Huge lump appeared overnight??!

DappleGreyDaydreamer

DappleGreyDaydreamer

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Help please!!! I arrived at the barn this afternoon to fetch my boy in for the dentist, only to notice that this horrid lump had appeared under his head :( The scary thing is that I was feeding him late last night, and I didn't notice any hint of a lump, meaning it's grown a heck of a lot overnight. It's quite hard to describe where it's appeared, it's sort of underneath his right jawbone, if that makes any sense.

It's about the size of a toddler's fist and rock hard to the touch, and feels kind of like one of my own knuckles, in that it has some loose skin covering it. I spent quite a while touching it and it doesn't seem to be causing my horse any pain and he's eating perfectly normally, but I'm very concerned and am sat on the floor right now buried up to my neck in equine medical reference manuals trying to figure out what the heck I'm dealing with.

I asked my yard owner about it and she said she spotted it a few days ago when it was only just visible, but seeing as I only just moved him to a new barn a few weeks ago, she assumed it was just a thing he had and didn't think anything of it. Conveniently, the dentist was coming anyway and I asked him about it, and he said it was probably an abscess the vet would be able to treat, and I'm going to get her out to look at it as soon as I can. I just want to be reassured that it's not a nasty tumor and that my boy's not going to die in his box tonight, so I was wondering if any of you could set my mind at rest? Or at least give an opinion I could put into my own self-diagnosing. Thank you so much!
 
I think if it was something very serious your dentist or YO who will be more experienced than you would have expressed some real concern, I know as a YO myself I frequently have to reassure owners that their horses will not die when they find various lumps and bumps you learn over the years when to panic and get the vet ASAP and when it is probably something to monitor or get the vet in but not as an emergency.
It probably hasn't grown dramatically overnight but has just moved to be more visible and now you have seen it it will be growing in your mind, if it doesn't bother your boy it is probably nothing to be too worried about, I guess he is grey so it may be a melanoma they often come up in the area you describe and can sometimes be more pronounced then go down again, they are usually slow growing and relatively harmless, although not something to completely ignore, I would get the vet to come out if it is an abscess it will require treatment if not you should be able to find out what it is and what if anything needs doing.
 
Thank you for some good advice!! He's my first horse and I've only had him 6 months, so I'm panicking a tad. I was planning on monitoring it over the next couple of days and getting the vet to check it before the weekend. I think I am worrying more now I'm at home and away from him where I can't make sure he's okay, and when I checked it before I gave him dinner this evening, his whole right cheek felt warmer to the touch compared to the other one, but not burning hot, so I'm going to assume it's not an aggressive infection or anything. Thanks again!
 
--UPDATE--

Just got back from the yard and the lump has at least doubled in size, but it's grown out width-wise, not necessarily stuck out farther from his face. I'm really regretting not calling the vet yesterday as the entire right jawbone is swollen and inflamed, hot to the touch (much more so than last night) and he's jumpy at me touching it, which is so unlike him... Not to mention he's really lethargic which is also very unlike him, especially seeing as I haven't worked him since Monday :( getting frightened now, so I'm going to do some more research on tooth infections and impacted molars after a tip off from my yard instructor, and phone the vet when they open tomorrow morning.
 
Already tried, can't get anyone out apart from a young emergency vet who everyone at my yard has told me to avoid as she isn't very good. I'll call them and leave a message and they should come out tomorrow morning when they get the message, will post updates here
 
I'm afraid I've not really got many suggestions OP, however, if he were mine, I'd be calling the vet out now. For what it's worth though, I'm thinking perhaps an abscess of some sort, possibly cased by a tooth.

Hope you find the cause, and keep us updated.
 
Thank you all for good thoughts!! I'm a novice horse owner so this is way out of my depth, panicking slightly. I'll call the vets tonight and leave them a message with details, then they should come out tomorrow morning. Yep I agree, both myself and my instructor think it's a tooth infection of some sort.
I'll write here again tomorrow, thanks again
 
DappleGreyDaydreamer said:
Already tried, can't get anyone out apart from a young emergency vet who everyone at my yard has told me to avoid as she isn't very good. I'll call them and leave a message and they should come out tomorrow morning when they get the message, will post updates here
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Can you not try a different practice? Where are you based, may be able to recommended someone.

ETA, try not to panic, horses often exaggerate things, and make it look far worse than it actually is.
 
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Sounds like an abscess, probably caused by a thorn or similar. Your vet should be able to sort it out without too much trouble.

Try not to panic and stop researching until you know what it is!
 
