loss of muscle tissue in one side of face

[basil674]

I recently noticed that my dog looked like he had a lump on his head on one side of his face. The vet advised that this was not a lump but his bone and that the muscle tissueon the side of his face has wasted away due to nerve damage in his Jaw. He had aan operation to move a growth inside his mouth last year could this be cause of the nerve damage , the nerve being severed or damage during the operation. The vet has now put him on steroids .

[Cliff Redford, DVM]

Your vet is 100% correct. Muscle atrophy that is localized like this and after a surgery you are describing is due to nerve damage secondary to the procedure. I would guess that the mass that was removed was near or surrounding a nerve and there is nothing your vet could have done to prevent this complication (other then not removing the lump). The good news is that as long as your dog can still eat, this lesion should not be a concern. It wont be painful and since dogs are not vain your dog wont feel bad about how he looks.

[basil674]

Thank you for your answer I found the information very helpful and I am not so worried about my dog ,