Odd Shoulder Bitting Behaviour?

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Beth C

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Hello,

I have a 20yr old TB gelding who is full of life and in great condition. But about 3 wks ago he came in from the field bitting his right shoulder, to which I thought he had a bee sting. 2 wks later he was still biting the right shoulder. I have had a vet out and they are completely baffled, He only has these symptoms in the evening and looks very sorry for him self. Has any one got any ideas, or have seen this behaviour before? I have had a massage therapist out who said he was extreamly sore over his last 3 ribbs but had shown a great improvement on the second treatment but he continues to bite his shoulder.
 
my welsh x pony does it.he plucks at himself and makes himself raw. i have found with him it's usually times of year ie malting etc. i normally give him a couple of warm baths in dermoline and this does the trick .hope this is of some help
 
It is possible there is a local irritant or something else bugging him. It's also possible it's a sterotypie (a "habit" like cribbing) - there are TB lines known as "mutilators". I know because I had one, by a stallion by Round Table, down a St Simon line. Mine didn't bite himself (although he had few other wacky habits) but I knew relatives who did. Apparently Ribot used to attack trees!

It would be very unusual for an otherwise healthy and happy horse to just start such a behaviour out of the blue though.
 
is it possible he could have arthritic pain? Dogs chew at painful joints - perhaps he has what my mum used to call "screws", she used to rub hers with the heel of her hand to relieve the pain.
 
The vet didnt seam to think it was a skin iritation as his coat is in great condition and there is no lumps or marks in the hair. I thought it could be an arthritic pain but I would have thought he would have trotted up with some lameness? TarrSteps, how did you find out about the TB lines? I would like to look into that to see if I can find any thing, but as you say I dont understand why hes started now. I feel it could be a traped nerve but I dont know much about them and wouldnt the massage therapist have found it if there was? Thank you all for you posts
 
My horse keeps pointing with his nose at his near fore shoulder, so much so that I have asked my physio to have a look to see if there are any problems. He does have a problem with that leg (suspensory ligament sprain) so I wondered if the shoulder was hurting and he was trying to tell me (he is a very intelligent horse). The physio couldn't find any problem but when I groom the shoulder with a soft plastic curry comb and then stop he points to the area with his muzzle and will sometimes bite it. I used to think it was because it was itchy and he enjoyed it but do wonder if its something else. He doesn't appear to be doing it so much at the moment, the vet is pleased with his progress with the injured leg so maybe his shoulder doesn't hurt any more (if that's what it is). The physio is very pleased with him also.
 
AppleCart14, That sounds just like it! The vet has told me to put him on bute for a while to check its a 'pain' issue and not a behavour issue but I know my horse and I beleive its a pain thing, I will get them to check him again once hes finnished the bute. Pancake, I would really like to get the details of the person you are using, I cant seem to find the thread that you are refering to.

Thanks All!
 
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