Blood Blisters, anyone?

[Moody-Mare]

Already posted in veterary, but no luck!

Anyone?

Last night as we brought my mare from the field, my mum noticed she had blood down the insides of her back legs and her tail was saturated in blood. We walked her to the yard and started sponging the blood off to try and see where it was coming from. After much sponging (and a few carrots!) we discovered the blood was coming from her actual 'Flower' area.
Once we found where the blood was coming from, we opened the lips just gentley to see where it was coming from, just inside her there was a clear blood filled bag ( about the size of a cream egg). After discovering this we asked the YO to have a look, she said she had never seen anything like it before. We then phoned the vet straight away who told us they were totally snowed under and wouldnt make it up until the morning. Personally I wasnt pleased with this and wanted my mare seen directly, so phoned them back and said i would appreciate my mare seen asap and if they werent available id be forced to phone another vet. Ten mins later my vet called back to say she would be with me within the next hour!
Before the vet arrived my mare attempted to pee, this was really uncomfortable and stale (dark yellow)- as though she hadnt done one for a while, as she was piddling, her bloody bag was popping out and in- it looked as though she was having difficulty and didnt know when she was finished.

Once the vet arrived she examined the bag, nd said it s a blood blister- injury. Common in a horse who has been covered by a big stallion, or had a large foal. She discribed it as a type of bruising, she also said that since there was already blood being dicharged from it then it had already burst its self and would slowly go down, if there was no change then i she would burst it and drain out the blood. Ive to keep her back end covered in baby cream/ a barrier so that if she pees then the pee isnt going to sting. I never got any pic due to the sheer worry, but may get some tonight!

Maisy is a 7 year old sports horse type, previously had 2 foals- her olderst is 2 yo. She is perfectly well within herself and was out competing 1m05 wh course on saturday with out showing any signs of discomfort.

Has anyone else ever came across this?!
Any advice, tips or stories welcome!

Cheers Guys!

 

[Marydoll]

Im not getting my head round this, unless shes recently been covered or gave birth
Ive no idea how long after covering or birth a blood blister would last in a horse but find it difficult to believe it would still be there after 2 years
Id have expected the body to reabsorb the blood in it, or for it to congeal then dry up. Id be interested to hear from folks experienced in this area as im curious now .
Is there any stallions or riggy geldings around you ?

 

[Moody-Mare]

Nope, mares and geldings are seperate and have been for the past 2/3 years. Im so confused as well.
Vet said its defo an injury of some description, she could have been kicked, but its very unlikely. I honestly have no idea that why i posted on here, to see if anyone else has heard of it..

Shes perfectly healthy looking on the outside, just when the lips are parted you can see it, right there! Its hard to explain

 

[Marydoll]

Really wierd one, an injury by trying to scratch herself on something that could damage like that would surely have left external scratches or scrapes and a blister unless its an allergic reaction is usually pressure or friction related

 

[Moody-Mare]

i cant think that there is anythng any different from summers before Vet said to monitor in over the next few days and take it from there! Will be at the yard straight from work so will update on anychanges on shape, size, colour or discharge! x

 

[Moody-Mare]

Tuesday Evening:
The Blister itself looked slightly smaller and a lot darker. Her tail was still quite bloody and there was some bloody discharge coming out.

Will Check again tonight!

 

[Marydoll]

Hi MM i was thinking about this last night and for there to be frank blood then this needs to be a new injury, it sounds like its starting to reduce and heal, getting darker as its older blood. Is it possible a gelding has broke loose and mounted your mare ?

 

[Moody-Mare]

Its possible, but mares and geldings are seperate, (electric fence, gallop, ditch then wire fence). bu i guess anythings possible. but she wasnt in season at the time? would a gelding still be encouraged? and in my experiance if a gelding covers a mare then usually her would stay with her, maybe im wrong

Its crazy!

 

[fatpiggy]

Last year my mare came in with blood on her back legs but apparently not a mark on her - until I lifted her tail. Her vulva was swollen and her clitoris the size and colour of a plum. She is very good about me poking about around there but it was so swollen I couldn't see how far up the injury went. My first thought was that someone had interfered with her, and as one of the other mares got a shotgun pellet up the bum previously there, I called the vet out PDQ. As soon as the vet saw it she said it wasn't a penetrative injury but she had been bitten by another horse. At that point it all made sense as she was being regulary bitten by the field bully anyway. All the treatment involved was steroid cream to take the swelling down (vet said there aren't many nerves so she probably wasn't in any great pain, but she has antiinflammatories for her arthritis anyway). It was all pretty well back to normal after a week but she has a piece missing from her labia.

 

[Moody-Mare]

Last year my mare came in with blood on her back legs but apparently not a mark on her - until I lifted her tail. Her vulva was swollen and her clitoris the size and colour of a plum. She is very good about me poking about around there but it was so swollen I couldn't see how far up the injury went. My first thought was that someone had interfered with her, and as one of the other mares got a shotgun pellet up the bum previously there, I called the vet out PDQ. As soon as the vet saw it she said it wasn't a penetrative injury but she had been bitten by another horse. At that point it all made sense as she was being regulary bitten by the field bully anyway. All the treatment involved was steroid cream to take the swelling down (vet said there aren't many nerves so she probably wasn't in any great pain, but she has antiinflammatories for her arthritis anyway). It was all pretty well back to normal after a week but she has a piece missing from her labia.

The vet has given me a mild steriod cream to slather her in. M doesnt really mind much either, attention of any type suits herr! She did have a 'falling out' shall we say with another mare in the field the tail end of the winter- so that could be a possibility! Glad someones had a simaler incident!!! thanks for writing!
Did the blood just drain away ? or did it burst?? What about the colour?
Vx

 

[fatpiggy]

Hi again, she never had a blister like you describe but I can well imagine a set of teeth creating one. I think it oozed a bit for 24 hours after the main bleed, but it was 99% really bad bruising and swelling.

I'm a little surprised that another mare would bite yours - as a rule of thumb I've always found that geldings bite and mares kick (and make alot of noise!) but there are always exceptions

 

[Moody-Mare]

Hi again, she never had a blister like you describe but I can well imagine a set of teeth creating one. I think it oozed a bit for 24 hours after the main bleed, but it was 99% really bad bruising and swelling.

I'm a little surprised that another mare would bite yours - as a rule of thumb I've always found that geldings bite and mares kick (and make alot of noise!) but there are always exceptions

I thought this toom M's neither a biter or a kicker- but the night she and the other mare had a 'falling out' there was feet going, legs, teeth, sqealing, horrendous!

 

[Moody-Mare]

Checked her last night again, the blister seems to have gone down again, darker too! About the size of a grape. Still bloody discharge, but looking alot better! So here's hoping it wount be too long if disappearing now!