Melanomas?- Swollen lip and throat.

[mealies]

My old grey mare (24) has had small melanomas on the corners of her lips for years, this week though the lip has suddenly swollen and the swelling and thickening of her lip extends upto the cheek teeth area and also between her jaw bones, she recently had her teeth done and seams to eat ok. Could this be down to agressive transformation of the melanomas and ultimatly a poor prognosis for my mare, or do you think its more likely to be an infection in the lip?
(She has started on bute and antibiotics until her check up next week)
Thank you

 

[Fairynuff]

I tried to reply yesterday but as usual, got the 'we have far too many of you hanging around so we are going to close down on you for a while' syndrome

. I have never seen melanoma explode like you described and I have my fingers crossed that it is just a nasty old infection! Please let me know how she is-I would like to know!

Mairi.
PS; welcome to the forum!

 

[the watcher]

There is quite a bit of information to suggest that melanoma around the jaw and throat can become very aggressive in later life so you can't completely discount this possibility. if that is that case there will be no improvement with the antibiotics. One of those times when you hope it is just a local infection.