Goiter/ swolen thyroid

[goldie12]

It is suspected that my horse has the above she's only 6 and I'm worried sick! Got the vet coming first thing tomorrow and wondered if any of you had experienced this with your own horses? I can't find much info about it. Thanks

 

[CanadianGirl]

I found this on the internet, hope it helps.

The size of a horse's thyroid gland can certainly be affected by a number of dietary factors. Too much iodine in the ration, as seen sometimes in horses fed kelp (seaweed)-based supplements, might cause thyroid gland enlargement (also known as "goiter"). Paradoxically, the thyroid gland might also enlarge as a result of iodine deficiency. Dietary deficiency of iodine is unlikely, unless you are feeding an unusual ration to your horse. Secondary iodine deficiency might also result from ingestion of excessive calcium, Brassica plants (such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and mustard), white clover, rapeseed, and linseed, or feed contaminated by sewage. However, if a dietary factor were truly responsible for goiter in this horse, the thyroid gland should be enlarged on both the left and the right sides of the neck. Moreover, other signs of iodine imbalance would be evident, such as an abnormal hair coat.

A much more common cause of goiter in mature to older horses is thyroid adenoma, a benign neoplastic state that is very common and typically does not cause any other problems (beyond the swelling). Other types of thyroid cancer are quite uncommon in horses.

Are you certain that the observed swelling is the thyroid gland and not a swollen lymph node ("gland")? A swollen lymph node at this location would be more likely to shrink than a thyroid gland swelling. Possible causes of a swollen lymph node include some respiratory infections and lymphosarcoma. I recommend that the suspicious enlarged thyroid gland be examined, possibly using an ultrasound machine, to determine its true identity. If necessary, a more complete characterization could be accomplished using a biopsy probe.

 

[sitting_pretty]

Oops wrong thread!

 

[oldie48]

I bought a horse with a an enlarged thyroid, apart from looking a bit odd it didn't affect him at all. Unfortunately he had an accident and was PTS so don't know how it would have affected him long term. He was 11 when bought and 14 when PTS and I understood from his previous owner that he'd had this condition for several years before I bought him. I did get him at a bargain price though.

 

[Silverfire]

My 20 yr old horse has this. Vet said its a benign tumor in his thyroid glands, he has it both sides and has had them about 6 years now. Not caused any problems so far, it did seem to get a little bigger each year, although for past few months has actually been smaller than it was.