Oedema?

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RachelB

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When I brought Berlin in today, I noticed the right side of his belly was looking rather bloated (strange as he's had no extra grass recently). I got as far as brushing his elbows and noticed a lovely oedema (no heat or sensitivity) right where the girth lies, about the size and shape of a small mango (best thing I can use to describe it!) I then realised that the "fat" belly was actually a shallow layer of oedema, which covers from about where the bottom of the saddle panels would be down to the bottom of his ribs, and from about eight inches behind his shoulder, to the "front" of his flank, and it then sort of "tapers" back round his flank and disappears (sort of like a fishtail saddlecloth shape). It's very shallow (apart from the pocket on his girth area) and I don't *think* it's on the other side or anywhere else on his body (his left side is also soft and squidgy but not in that sort of "spongy" way an oedema feels). It definately wasn't there on Saturday afternoon/ evening as I rode him and would have noticed. He wasn't ridden yesterday, and due to the weather he had his coat on all day yesterday so hasn't been seen naked since Friday evening. Obviously he couldn't have rolled in anything as he was rugged, and he's been in the same field for about three weeks now.
I've texted his owner and I'll go up later to discuss it with her (Berlin is going out on Wednesday and we're *supposed* to be going to RC camp next Monday!) but in the meantime, as I can't find any info in the one vet book I have with me, and none in H&H's archive, does anyone have any advice? I'm thinking we leave it until tomorrow and then decide whether to get a vet out (seeing as he is meant to be going partying next week and I've spent the full £200+ on it, I sort of need to get it sorted!
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) - does that sound sensible? Is there actually anything the vet can do??
Flaming typical that I manage to damage another horse (even if it wasn't directly me, I am cursed!) - last year I was supposed to be taking MY horse to camp and she tore her tendon! Comments/ advice/ suggestions/ sympathy MUCH appreciated!
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No... might pop up there quickly! TBH I don't think the large flat area would show up on a photo, I can mainly tell it's there because it feels sort of spongy. I did think I should have taken a photo today and tomorrow to compare...
 
Ok, things to report:
1) turns out I was over-reacting about the swelling being more than just the pocket of fluid by his elbow
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2) turns out I was over-reacting about the size, it's not quite that big!
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It's big enough to be cupped in the palm of my hand.
3) pic isn't very good (took a few but this is the only one that showed anything! Damned greys!) but...
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You can sort of see the profile of it...
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Owner has given him some homeopathic remedy (Apis) and will check him tomorrow and decide then whether to call the vet.
(OMG that foot, farrier is coming Wed!!)
 
Maybe not as big as you thought, but still big enough to be clearly seen on your photo. How odd. I wonder if he has been kicked? Or if he has had a reaction to something he may have been lying on?
 
We thought a kick was unlikely because otherwise we'd expect him to be sensitive about it? He quite liked having it prodded and squished! As for lying on something, he's been in the same field for a few weeks now (although granted he's probably not managed to lie on every bit of the field yet!) so we thought if he was going to react to something he would have by now? Although I suppose lying on something would be different to just touching it with his nose or something...
hmmmmmm...
 
Could it be urticaria? Nettle rash? Now would be about the time the baby nettles are pushing their way up.
 
Urticaria looks and feels like oedema and often come in largish patches. Sometimes you will see that they have "moved" and then they just disappear.
 
My boy suffers from Urticaria from time to time.
When he took it last summer, due to a food allergy, he had a large pocket of fluid under his belly (oedema). It was very pronounced and easy to see.
It took about a month to go away completely and I couldn't ride him as the girth would have been touching it.
It didn't seem to bother him.
 
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It took about a month to go away completely and I couldn't ride him as the girth would have been touching it.

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*cries* there goes camp!!
It's still there this morning, I don't think it's changed at all, will more than likely be getting owner to call vet to see if there's anything we can do to speed it up.
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Don't panic...my boy was suffering from a severe allergy at the time!
He was covered in lumps and then developed the odema on his belly.
His allergy was being treated with steroids but had been stopped due to the risk of laminitis.
By the looks of it your boy is nowhere near as bad...I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!
 
Oh he's definately not covered. Hopefully we can get vet out in time and hopefully they'll suggest a shot of steroids to get rid of it for camp. That's our main concern! Poor boy isn't fit enough as it is though, if he has to have the rest of the week off too I think we'll have to take it quite easy at camp - I just hope we can go at all!
Thanks
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Has he overjumped, overexercised or had a new saddle lately? Ive seen this in another horse and it was down to her being able to move freely through the shoulders after having a new, correctly fitted, saddle. Just a thought.
 
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Has he overjumped, overexercised or had a new saddle lately?

