[pwynnnorman]

My beautiful, beautiful Cooper was gelded yesterday. The vet left before he even woke up and when he finally got to his feet, the lower right side of his face was PARALIZED!! His entire lower lip is drooping down three inches and his upper lip is fixed in a sideways "sneer". He can get food in, but a lot just falls onto the ground. He seems to chew OK, but I'm worried about him biting his lip and not knowing it! The vet was scheduled to come back today, but got injured and was supposed to have someone come in his place but they never came and never called. I just moved here and cannot believe what has happened! The clinic was closed by the time I decided I wasn't going to get a call back and now it's the weekend. I'm going to call them tomorrow, although the vet who gelded him I know will be out of town for two weeks.

Does ANYONE have any experience with this? Can someone please tell me he'll get better!!!!!

[goeslikestink]

get another vet asap sod them its emergency an thats disgusting that hes so called gone off and left you then says hes injuryed in some way
very odd

CALL ANOTHER VET EMERGENCY SERVICES NOW ---

[goeslikestink]

dont leave him over the week end get anoter vet its not normal

[Instant Karma]

My only experience with this is as follows:

Pony foundered VERY badly, for a couple of days was down and when she was finally up again her face was paralyzed on one side.

As disturbing as it was to see, the vet assured us that with time she would be fine. A couple weeks later she was back to her beautiful self again She was still in bad shape foot wise, but her face was normal.

Hopefully it will be the same with your boy! Keep us posted.

[KellyS]

Our pinto pony had a similar thing happened--we came in the barn one morning and he had a huge hematoma over his eye and the whole right side of his face was paralyzed. Long story short, the vet was certain there was some particle in the hematoma because is drained for a long time, but we never found anything. The hematoma eventually went down, but it took about 6 months for his face to return to normal. After that he looked perfectly fine.

We found that soaking his pellets and hay helped him eat and we continued to drive him once the bridle/blinkers didn't interfere with the hematoma. He actually looked much better with a bridle on - it pulled up the right side of his lips so they looked normal.

Jingles to your boy!

[pwynnnorman]

One way or another, I'll get someone to look at him tomorrow. I live less than 1/2 mile from a vet who I know will be available. Why is it always the PRETTY ones???

[Flying Hearts]

Years ago I had a horse with EPM - he recovered, but had facial nerve damage - his lip was "twisty" (off to the side). They said he would never return to normal, but slooowly, over a couple of years, he became 100% normal again.

[Marsha]

I have a 5yo mare that is paralized on the side of her face, caused by a kick. She has no motion on her left ear all the way down to her nostril, she also appears to have a sideways "snear."
Vet said that if accupuncture had been performmed at the time of the injury, her appearance would have/ may have been improved. I got the horse over 18 months after the injury, so no proactive treatment was done. She performs great however, and is a lesson horse for kids. Also noteworthy: part of her tounge was amputated as it had no feeling/use as well. Something you may want to check for.
She turned out to be a great horse.
I am wishing for yours to return to normal as others had mentioned!!

[drifter05]

I am pretty sure your horse will be back to normal soon. But, IMO your vet was very unprofessional by leaving before your horse had woken up. My vets have always waited around and made sure the horse is fine and up and walking and eating. I would be fuming!!

[Zoomer]

Iatrogenic (caused by the vet) facial nerve damage and no follow up? I'd certainly get a new vet asap, and send the bill to the old vet (with any needed legal action)
I've been told in several of my classes to be VERY careful not to cause facial nerve paralysis during castration and other procedures. Your vet seems to have missed that point, and isn't too concerned either...

[Lookout]

I hope you don't mind if I ask, how can castration affect a nerve in the face?
When the immediate emergency is over you might want to try homeoopathic Hypericum 100C to help heal the nerve, or speak to someone knowledgeable about it.

[shawneeAcres]

I suspect he will befine and it will reverse itself with some time BUT I would REALLY go after the vet. Not so much because of the nerve, it happens sometimes, but becuase I would NEVER put up with a vet that did not wait for the horse to come out of anesthesia and return to their feet!!!! The is TOTALLY malpractice in my opinion, I would tell him/her they are up for a LAWSUIT!

[bludejavu]

Don't pay your vet bill - that vet wasn't worth it. It might have been some sort of strange reaction to whatever anesthetic drug your horse was given, BUT he absolutely should have been there until your horse stood up and walked, although it isn't unusual for them to leave before the drugs wear off completely. And with a reaction as significant as that, someone should have seen him ASAP.

