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My dog was diagnosed with idiopathic facial paralysis back in April on one side of his face. 5 weeks later, the first side started to improve and the other side fell. Both sides have since improved and the vet said they are almost completely back to normal movement. Will they continue to either be the same or improve from here? Should I expect the sides to move slightly different because they are recovering at different pace? And Do I have to worry about this recurring?

My dog was diagnosed with idiopathic facial paralysis back in April on one side of his face. 5 weeks later, the first side started to improve and the other side fell. Both sides have since improved and the vet said they are almost completely back to normal movement. Will they continue to either be the same or improve from here? Should I expect the sides to move slightly different because they are recovering at different pace? And Do I have to worry about this recurring?

Updated On September 14th, 2020

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 7 years and 10 months old | 53.5 lbs

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

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Poor Timmy! It's good that he's starting to recover and things look almost normal. Unfortunately though, signs are often permanent and it is likely it won't go back to the way it was before, but the outlook is usually good! Over time, there will be chronic signs; for example, I will describe what that would mean if he has a droopy lip. The droopy lip will start to contract so that it regains its normal size and shape – although the animal will remain unable to move their lip. That could be one possibility. Yes, it may be that each side of his face will move differently because they are recovering at different paces. It is not likely to reoccur. I hope this helps!

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