Disease Description: A decrease or cessation of function of the facial nerve leading to a drooping of the affected side of the face.

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Disease Symptom: Here are some of the symptoms you would likely notice to some degree in your pet if a unilateral paresis or paralysis is present: Inability to move the eyelids causing problems in the blinking process or to close normally; Ear set or carriage may appear higher or lower on one side than the other side; Lips may droop or sag, exposing the mucosa and allowing food and drinks to leak or fall out of your pet’s mouth; Nostrils may not be symmetrical in that one nostril may deviate toward one side or the other; The palpebral fissure (the eye opening) may be larger on one side than the other ;If the lateral or medial (nasal or temporal) corners of the palpebral fissure are touched, the eyelid may not close but the eyeball will likely retract into the orbit instead, due to the lack of mobility of the frontalis muscle in the upper eyelid; The third eyelid may even elevate in some instances If the lips are drooping, you will likely notice food caught between the lips and teeth of your pet;Reduced salivation or tearing on one side.

Disease Cause: Here are some of the causes to look for: Idiopathic facial nerve paresis basically means there really is no known cause for its sudden onset; it could be compared to a human condition known as Bell’s Palsy; Otitis media/interna is a chronic, deep ear infection; if you’re aware of Horner’s Syndrome in humans, then you may also see symptoms like decreased pupil size, third eyelid coming over eye, head tilted to one side or the other, and a problem with maintaining balance; It is rare that facial nerve paresis in dogs is linked to diseases that affect multiple nerves or brain disease; Trauma or rough handling is another cause of facial nerve paresis, this can come in the form of some type of accident, or rough playing or even abuse.

Disease Diagnose: A physical examination of the dog will need to be performed to determine which muscles and areas of the face are being affected and if the paresis or paralysis is limited to only one side or if it involves the whole face of your pet.Since deep ear infections are a common cause, the veterinarian will need to do a thorough ear examination using a scope to look at the ear canals and ear drums to ascertain any abnormalities. He will be looking for signs of a ruptured ear drum or inflammation of the ear canal. This may need to be done under anesthesia or some sort of sedation. Specialized imaging like x-rays of the skull, CT scans and MRI of the rear part of the brain are also used to determine if there are any suspicious lesions or swelling that could be causing the facial paresis or paralysis.Your veterinarian will need information from you like when did you notice the paresis, paralysis, drooling and other symptoms noted above.

Treat Method: Once your veterinarian has performed the testing to obtain a diagnosis, even if it is a preliminary one, he will need to re-evaluate your pet periodically to assess adequacy of treatment, if any, as well as how the condition is progressing, whether worsening or improving. There will likely be several follow up appointments needed depending on how your pet responds to treatment and the severity of the paresis or paralysis. If an ear infection is determined as the cause, then he or she would need to treat that with a regimen of antibiotics that could be required for 4 to 6 weeks. If your pet doesn’t respond to treatment, a recommendation for surgical draining of the ear could be proposed. If the cause of the facial paresis or paralysis is determined to be idiopathic (no known cause found), then no treatment will likely be initiated.

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