Chronic jaw pain in a dog due to a migrating grass awn in the temporal bone

Abstract A 4‐year‐old female spayed Wire Fox Terrier dog presented with a 6‐week history of progressive jaw pain, reluctance to chew and difficulty picking up objects. Serial advanced imaging with computed tomography revealed evidence of a penetrating foreign body tract traversing the left temporal bone. Surgical exploration of the left zygomatic process of the temporal bone revealed a fragmented 3 mm grass awn embedded within fibrotic muscle of the temporalis muscle tissue overlying an osseous defect in the zygomatic process of the temporal bone. The grass awn and associated fibrotic tissue were excised, and the underlying osseous tract within the temporal bone was debrided. Four weeks postoperatively, the dog showed complete resolution of jaw pain and normal eating behaviour. A persistent but improving unilateral reduction in palpebral reflex of the left eye was noted, which was consistent with transient post‐surgical facial nerve dysfunction. This case highlights the diagnostic and surgical challenges of diagnosing and treating a chronic foreign body within the skull base.