Yep. You kinda did the right thing in that experienced persons told you [incorrectly] it was nothing to worry about. |The day of the week is relevant vis a vis costs, but in the end, just call the vet on the phone if you need advice, or ask him to visit, when I got my first horse the vet was called out every month, for things I would not even consider a problem nowadays.
jo
 
I have just called the vet and they're going to send a more experienced trainee down tomorrow to make sure it's nothing really serious, then I still have a pending appointment with my usual vet on Monday to make the final diagnosis. I feel a lot happier about it now, as being out of control is scary :S Also texted a friend who's had horses all her life, and she suggested abscess possibly caused by a tooth - makes me feel calmer, as I had myself convinced he would die from a brain tumor last night!
 
They are sending a trainee? or do they mean a newly qualified vet, I hope they will get started with antibiotics immediately, you certainly don't want to leave an abscess which is likely to cause him a lot of pain until Monday, many tooth abscesses will resolve with antibiotics and need no further intervention depending on the cause, it may require surgery at a later date if the tooth root is badly effected but needs a chance to settle first.
 
Have to say I wouldn't be thrilled by your vets response.

Is it an equine vets practice? My vet would come out on the same day for something like that and wouldn't send a 'trainee' unless under supervision.
 
Hope all okay op. Can't say that's the sort of response from a vet practice I would want.
My old mate came in with a massive lump under her throat. Doubled in size over night to melon size so got vet out straight away and it turned out to be a heamatoma (sp?) prob from a kick or a slight trauma. It was drained then and there. Gross but nothing to worry about!
 
Yeah I agree with you all, the vets disappointed me, especially since my YO recommended them to me. I called the vet practice my instructor uses instead and they're coming out tomorrow afternoon, since I didn't specify it was an emergency, which is much better!
If it does turn out to be a tooth root abscess, then I for one will be annoyed with my dentist, who had a look at it and rasped my boy's teeth yesterday, and I thought at the time that something didn't seem right with the way my horse reacted to such a simple procedure. But it was the first time he'd had it done under my care, as I've had him for only a few months, and I thought that might just be the way he had always been with dentists.

I'm probably over analysing at this point but if I think back to when I first started riding him 2 months ago (was doing backing work before then) he was always eager to itch his face on his knee when the bit was in his mouth, which I treated as a behavioral problem at the time, but now I'm thinking it may have been the start of this problem, as he was always wanting to itch the side that this horrible lump has appeared on. He's also constantly tossing his head when his bridle's on, which I'm pretty sure is a common sign of tooth troubles. Personally I feel awful for not noticing sooner... but as he's been eating normally the entire time, I never thought of tooth problems until the abscess (?) appeared :(
 
DappleGreyDaydreamer said:
I called the vet practice my instructor uses instead and they're coming out tomorrow afternoon, since I didn't specify it was an emergency, which is much better!
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I'm confused. Why is having a vet out tomorrow afternoon 'better'? Given the distress that your horse is showing, I would be calling a vet out tonight, no messing.
 
Well it's better than having to wait until Monday, that's what I meant, obviously I'd like one out tonight but as much as I've tried that's just not possible tonight, and I'm not overly happy with that. None of the vets I contacted could come out on such short notice for something that wasn't imminent death.
 
DappleGreyDaydreamer said:
Well it's better than having to wait until Monday, that's what I meant, obviously I'd like one out tonight but as much as I've tried that's just not possible tonight, and I'm not overly happy with that. None of the vets I contacted could come out on such short notice for something that wasn't imminent death.
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Wow, really? (Not to you OP, the vets I mean). Both vets we use (small animal & equine) will happily come out of hours at any given time. Where abouts are you/ yard based? If you're in the Derbyshire/ Staffodshire area I may be able to recommend a practice.
 
Just got back from the vet, and can finally breathe a sigh of relief!! We managed to see the vet that we know and trust, which was a comfort for both myself and my boy, especially since it has become much more uncomfortable for him overnight. We've decided that my poor lad has edema - swelling in muscle tissues under his jaw - and I'm doing a hot towel poultice about 4 times a day, and going to stock up on Bute to use if it becomes really painful for him. Temperature and BPM was perfectly normal, but I'll keep an eye on it to make sure he doesn't have a fever, and the vet sent bloods off to check for strangles.

Melanoma, tooth root abscess and blunt force trauma have been ruled out, thank goodness; as I was so frightened it'd be something that couldn't be cured or required surgery. Thank you all for the support and help throughout this, I probably overreacted, but first time horse owners are allowed to be worried!!!
 
Thank you both :) I feel much calmer about the situation, and as a result he is much more himself despite the pain - seems I was freaking him out a tad! Just got back from giving him dinner, and he's definitely not off his food, and he lets me hold the poultices on without too much fuss so hopefully that's making him a bit more comfortable.
I'll keep everyone posted until we have made a full recovery!! No riding for a while as his poor cheek is too swollen to fit an oversized headcollar on, let alone his bridle!
 
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