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Nope (doesn't jump), nope (meant to be getting him fit but he doesn;t hack alone very well and our hacking partner is a 20yo fat Haflinger
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) and nope. Nothing has been done differently in the last few weeks that I can remember... other than that he was fed a couple of cabbage leaves the other day (by a woman who will NOT listen when owner and I tell her not to feed them). I hadn't thought of that... could that be related? That must have been on Sunday (he was checked Saturday and didn't have the lump, then not checked until Monday)...
I also did have to do the girth up tighter than usual on Saturday as he wouldn't go near enough to the mounting block to let me get on without the saddle slipping, but I didn't do it any tighter than I would normally during exercise (I usually mount with it on the fourth hole and do it up to the fifth after a while, this time had to mount with it on the fifth) and I do sometimes have to mount with it that tight so it's not like it's an unusual occurrance.
Just confused now!
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Our pony got one after being jumped and a pole flipping up and hitting his belly - underneath but to the side and behind the girth. It (the oedematous patch) pitted and was about 15cm/6 inches diameter and non-painful. The pole hardly touched him we felt, but it doesn't take much, apparently, to cause them! Too low for a kick and in a funny place. The vet said exercise was good and he had no problems whatsoever with it - although it went up a bit before it went away completely. I'd forgotten about it until you did this post!!!!
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And he didn't get any time off, either
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The reason I was concerned about working him is because the girth would completely cover it and squish it. I've been advised by a very knowledgable person who knows Berlin that if it hurt him, he'd definitely tell me about it (he's a big wuss and a very sensitive chap) - so I will try riding tomorrow and I won't do the girth up too tight. Lucky he's not a roundy pony and the saddle shouldn't slip! Owner is giving him homeopathic remedies and herbal remedies and hopefully it should have gone by Monday's departure for camp.
 
My grey has had a few oedemas over the years. First one appeared on his side after i stupidly added literally a couple of drops of fairy liquid to his bath water... Second one was after he had a rug burn on his chest after going head over heels in the field.

The one on his chest was quite freaky as it started where the rug fastens and slipped down to between his front legs where it hung for few days before vanishing. The one on his side just went down.

Anyway! Both times the vet saw jacks and both times i was told not to ride until they had dispersed (they would both have been in the girth region). He was lunged instead. We used hot and cold compresses to help them go down and usually a couple of days is all it takes.

Hes grey so probably sensitive skin.. it could be anything
 
Thanks for that, it's still there at the moment but it's no bigger (or smaller for that matter). He's still not sensitive about it in any way, we reckon it must be a bite from some insect or other. Vet has given us some bute to help it go down quicker. I was cruel and rode yesterday
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(on advice of owner though!) and it made not a blind bit of difference. Once I got him home I cold hosed it as the vet had advised. Berlin carried on as normal - strange as he's your stereotypical sensitive Arab! Hopefully it will have gone by Monday, but if not I shall keep hosing it at camp and play it by ear.
Thanks for all the replies guys
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My horse has something like that at the moment. It is also on the girth area. Its a hardish lump that is obviously internal as I can pinch the skin over it. He isnt bothered by it. Iv noticed that when he plays in the field or has had excersise without the saddle it seems to get smaller so maybe excersise could reduce it faster? Id be interested to know what you guys think.
 
Don,t want to scare you, but I had a horse with an oedema in the girth area, ti was misdiagnosed as an allergy, treated with steroids!
Turned out to be heart and liver failure, lost him 10 months later, so if you are at all worrried get him thoroughly checked out. I do hope this isn,t the case, but I just wanted to let you know as my horse went from looking fantastic with just a little swelling to awful in that space of time, tried everything to save him it was heartbreaking in the end he dropped dead out in his field.
 
Pines of Rome - How old was your horse and by thoroughly checked do you mean scans etc? what checks did you have on your horse before the diagnosis? Really appreciate you replying. thanks
 
My horse was 17, a big ex racer, the steroids didn,t help had another vet who suspected a heart problem as he could hear fluid on his lungs, had an ECG done, my horse had atrial fibrulation, his heart was missing beats all over the place which was causing the oedemas.
vet said best to pts, wish i had, but i wanted to give him a chance so he had human heart pills and diruretics which helped for a while, but after afew months he went downhill again had a homeopathic vet who thought he could help, my horse had lost a lt of weight by now anyway we tried and even managed to get his heart beating normally but the liver was too far gone and he dropped in his field, still had grass in his mouth.
the vet asked to do a post mortem, he had an enlarged heart and only 5% liver function. this was 15 yrs ago so treatments now are probably better, I wouldn,t go through that again, but I do wonder if time hadn,t been wasted by the first vet if there might have been a different outcome. R.I.P My Dear Grant.
 
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