Our 10-year old cocker spaniel had Total Ear Canal Ablation (TECA) surgery 4 days ago on his left ear. Apparently, his facial nerve must have been bruised which resulted in facial nerve paralysis on his left side. (This is the most common complication after TECA.) His bottom left lip is drooping and the food gets stuck on his left side. He can't blink with his left eye, so we are using artificial tears for his dry eye. He does move his upper left eye lid when he is awake but he can't completely close his left eye when he sleeps. I've been reading online that this facial nerve complication could be temporary or permanent. Most sites state that the facial nerve paralysis is a temporary problem which resolves within 4 to 6 weeks, other sites state 2 months.

Has anyone in this forum experienced this with their dog after TECA? Was it temporary or permanent? If temporary, how long did it take to resolve? Thank you for your comments.