Nosebleeds

[pfarrugia]

Hiya all,

My boy has now had 2 nose bleeds this week - today i think i found him in the early stages and he lost quite a bit of blood (more of a stream than a trickle). I called the vet who said that he was too busy today to come and see him (I am a little angry about this!) and to book him in for tomorrow but just called the practice and all equine vets are busy tomorrow - should I worry and make the vets come out or am I just being over-protective as usual? He has only had a couple of odd nosebleeds in the past 5 yrs i've had him (all from same nostril)! I looked up the nostril today and it was very inflammed.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance

 

[JustKickOn]

i'd get it checked out if i were you. like the saying goes "better safe than sorry"

hope hes okay x

 

[Tierra]

Did he bleed out of two nostrils or just the one? And what kind of colour was the blood?

General rule of thumb is that bleeding from one nostril is more indicative of them having banged themself or something. The blood should also be a brighter red colour.

Bleeding from both nostrils can indicate that the bleed is coming from somewhere else, often the blood is then a deeper red.

If he's banged himself, they can lose a fair amount of blood and it can then stop / start over a few days while it heals internally.

My horse fell on his head over summer (yes, literally) and suffered concussion, bruising and on / off bleeding for a day or so. The vets did come out as they were close but there was very little they could do.

Anyway! The above is just the "rule of thumb" ive always been taught regarding nosebleeds

 

[vicijp]

Was there any relation between the two nosebleeds? Were they after work or in the stable? Any chance he may have banged his head? Were they from one nostril or both?
There are a lot of bugs about at the moment, which can cause a horse to burst a blood vessel. We have had a bug go round the yard which you cant tell apart from when they race, it comes and goes within a week or 2 (that means lots of blood tests) - so if he is ok to the eye and feel dont necessarily assume he is ok.
If its just one nostril I wouldnt be unduly worried, but would still get the vet. If it is both nostrils then it is either coming from the lungs or the sinuses. If it is from the lungs it can quite serious - dont let him lie down.
I would ask the vet to scope and blood test, it could be a number of things and £100 to eradicate a guessing game is well worth it. The scope will show a level of bleeding and exactly where it is coming from. It will also show if there is any excessive mucus which has helped to cause the bleed. The blood test may show up a bit of a virus, and will assist greatly with which drugs you need to use - if any.
I dont know how much work you do, but would definetly lay off a bit until you are in the picture. A 'stream' sounds like it could be quite a lot - remember what you see on the outside is only a fraction of what is going on inside.

 

[pfarrugia]

thanks for your help - vicijp both all nosebleeds he has ever had have occurred in the field. He is t/o on his own so not a kick and nothing really to bang himself on (think he'd have drowned first if it was the ground due to the amount of rain we've had!!!)

He's not in hard hard work but he does get schooled for approx an hour a day (4 days a week) and hacked the rest.

The blood is very bright red.

Think i will make the vet come out tomorrow otherwise i'll just worry all weekend!!!

Thanks for your help guys! xxx

 

[RachelB]

My horse has an ongoing saga with minor nosebleeds. She gets them usually after hard work, and usually clumped together in a month or so, then they go off. Only ever a trickle and usually out of the left nostril, although last time was the right, but never out of both. My vet has been very helpful and has scoped her left side and found nothing, and we're currently waiting to see if she bleeds again, when she will be scoped again. We imagine she has weak blood vessels or something in her nostrils, which could be what your horse has... although if I were you I'd change vet and get them to scope him if they think it would be worthwhile. Your vet sounds useless! Mine said she would call on one day and hadn't got back to me, so I called the surgery and harrassed them and she called back within 20 mins... and is always happy to give help over the phone.
Anyway my horse is on a week of walking and trotting work after every bleed on the vet's advice, it may be an idea to take it easy for a week or so while you find a proper vet!

 

[chunk]

it happened to my horse a while ago i dont think it is anything to worry about as mine seemed to be ok

 

[WishfulThinker]

I remember once walking into the stable and thinking Beau hasd been at the Ketchup! The floor was covered in red blobs, along with his right nostril! It wasnt bleeding, and he was fine when he was out, just after he had his tea or in the morning it would bleed. Turns out he had a barley spavins up his nose that was cutting it! and he was picking them up from the bedding!

After 2 weeks they stopped as we got a new bale and I stopped taking so much of his bed out so there wasnt as much dust.

He didnt seem bothered by it though, he was a nutty as ever!

 

[annaellie]

I have the same op as Tierra about nosebleeds also what breed is your horse as in my experance TBs tend to more prone to them, but yes I would have a vet out as imo its better to spend on a vets bill and have your mind put at ease.

 

[pfarrugia]

hiya, he's an ID x TB (although you couldn't find the TB!) The vet is coming out today during my lunch break so will see what he says.

Thanks for your help x

 

[Moggy]

Sorry dont know about nosebleeds but I'd be changing my vet!

 

[pfarrugia]

vet came out today and could find nothing both in the nose and through the guttoral (sp?) pouch so all looks good. Thank you all for all of your help x

 

[madhector]

glad hes ok