Facial nerve damage in a foal

Question

American Miniature Foa   QUESTION: Hello
I have a four week old American Miniature foal. She was four weeks premature, 20 inches high and weighed 8.5kg. When she was born I noticed that her nose and top lip were twisted to the right side. You can see a slight difference in the tension of the muscles on either side of her jaw. Her jaw is perfectly aligned and the jaw closes without any crossing. We had a problem getting her to suck. She spent three days in the equine hospital and came home able to suckle from her mother with no problem. The vets did not do anything to advise me regarding the paralasis to her face except to say that it would probably come right in time. They suspect that she encountered the facial trauma either by the way she was lying in the womb or whilst being born. Her nose is twisted to the right of her face and there is no movement in her left nostril. She has full movement of her ears, eyes and head. She also nibbles the grass and attempts to eat from the mares bucket. She is an extreamly active and healthy foal. Is there anything that I should or could do to assist in the recovery of the damaged nerves? Can you also tell me if this is likely to be perminant or if there is any hope of a recovery.

ANSWER: Kathy;

I'll tell you what I know from your description. The nerve is damages outside of the central nervous system and below the level where it comes out near the ear. If the eyelid ios not droopy, the nerve is damaged probably along the side of the masseter muscle. This is the most common site for nerve damage due to trauma because the nerve is well exposed there and lies just beneath the skin. As it is a nerve, there really is nothing you can do to facilitate this to heal. the hope is that this is a neuritis and that the nerve function returns over time and that will likely be on the order of months-  if it does. If the nerve was severed or severaly damaged the function may not improve or it may improve to a limited extent and not regain full normal function. The "odds" are that there will be some improvement but wheter it is complete is difficult to know- the good thing is the age of the foal- which helps healing of this tissue relative to older horses. there is NO way to know the extent of damage or the likelihood of return of function unless nerve testing were to be conducted. That would probably have to happen at a university or other referral center capaable of nerve testing. im sorry but thats all I can tell you. I hope this helps some. Feel free to contact me again.

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QUESTION: Thank you so much for your speedy response. It sounds like a waiting game. I would like to contact you in a couple of months to let you see a new photograph if that would be ok. Maybe you would then be able to predict a possible out come. I appreciate your reply and knowledge. I have been told that acupuncture would be of benefit in regenerating the nerves, and also the homeopathic remedy Hypericum 30 what would be your opinion on this? Thank you for your help.
Kathy

Answer
Kathy;

In my opinion, there is no reason not to try anything and everything to help with this as long as it is safe to the foal. however, being the traditionally trained internist I am, I would urge you not to expect a dramatic response with any particular therapy and if there is improvment, I will likely attribute it to the foal's beneficial youth, limited nerve damage from the trauma and good fortune. But by all means, do everything you can to help as long as it is safe to the foal. Good luck. I'll look forward to hearing from you again.