Fly bites under the jaw - very itchy

Spit That Out

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Hi, i have a 2 year old that has been bitten twice (almost next to each other) under his jaw (in the groove) and they are very itchy.
I noticed them 2 weeks ago when i was grooming him and they were the size of a couple of large grapes!!!
They haven't reduced in size but the first one you come must of popped as a scab came off in my hand tonight. The other lump hasn't changed at all.
I put some Dermoline cream on them but I'm just worried as they haven't reduced in size. He's not bothered about you touching them but loves it when you give them a scratch as due to the location it's not a place he can get to himself!!!
He has reacted badly to a fly bite before, I'm assuming a horse fly as he had a tennis ball lump come up on his neck from a bite/sting in July and took a couple of weeks to go down.
He's fine in every other way.
Do you have any creams i can put it on it or due to the length of time, get a vet out?
 
I'm surprised he's still got swellings from fly bites after 2 weeks. It may be that it isn't fly bites but that he's been trying to give himself a good old scratch in what you know is his itchy spot and he's managed to get a couple of splinters or thorns wedged in his skin. You will know how awkward a splinter can be - it sounds as if one lump has built up some pus and then burst on its own. I'd carefully but thoroughly clean it with dilute Hibiscrub and slap a dollop of any antisceptic cream on it, eg Savlon, Germolene, aloe vera gel, anything to keep the wound clean and moist while it heals. The other one may also burst but it may not! The body will try to eject foreign bodies but if it can't, it will try to encase them in a sac. You could try to help things along by holding a hot flannel (hot as you can bear it but don't scald your horse!) over the lump to try to draw it out or you may find it turns into an abscess and needs the vet to slice it open at a later date. I wouldn't worry but it might be that your ned does this again and again if he likes scratching his chin on things!!!!
 
Thanks for your reply Box-of-Frogs...Lump update

The one that had a scab on it has nearly gone now...must of drained and scabbed over and now going down. The second one is still the size of a marble but has gone down slightly but still quite big for something lasting over 2 weeks.
I held warm cotton wool against it while he munched on his hay tonight and slapped loads of Dermoline on it. Hopefully it will pop soon?
Not sure if it's a splinter as he has no access to anything thorny but hence the name Chaos...if there was a thorn lying around minding it's own business he would have found it!!!:rolleyes:
 
If there's any wooden posts around his field or wooden stable door, he could easily have got a splinter from scratching his chin hard up against them. Didn't mean just thorns! More likely a wood splinter. If he's a laid back sort of a guy, you could sterilise a blunt needle and pop the 2nd lump. Probably just pus but betcha he's rubbed against something!
 
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