Is the swollen tissue painful when the side of his muzzle contacts a bowl?
Is there drainage from the original wound?
Has the infection affected structures beyond the visible skin and soft tissue?
Those answers have not been provided.
They require veterinary evaluation.
The description confirms a serious infection surrounding the face after an untreated wound. It does not establish the exact depth of the infection, whether an abscess is present, whether dental structures are involved, whether deeper tissues are affected, or what specific treatment Benny requires.
Those distinctions matter.
A dramatic-looking face can tempt people to diagnose from a photograph.
Benny needs more than guesses based on appearance.
He Is Thin Before He Even Reaches the Bowl
There is another detail visible when Benny stands to eat.
His body is small and thin.
No exact weight or body-condition score has been provided, and the cause of his thinness is unknown. It would be inappropriate to automatically attribute it to the facial infection or to assume how long he has been underweight.
But his current build changes the way the feeding scene looks.
Benny does not have much body behind the effort.
He stands over short legs, tries to orient his head, and begins to tremble when the first attempt fails.
That trembling does not, by itself, prove pain, fear, weakness, or any single medical explanation.
Several possibilities could exist in an injured or ill dog, and only his veterinary team can interpret the observation alongside his examination and medical findings.
What matters visually is the sequence.
Benny gets up.
He finds the general direction of the food.
He approaches.
He lowers his muzzle.
He misses.
He stops.
His thin body trembles.
Then he tries to find the bowl again.
Finding Food and Eating Enough Are Two Different Questions
Benny's repeated effort to locate his food is encouraging only in a limited, factual sense: he is showing interest in approaching the bowl.
It does not tell us whether he is consuming enough calories.
That distinction is important.
A dog can approach food and still have difficulty eating an adequate amount.
For Benny, several practical questions should be documented during recovery.
How much food is actually offered?
How much does he consume?
How long does a meal take?
Does he stop after only a few bites?
Does he have more difficulty locating the bowl from one direction than another?
Does the shape or height of the bowl affect his ability to reach it?
Does soft food make eating easier?
Does he show difficulty chewing or swallowing?
Can he locate and use his water bowl reliably?
Has his weight remained stable, increased, or decreased since treatment began?