Tessa does what a border collie is bred to do: work livestock on her owner’s farm. One kick from a horse changed that in a second. The five-year-old arrived at UC Davis about an hour later with a swollen face, a nosebleed, and her right eye sitting lower than it should.
A CT scan showed why. Fractures ran through the right side of her skull, the bones around the eye socket, her nose, and the midface, and they had shifted far enough to push the eye out of position.
Boaz Arzi, who leads the dentistry and oral surgery service at the UC Davis veterinary hospital, rebuilt the break with three titanium miniplates and 16 screws. An eye specialist confirmed both eyes sat and worked normally before Tessa left the operating room. She stayed overnight, ate breakfast the next morning, and went home.
Two weeks later her owner reported no signs of pain. Tessa kept dropping her Frisbee at her feet, a fairly clear message that she felt ready to play. She is back competing in herding trials, with a full recovery expected and one more scan in about three months. The case report is on dvm360.
What this means for your dog
Head injuries rarely announce themselves this loudly. A dog who collides with a car, a horse, or a hard object can look briefly stunned and then seem fine while fractures sit underneath. Facial swelling, blood from the nose, an eye that looks sunken or off-center, or a dog who is dull and unsteady all call for an emergency visit.
Repairs this complex happen at specialty hospitals, though you may not need to drive to one for advice. Many services now offer virtual specialist consults that let your own vet loop in a surgeon first.