Facial paralysis + prognosis

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Makingamountainoutofmole

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Hello - looking for advice or success stories as I’m drawing bank with a lot of horsey people I know.

I have a 5 year old TB who I’ve turned away for a year to grow up and come down after racing. He has been out for 6 months, but had an accident overnight in the first weekend of August.

Was between 8-8 so we will never really know, but we think he got his head / fly mask stuck on a metal hay feeder. He had quite bad cuts around his cheek / ear which are well healed.

However, he has severe nerve damage. His muzzle is almost “twisted” to the right, the left hand of his muzzle is completely “loose” with a droopy lip so his teeth are showing. He was struggling to eat, but can graze fine. We left him out as nothing seems to be broken.

I *think* it is getting better but very worried it will never be the same! I think he’s had a haematoma as his inside mouth on that s black rather than pink. Poor guy. I also think the swelling has subsided and if anything looks worse now - his head is (gorgeous) and very fine so the floppiness looks crazy bad now! It’s like a walrus when he shakes his head.

he is my hopes and dreams so I’m really upset - come to terms with it a bit now but hoping it will come good with time? It was cold but is now warm, I have long nails and if I pinch it now he does move away so it does have sensation again albeit not as much as normal I’d suspect

Can’t seem to attach images but happy to DM to anyone who knows about this?
 
Did you get the vet when the accident happen? What did they say?
I had a donkey that had bell's palsy once that i did facial exercises with, but she had no blink reflex as well as a lopsided muzzle, combining vet and nhs knowledge she made a full recovery.
 
He is on grass livery with the YM, who has my other on full livery. She texted a video to the vet and he assessed and said nothing was broken. He hadn’t seen anything like it l and advised time.

I am looking into him coming into full livery again now, my gut says he needs some rehab - Google seems to suggest acupuncture might be the way forward. I make sure I’m doing lots of “movement” with it.
 
He was on Bute for 3 weeks. I felt a vet was required but was advised against as he was eating. I adore him and my other horse like my baby, he is my hopes and dreams and I’ve been very upset about it. I feel like a complete idiot now and will get a vet out next week. However, have been repeatedly advised by the YM not to worry and she thinks it will heal in time.
 
Makingamountainoutofmole said:
He was on Bute for 3 weeks. I felt a vet was required but was advised against as he was eating. I adore him and my other horse like my baby, he is my hopes and dreams and I’ve been very upset about it. I feel like a complete idiot now and will get a vet out next week. However, have been repeatedly advised by the YM not to worry and she thinks it will heal in time.
Click to expand...

Can’t seem to edit. I have had horses all my life, as has she. It’s a difficult one as I have both on full livery (albeit grass) and was away for about a month with work and has to trust peoples opinions. She has said it’ll heal, takes a long time with nerve damage and she js usually spot on.

I am viewing yards for him to come in on full livery from the next few weeks as I feel he needs rehab. Plus, very worried he really is going to hurt himself!
 
Sorry just re read - can’t edit! He is eating ok now, hard food and grazing. Was just the first few days as obviously very sore. Would’ve been more stressed to come in. He is always eating, happy eating, happy in himself, It’s just the muzzle that is “floppy”.
 
With the greatest of respect, your horse has apparently received a devastating injury and your YO is not a vet. Always get the vet.

Edit - a yard move may be wise. Who turns a horse out with anything on it’s head if feeding from a metal hay feeder? What person in their right mind would discourage a vet from attending such a serious injury??
 
Unfortunate that he wasn’t seen by a vet, now you have to work with what you’ve got. I’d be getting a really good physio, they’ve got fancy machines which stimulate muscles and will show you exercises to do in between visits.
And look for another yard. Hope he improves ?
 
Ive had one horse with nerve damage and partial paralysis of his bottom lip (he bolted head first into a brick wall and split his lip in half)

it took a heck of a lot of vet intervention, many many drugs and regular vet physio to get him back to something resembling normal, though he always had low muscle tone in his lower lip.

you needed a vet out to see and assess within hours of him doing it to stand the best chance of a full recovery.
As it is you need to get a proper equine vet out ASAP and then follow thier directions to the letter. Its going to cost a fair whack and probably more than it would have if he had been seen straight away.
Any vet that says nothing is broken via video is not one i would trust with my horse.
 
Agree you need a vet out to assess in person first before anything.

I've known a horse who ran into a fence head first and gave herself nerve damage like this. The whole half of her face was affected, couldn't close her eye etc. The owners did a lot of physio and acupuncture and you wouldn't know anything had happened now. However it did take a long time to fully improve and she was very young (2). Best of luck!
 
Not the face, but my TB suffered nerve damage to his tail (assume from assisted GA recovery) 3yrs ago. At first he could not lift his tail at all, it took about 3 months for him to be able to lift it enough to poo without making a mess. He had acupuncture and vit E (nanoE - it's high strength), vets said nerves grow back very slowly. 3yrs on he does carry his tail a bit more now and can lift to swat flies etc, but I don't think he has full sensation back and he still has a dip above the base of his tail. It is probably as good as it will be by now!
 
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