt.med.veterinary for more help.
Whether it will clear up depends on the cause... and there are a goodly number of potential causes. Jo Wolf Martinez, Georgia |
#3
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It could be Bell's Palsy; people get it, along with animals. If he's walking
OK; not in circles or falling over or anything unusual to suggest a stroke or other brain inflammation, I'd check into it. |
#4
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"Candi Bowen" wrote in message news It could be Bell's Palsy; people get it, along with animals. If he's walking OK; not in circles or falling over or anything unusual to suggest a stroke or other brain inflammation, I'd check into it. Thanks for the advice. He IS NOT walking in circles or anything like that. He has a little bit of trouble when he first steps out into the sunlight in the morning, however, he cannot completely close his eyelid and he is 9 1/2 years old with hip dysplasia. I have had to chase him down twice while he was running to go bark at the horses that live behind us. He is eating well, however, he is a little picky (this is not unusual). He is very much himself and I am massaging the side of his face and his ear (he loves that). I did ask the vet specifically about Bell's Palsy and he said there WERE *big word* conditions that dogs get. He was very clear that he really did not feel it was a tumor or a "central neurological" problem. I have been going to this vet for about 25 years and if he is worried, he always paints a worst case scenario for me. He said that as a medical professional a he had to say that a tumor could be possible, however, he was relatively certain after examining Waylon that it was "peripheral" due to trauma. (Maybe one of the horses kicked our fence and caught him in the head while we were on vacation - all this started RIGHT after we returned. The house/dog sitter had nothing like that to report, however, they are hard to watch all the time) Thanks, again |
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