I will say that I had a horse suffer an accident several years back in his stall where he caught a hind foot in a cribbing muzzle halter. To make a very painful long story short, one of his injuries was severe nerve damage to his nose where it was twisted totally sideways. He had difficulty eating and we had to soak his food until it was mush. My vet and the local vet university assured me he would recover with time. They were right - within 6 months, I was the only one who could tell his nose had ever been twisted. Within a year, it was gone completely.

[Ghazzu]

My beautiful, beautiful Cooper was gelded yesterday. The vet left before he even woke up and when he finally got to his feet, the lower right side of his face was PARALIZED!! His entire lower lip is drooping down three inches and his upper lip is fixed in a sideways "sneer". He can get food in, but a lot just falls onto the ground. He seems to chew OK, but I'm worried about him biting his lip and not knowing it! The vet was scheduled to come back today, but got injured and was supposed to have someone come in his place but they never came and never called. I just moved here and cannot believe what has happened! The clinic was closed by the time I decided I wasn't going to get a call back and now it's the weekend. I'm going to call them tomorrow, although the vet who gelded him I know will be out of town for two weeks.

Does ANYONE have any experience with this? Can someone please tell me he'll get better!!!!!

I'll hazard a guess that either the halter was not removed while the horse was down, or that the head was not padded at all?

Pressure on the facial nerve can cause paralysis of this sort.
The good news is that it usually resolves in short order.

and I'm with the group that finds it odd that the vet left beofre the horse was up

[luv2jump]

Facial nerve paralysis in this case probably came from the pressure of the colt laying on that side of his face for a prolonged period of time with out adequate padding and the halter still on its head. Halter lays right on facial nerve and may cause temporary paralysis due to excessive pressure ( laying on that side).Most resolve in a short (few days) period of time. How long was he down for??
I'd be pissed at the vet too for leaving before the colt stood and especially for not coming back out to check on him once a problem was noted.. !!!!!
Luv2Jump

[Barnfairy]

One of my boys aquired that punch-drunk boxer look during the gelding procedure. I was told it was a result of constant pressure on his face while he was out. I don't know if he was leaning into the ring on his halter, or if someone was kneeling on his face -- he came into my possession a few weeks after being gelded so I wasn't there when it happened.

He was back to normal in a few months. I think it bothered me more than it bothered him.

Availability is a high priority in my choice of vet clinic. Pagers, answering services, cell phones, back-up vets on call...they have the technology to be there (in person or on the phone) when I need them.

[Carol Ames]

I worked on such a horse once, lovely big tb childrems; hunter had be "shanked " on I used a softidt klaser , and TTOUCHHorse ws able to close, andreopenhis ye,after . I'd ggive it a try.It's hard enough dealing with as a human, can't imagine asa horse. I'm surethr ar ttOUCHVoractitioner inyourrea who could teacgh you If youhavedeifficulty findin one trythe national ifficel

[goeslikestink]

yeap i would go for law suit -- as to me to walk off and not wait for the baby to come round is a no no

[phoebetrainer]

I had a mare who had an operation as a foal and ended up with facial nerve paralysis. The face did come right in the end - but in actual fact, I think she just grew into slack face. Once she was older and under saddle, she ended up being a roarer. The vet who did the scope asked me if she had ever had an anesthetic. One of her laryngial (sp) flaps was completely paralysed. I was told that this can happen if the aneasthetic is administered carelessly (especially in a small foal) and the needle or some of the anesthetic touches the nerve.

When I confirmed that she had had an anaesthetic as a foal, the vet immediatly asked me if she had had a paralysed face afterwards!! I had the mare operated on and she went on to event well, but you really don't want something like that to happen as a result of "carelessness".

[maxxtrot]

i work for a vet here in town. we leave if the owners feel in control of being with the horse as it gets up, if not we stay. also we tell them to be there the whole time, not to leave said horse unattended. i have seen this in other horses happen when gelding. it always seems that someone or something was pressing on the neck and head when this happened.do not go the weekend without calling someone as this can be permenant! also try an acc/chiro, that seemed to help the ones i have seen. i have the # of the best guy in the ocala area, just pm me for his info. dr.greg fowler.
as for not paying the vet bill, not the right thing to do, stuff like this happens, would you not pay your vet bill if said horse was in surgery and died? you need to talk to the vet/clinic about what happened. no procedure is 100% guarenteed, people make mistakes. but give them a chance to fix it before you go and get yourself all worked up. this can be fixed, just need to get on it asap. the longer you wait, the longer it will take to fix. this happens more than you think. maybe horses head was tilted or not laid down properly,we never take the halters off, put a towel over eye that is up and make sure the head is not at a bad angle, also nobodys sits or puts any pressure on the neck or head. i hope you can get this worked out this weekend, and don't worry yourself to death. just get on the phone and talk to said clinic and please try to get in touch with dr.fowler.