lump in throat

[Daisychain]

My four year old mare has a lump on the right hand side of her throat, she has had it for quite a while and is one of those things i will ask vet to look at when he is out next! it would be the size of a pigeons egg and rubbery in feel, it moves around quite freely, just at top of throat where head and neck join. Any ideas

 

[vicijp]

That it the thyroid galnd.
It sounds as though it is the 'normal' size, but I have found that it differs from horse to horse.
Do you think you may have just noticed it, or that it is getting bigger?
If it is getting bigger then it is generally down to an iodine imbalance. There are more specialist things to tackle it, but I find a course of Pink Powder(relatively high iodine content) knocks it on the head in my horse.
His generally gets triggered by anaemia, so it maybe worth getting a vets opinion and a blood test.

 

[Lucy_Ally]

Agree with Vici, sounds like the thyroid gland. I would only worry if it changes size or you notice changes in her weight/personality that are not down to feed or workload.

 

[Daisychain]

No it isnt getting bigger, i prob noticed it about 4 months ago, she always looks fit and well, i have just started giving her blood salts which have iodine etc in them so will see if that makes difference, but could also get pink powders. I did see a picture of horse with thyroid gland up but i thought it looked lower on the neck, say hands breath down from jowl but could have been mistaken. thanks for info.

 

[openbluesea]

<lump on the right hand side of her throat>
<it moves around quite freely>

It doesnt sound like a thyroid gland to me....
I would suggest you have a Vet examine it.If it is a tumor (either good or bad one) maybe a biopsy is the answer and in such cases the faster you figure it out the better for the Horse's health prognosis. The fact that is not getting bigger sounds really positive.

 

[kcgibson]

i agree it sounds like a thyroid gland. My mum's horse has one side of the gland very prominent compared to the other and vet told me to keep an check on the size and if it was getting any bigger. He said it was nothing to worry about at all. I was also told by vet that tumours are uncommon in that area.

 

[GreedyGuts]

From your description it sounds like it is almost certainly the thyroid. Benign enlargement can occur in some horses for no apparent reason and is nothing to worry about. I doubt that your vet would advise any further investigation. Enlargement does not result in any change in the hormones produced by the gland, as can occur in other animals. I wouldn't worry at all if it was my horse.

 

[Daisychain]

Thanks for information every one, just to let you no that vet was on yard this morning and asked her to have a look and yes it is the thyroid gland and nothing to worry about.