“My 15.2 Bay Gelding has a lump about a cm in size “…

The area round that part of the eye has lost its’ hair and the lump seems soft? Can you help?

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Julie-Anne:

The lump should be monitored for change in size, consistency, drainage, or other changes.  He has most likely been rubbing it if is missing hair.  You might try some anti-inflammatory, and have your veterinarian examine it if not improving in a few days (or sooner).

 

“she broke out in hives and developed a bump on her jaw that got as large as a baseball and then it blew.”…

 

I have a 3yr old Quarter horse.  Last October she broke out in hives and developed a bump on her jaw that got as large as a baseball and then it blew.  Puss came out and I kept it clean.  I had her checked out by the vet and he seemed to think that something just got in there like sliver…  That darn thing is still there now and it is smaller and has blown every month since October last year.  By Feb. 07 we finally got the hives to go away but 3 weeks ago they came back.  Her shine on her coat has gone she just seems lethargic.  I just wonder if you know of anything that might cause this.  She just seems off.

 

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Ann Marie,

The swelling that you are describing sounds as if it is a foreign object (wood sliver?) or a bone infection that you are dealing with. You can add tooth infection in to that possibility. Any one of these things will continue to fester and break and drain on a regular basis until the exact cause is eliminated. Your Vet is going to have to surgically explore that draining tract, maybe after x-raying the jaw, and remove the dead bone or foreign object or bad tooth that is causing this in order to completely resolve it. This chronic infection is what is causing the poor condition and probably the hives also.

 

“I recently felt this knot under my mare’s chin…”

I recently felt this knot under my mare’s chin. It’s where the curb chain goes. It has not gotten bigger but it is very hard. I know that it is not strangles, I’ve seen some horses with it before. Also the knot will not move around and it’s not draining anything. Any info would help.

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Ashley, the knot you are referring to could be associated with the bone in that area, or the soft tissue structures found in that area. Either one could have been caused by a blow to the area or some other form of irritation. If it is not sore to the horse and is not growing or draining, I would have to think that it is not anything of any significance. I would suggest that you do keep an eye on it and if there is a change in size or consistency, then it would be time to have a Vet examine the area.

 

“My horse has developed crusty lumps in his ears…”

My horse has developed crusty lumps in his ears which looks like Canker. I have been told by the vet you can’t treat it and he will always have it. Is this true as he seems very uncomfortable, or are there other infections like this that effect the ears?

Dr. Cheryl Rahal’s Answer:

Alex,

I can think of 2 things in horses ears that are Crusty lumps, Aural plaques and tumors. Aural plaques are not supposed to be painful, and are basically a wart that is virus borne. So not much you can do about them. They seem to be irritated by flies, so fly control may help. I’ve also tried topical steroid creams like cortoid hydrocortisone, sometimes that helps. Another practitioner told me that he uses EqStim which is an immune stimulant, but I don’t have first hand experience with that. The two most common tumors are sarcoids which are easiest to mistake for the plaques, the other is squamous cell carcinoma. Chances are your vet is correct on the diagnosis and has been frustrated with treatment in the past, as there really aren’t any that work. If your horse is truly in discomfort you may talk to your vet about debulking and some topical therapies.