Any ideas (growth/calcification/bony lump on face)

Suechoccy

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19 December 2007
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A friend's horse has developed a bony lump in forehead.

Xrays today reveal a suspicious lump underneath one eye with black lines radiating out including into the bony growth. Teeth look normal.

History: horse has had increasing trouble keeping food in his mouth, also a snotty nose over past few weeks and has been flat in his personality for about 12 weeks.
Vet administered strong antibiotics for 2 weeks ago but no change in horse.
Bute has helped a little bit.
Growth is causing pressure on upper jaw so horse is quidding though appetite is good, even ravenous.
One black line goes under eye and seems calcified so eye is weeping due to tear duct pressure.
Horse had many xrays yesterday.
Xrays show there is a large undetermined growth under skull deep in middle underneath one eye with "tree roots" running out of it and skull has calcified round them, like a unicorn growing its horn. Growth is above palate and below eye socket.

Vets say they have never seen anything like it before.

Horse now on 2 weeks of steroids to see if anything changes. Prednisolone.

Horse is not insured and owner cannot afford MRI scans, but in any case she does not want to put the horse through any massive invasive procedures or cause him further suffering so she is currently thinking if the steroids have no effect, then unless the vets can come up with something else, the horse will be pts next week.

But she has asked me to ask you, esp the vets among you, if any of you have come across this and have any ideas as to what it is and if it's treatable.

thank you.
 

Suechoccy

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Joined
19 December 2007
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I have photo of the xrays which I can email to anyone familiar with xrays who'd like to look at them. (can't see how to upload them but I've managed to get as far as putting them into a public album under my H&H username Suechoccy. Album called skull.
If you click on Suechoccy and then Photos you should be able to view them.
thanks,
 
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