Big bony lump on chest

[SpruceRI]

Lilly has developed this horrible huge lump on her chest. Just below her where her neck joins her chest between her front legs.

It sticks out when you look at it from the side. It feels like her breastbone has moved forward and is sticking out the front of her body!!

There's a bit of a squishy lump on the top of it, but she doesn't mind me poking and prodding it, so it's not sore, nor is there any heat in it. What on earth do you think it is?

She looked like she was walking OK, but my field is now a bog so it's hard to tell. She ate hay off the floor, so that's not uncomfortable and her skin just rolled over it, yuk!

Tomorrow morning in daylight I'm going to have a proper look and try trotting her up out of the field to see if she's sound.

It's possible/probable that my Shetland has kicked her. Although he's unshod and a lot smaller than her so getting her at that height would be quite tricky. Or maybe she's leant over the fence and banged it? Whatever, it doesn't look very nice. Any ideas as to what this can be?
Will call vet tomorrow if it's still there.

 

[goeslikestink]

get a vet as it sounds like she has infection or punchture wound somewhere or brusing of the ribs chest area

the infection has gone to the lowest point of the horse which is her chest area

so get a vet to check it out - they normally give bute and anti botics
if nothing and its nothing then its peice of mind

 

[SpruceRI]

Thanks

Will do

 

[Skhosu]

M y pony went through the breastbar of the trailer once when it braked sharply and developed a lump, presumeably from the traume from the breast bar, as far as I can recall it went away itself.

 

[SpruceRI]

Was the lump hard?

This feels like an elongation of her breastbone. i.e solid from the sticky-out bit, downwards. Really hard to explain!

Apart from the hard bit, there's also this ball of fluid on the end that roles about with the skin.

I suppose that would suggest an injury like haemotoma except that it doesn't hurt her to touch it? It's at the right height to have been caused leaning over a low fence, but most of ours I hate to say is barbed wire. There was no evidence of a puncture wound/blood/discharge, though it was pitch dark and I only had a little torch...

 

[Shilasdair]

Either a haematoma due to trauma...in which case applying cold might help if it's new...or infection after a puncture wound or bite...in which case a vet might help.
S

 

[SpruceRI]

Amazingly weird. The lump had gone by this morning.

Had a good poke and prod and there's absolutely nothing there!

Same tonight, checked and rechecked. Nothing.

Cannot imagine what that could've been

 

[merlinsquest]

You might find she was standing funny and it actually was her breastbone!!!

Merlin stands weird sometimes and you could cut bread on his!!

 

[SpruceRI]

Well, I don't know. She was standing in the mud!!!

Let's hope that's the case but I've never noticed it before....!!