Jawline lump?

FirstLight

FirstLight

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 August 2008
Messages
57
Visit site
Hi, Just wondering if you have any idea what this could be.
2 weeks ago my 5 year old welsh cob came in with a slight swelling on his jawline on the curve where the throat lash would sit, his skin wrinkled a bit. I thought it was a horse fly bite as he had one last summer on his neck which looked similar and took about 3 weeks to go completely. Anyway I was just washing it with antibac and it was starting to go down although with a bite you can usually feel where the actual biting happened, I couldn't feel this. It continued to go down although the skin and coat was still slightly wrinkled. Yesterday morning I go to him and it has swollen up again bigger than when I initially saw it, he isn't in pain with it i can feel it and so on it feels like a fleshy lump attached to the bone? Any ideas on what it is? It seems too high for teeth? I'm thinking of taking him to the vets tomorrow...
Thankyou :)

Also posted in veterinary and hoof care.
 
Grass glands?
I did not know these existed until this time last year when our mare suddenly developed a soft lump around the point that her jaw joins her neck at the side. It was quite a big lump and we were about to go on holiday leaving her in someone else's care so I called vet out. They said just swollen grass glands maybe caused by moving fields and different hay. It went down but took a week or so.
 
Just Googled grass glands and they seem to be in the hollow under the jaw? His swelling is more on the curve of the cheek?
 
Grass glands go in the crease from below the ears in the neck/head crease, they can get quite big but go down pretty quickly
 
Grass glands appear where ever there are salivary glands. Your best bet is a vet as it could be a tooth problem Please don't panic as the serious issues it might be are extremely rare they exist but are extremely uncommon. Other things it could be are a foreign body but you would expect that to be warm and eventually hot
 
Thankyou :) there is no heat, I'm going to take him to the vets tomorrow rather than call the vet out because then if he needs xrays or anything can have it done right away.
 
I had a lump on my horse. X ray showed a rotten tooth root. The infection had back tracked and eventually burst out high jaw line.
 
We called the vet on the 2nd day after 1st noticing a lump on our mare's face. We and vet were concerned that it might be tooth related but in fact it was eventually obvious that it was caused by 2 stings close together. The swelling went down after about 10 days and then we could see the sting site.
 
Below is a picture of a horse with an enlarged Grass (parotid) Gland (red line) and also showing the site of a Goitre (green line)

GrassGlandsandGoitre.png
 
Thankyou all! Decided to get the vet out yesterday as I was hoping it was an infected bite. Vet came, there was no pus so no infection had a scan and it shows its a solid lump so vet is coming back today to take a biopsy, vet checked him all over has no temperature, teeth are fine, no other lumps, bumps, swellings, all the lymphs are fine so should have the biopsy results on Friday and then we will know what treatment. Hate not knowing!
 
Grass glands are seen mostly in the Partoid gland, the salivary gland that runs down from the ear to the jaw, around the back of the jaw, so exactly where you describe.

A good way to check if it is this can be to give the horse piriton. If you describe your horse here, height/weight/type, I have a chart my vet gave me for dosing piriton as they need a lot to be effective. It's what I used for Fly as she suffered grass glands any time the grass changed. Just a little rain in the day would mean that by evening, she looked like a stallion on steroids!

If you are going to your vet anyway, call them first and ask them about trying the piriton route as they may want you to wait.

That said, if you can feel around the lump and feel that it is "attached", it is unlikely to be grass glands. Grass glands are just swollen gland....there should be no attachment to bone. So, have a good feel and just call your vet before going so you can discuss maybe trying the piriton before you bother with a visit :)

Have you also checked the horses other vital signs and are they all normal?
 
FirstLight said:
Thankyou all! Decided to get the vet out yesterday as I was hoping it was an infected bite. Vet came, there was no pus so no infection had a scan and it shows its a solid lump so vet is coming back today to take a biopsy, vet checked him all over has no temperature, teeth are fine, no other lumps, bumps, swellings, all the lymphs are fine so should have the biopsy results on Friday and then we will know what treatment. Hate not knowing!
Click to expand...

Ah, missed this, sorry. Hopefully it is just a nasty bite reaction xx
 
Thankyou GG :) vet said it isn't grass glands, the lump does feel 'attached' I think from the scan the vet is thinking it's in the muscle/bone! Don't like the unknown and then a 3 day wait for biopsy results!
 
Have no idea what it is, it hasn't got any bigger since yesterday but Friday night it blew up and continued to get bigger Saturday and Sunday. The vet doesn't seem to think infection/absess. Vet has been and taken 3 bits of flesh from the lump to run tests on, the lump isn't in the bone/joint/jaw it's in the flesh/muscle no idea what this means? There was a small amount of pus in the centre of the lump but not a lot, he thinks this is due to lack of blood supply to the centre of the lump. He's stiched up, in the field sporting a new fly hat! Bucas fly hat with half a pillowcase sewn onto the back to keep it covered and keep the flies off! He's got bute and antibiotics now, but have to wait for the results to work out the best treatment.
 
FirstLight said:
Have no idea what it is, it hasn't got any bigger since yesterday but Friday night it blew up and continued to get bigger Saturday and Sunday. The vet doesn't seem to think infection/absess. Vet has been and taken 3 bits of flesh from the lump to run tests on, the lump isn't in the bone/joint/jaw it's in the flesh/muscle no idea what this means? There was a small amount of pus in the centre of the lump but not a lot, he thinks this is due to lack of blood supply to the centre of the lump. He's stiched up, in the field sporting a new fly hat! Bucas fly hat with half a pillowcase sewn onto the back to keep it covered and keep the flies off! He's got bute and antibiotics now, but have to wait for the results to work out the best treatment.
Click to expand...

If hard, but not attached to anything and with no significant blood supply, I would be very surprised if it were any type of malignant mass. To grow as you have described if it were anything really sinister would require a significant blood supply. My thinking leans towards a nasty bite as you don't always get a bite site or a foreign body that has worked its way in. It could be a thorn tip from a thorn that went in and was knocked off months ago, leaving the tip behind that has buried itself in the tissue and caused a minor swelling and localised infection (would explain the puss). Doesn't have to be a thorn tip of course, could be any number of things.

My point is, from what you have described, I would not be worried about it being anything terrible. I am a big believer in only worrying when there is actually something to worry about...right now, it looks like something odd but not sinister, so try to relax until Friday and only then should you worry and only then if the results give cause for it.

Hope that makes sense...they do like to test our heart rates don't they!!
 
Recieved the biopsy results today! Good news! Was so worried as last year I lost my 4 year old welsh cob, this one's half brother to a rare hoof condition where his digital cushion disintegrated! I brought them at a few weeks old from the stud and then picked them up at 5 and 6 months old!

It shows its a puncture wound that caused the tissue to granulated and grow fiberours! Phew! He stays on his bute and anti biotics for treatment, he will be left with a small lump but that's the least of my worries!
Thankyou for all your advice, I'm just a panicer since last year!
 
FirstLight said:
Recieved the biopsy results today! Good news! Was so worried as last year I lost my 4 year old welsh cob, this one's half brother to a rare hoof condition where his digital cushion disintegrated! I brought them at a few weeks old from the stud and then picked them up at 5 and 6 months old!

It shows its a puncture wound that caused the tissue to granulated and grow fiberours! Phew! He stays on his bute and anti biotics for treatment, he will be left with a small lump but that's the least of my worries!
Thankyou for all your advice, I'm just a panicer since last year!
Click to expand...

There...no need to worry. So sorry to hear about your other horse. You can relax and enjoy the weekend now!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top