Heamatoma advice/reassurance please!

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Bridie&theMinis

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Hi,
Just wanted to get some experience on this please. (Would really appreciate any thoughts).
Two weeks ago last Sat my mare was kicked on her bum which came up as a pretty whopping heamatoma large and proud with a shallower surrounding swelling. Vet checked her a couple of days later and hoped that it would go down in 2-3 weeks (w.cold hosing, arnica, massaging etc).
It will be 3 weeks on Sat and although its gone down alot there is still a noticeable bump which is now feeling harder/lumpier. I had another vet visit to do teeth yesterday and asked about it and he said it should be lanced.
Now, whilst I am totally for taking the vet's advice, I also feel a bit anxious about the risk of infection (I know she will have a course of antibiotics but it still concerns me) and also if it will leave a dent if she is cut?
Can someone tell me whether this involves a needle or if they make an incision and will she likely be scarred as a result?
Would you go ahead and have it lanced or give it a bit longer to see if it disappears over a bit more time?
Just looking for some confirmation that lancing is nothing to worry about or that I would be better to leave it another week.
Thank you for reading!
 
I had one between a horses front legs lanced years ago, it took a lot of care to keep clean, open and draining, it had to be flushed several times a day for weeks and in hindsight may have been best left a while before lancing, more recently a horse had one on its stifle, the vet recommended leaving, treating as you are, it took several months before it went fully but he was comfortable and able to be out rather than kept in while it was open.
I would keep massaging and wait at least a week if it is still responding, 3 weeks is not that long if it was huge and in a place that has little movement to assist with the draining naturally, vets seem to be a bit divided on which route they prefer but I think if I was worried I would ask vet 1 for advice over the phone rather than go straight to lancing.
 
I would carry on just massaging it for at least another couple of weeks. Some haematomas can become abcesses, so keep an eye, but most vets are reluctant to lance because it increases the risk of introducing infection in from the outside, and as my vet said, it would likely fill up again anyway. My mare was also bopped on the bum and it swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. It did go down again completely, but she was left with slight depression where the muscle had died I think.
 
Hi

Just to say My old horse had one over his ribs once - also a kick- and yes it looks horrible but did go down of its own accord over a period of weeks despite people pointing out ' I had a horse on my lump'. Lancing was never discussed.

Good luck
 
There is a reason for the hardness inside the bruise - can't remember exactly what it is but it's normal during healing. I wouldn't go getting it opened up for no good reason. They feel a lot worse than they are, most of the time. I've had a couple of enormous ones on the thigh (both horse related) and they swelled up, went all colours of the rainbow and developed some horrible hard lumpy stuff for a good few months but they did go away again.

If the skin wasn't broken there's low risk of being infected and therefore needing lancing.
 
My old girl got a grapefruit sized one on her shoulder from falling over on the road. It was lanced and filled up again. After that, we left it alone and it did eventually go. It did take a while...can't rem how long. I think it did scar a bit. She was around 23 or 24 when it happened and lived to 40, and she would still bite if groomed over it, and she never bit otherwise, so it must have been a bit sore.

T x
 
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