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  Discussion on Facial Paralysis
Author Message
Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Thursday, Aug 12, 2004 - 5:48 pm:

Hello All,
My mustang gelding has a noticeably crooked upper lip in that it twists to the left. I bought him a little less than a year ago and he had a slight deviation of the upper lip but now it's becoming more pronounced. I pointed it out to the vet and he said it looked like he had mild paralysis of the area. I have also noticed that when exercising the right nostril doesn't flare like the left. I'm also now seeing muscle atrophy in the right side just above the nostril. If he develops full paralysis of the right side of the nose, will he be unable to do any strenuous work where he's huffing and puffing or can horses live full productive lives just using one side of the nose? I ride trails exclusively and much of it is in the mountains where there's a lot of climbing. Is this in the cards for him? I would hate to give him up as he's turning out to be a heck of a great trail horse.

I know without examining the horse it's hard to tell what the outcome will be but if you've had experience with this type of issue, I'd like to hear about it. Thanks a lot.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Aug 13, 2004 - 9:14 am:

Hello Holly,
this is a common injury because the nerve to the muscles of the lower face travel superficially over that bony prominence on the side of the face. Often the nerve is injured and recovers but if after a years time there is no improvement the paralysis is probably permanant. I have seen horses do well even with complete paralysis: the nostril is held open by cartilage.
DrO
Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Friday, Aug 13, 2004 - 10:38 am:

Thanks Doc. I feel much better now. I gave him a full "nose exam" last night and checked the amount he exhaled from that side when I had my hand against the other. The right side exhalation was a little less than the left but not a lot to cause concern.

What would cause the paralysis? A good blow to the nose? He may have gotten kicked in the holding pen at the adoptions is my thinking. The people I bought him from had him just long enough to get him titled then put him up for sale.

As an aside, does anyone know of any upcoming Mustang shows in the PNW? I know there's some in Oregon but I'm mostly interested in any in Washington. Thanks!
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Friday, Aug 13, 2004 - 12:13 pm:

Hi Holly-we have a 24 yr. old brood mare who was kicked in the head by one of her colts about 12 yrs. ago. She was badly paralized at first and couldn't even blink her eye on her right side. We tried to do what we could with "therapy" like rubbing her face, turning her head toward the stiff side, etc. I don't really know if it helped or not. But she regained use of her eye and ear. She still has a DrOppy lip and slightly askew nose, but has never shown any signs of it bothering her. She's never been ridden, always a brood mare, but she runs around in the fields with the other horses and seems to have no problems.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Aug 14, 2004 - 9:13 am:

Yes a blow to the nerve is often the cause but another common cause of paralysis in geldings is the nerve (head) was not cushioned when the horse was laid down for castration. Always put a towel under the head when a horse is laid down.
DrO
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