Potential broken nose? Help

[SolvadelliZ]

hello,

on the 4th April my horse was kicked in the face. He came in with a swollen face and and kick mark just below his eye. The first 2 days he couldn't eat properly and was quidding. He then was eating dribs and drabs but spent most of the time in the stable stood not eating. The swelling went and he was eating a little more, I got back on board and he's started bucking until I come off but only on the right rein. I've had the physio and dentist come check him, dentist didn't find anything but said it doesn't mean he hasn't damaged anything under the surface. The physio found soreness in his back right leg from where he was kicked a few times.

I noticed a slight bit of blood from the left nostril on the side hes been kicked, I'm getting a full head xray this week and obviously won't be getting on him. Has anyone dealt with a broke nose before? What the recovery process /time? My friends think the behaviour is naughtiness but im sure its pain as before this he was foot perfect. I'm so stressed and upset that it could be behaviour but surely he'd of done this before, right?

 

[Tiddlypom]

What did your vet say at the time the horse was injured?

The horse has been kicked in several places?

 

[Gloi]

I'm glad you are finally getting him x-rayed. I'm surprised it wasn't the first thing you did.

 

[AmyMay]

A kick to the head is always a medical emergency. And I’m sure your vet treated it as such at the time. Follow their advice for a successful recovery.

 

[Red-1]

What did the X rays say? Am thinking that a fractured skull could take longer before it felt comfortable. If there were any fragments, they could cause infection and pressure.

 

[Melody Grey]

Did I read this right? A kick to the head causing substantial swelling and no vet visit until a fortnight later?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

You should have got a vet out the day it happened let's hope it isn't broken!

 

[PurBee]

Did I read this right? A kick to the head causing substantial swelling and no vet visit until a fortnight later?

hello,

on the 4th April my horse was kicked in the face. He came in with a swollen face and and kick mark just below his eye. The first 2 days he couldn't eat properly and was quidding. He then was eating dribs and drabs but spent most of the time in the stable stood not eating. The swelling went and he was eating a little more, I got back on board and he's started bucking until I come off but only on the right rein. I've had the physio and dentist come check him, dentist didn't find anything but said it doesn't mean he hasn't damaged anything under the surface. The physio found soreness in his back right leg from where he was kicked a few times.

I noticed a slight bit of blood from the left nostril on the side hes been kicked, I'm getting a full head xray this week and obviously won't be getting on him. Has anyone dealt with a broke nose before? What the recovery process /time? My friends think the behaviour is naughtiness but im sure its pain as before this he was foot perfect. I'm so stressed and upset that it could be behaviour but surely he'd of done this before, right?

You’re lucky your horse is alive - a kick to the temple by another horse can easily kill. If other kicks were found on your horse it sounds like he’s being severely bullied by a field mate - do you know which other horse did it? Is he now on his own turned out?
Point being, if you dont know which horse did it, best keep him away from the horses he was with, and get a vet ASAP....24hr emergency vet for this kind of injury.

Swollen face, bloody nose, not eating for 2 days is an emergency, as said. Head injuries by kicks are serious, always.

Im amazed you bridled such a horse and rode him, no surprise he bucked due to bridle pain on his head.
He’s not being naughty, he’s in pain. Yes, he would have bucked you off before having a kick to his head if he was just being ‘naughty’. Although rarely are horses naughty for the sake of it - pain is often the true cause of ‘behavioural’ issues.

I would get him to a vet with x-ray ASAP. Concussion, fractures, brain bleeds etc are all possibilities that need to be ruled-out.

 

[Gloi]

The blood from the nose made me think there might be damage to a sinus, the bones covering them are pretty fragile.

 

[conniegirl]

You are lucky the horse is still alive!
We had one on the yard that got a kick to the head and it had to be kept sedated in a dark stable for 3 days so that it didn’t end up with a bleed/clot in its brain. Even after those 3 days we had to keep it calm and quiet for a couple of weeks. It didnt get ridden for months!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

If there is a fracture there, which I suspect there is, you won't be putting a bridle or saddle on that horse for a few months.

You should have got the vet straight away for a kick to the head. I have absolutely no sympathy for you what so ever. Get your horse sorted and hope they end up with no long term damage.

 

[ITPersonnage]

Put it this way, if I had friends like that they wouldn't be friends for long.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I simply cannot believe this

 

[vhf]

I've had one with a fractured skull - damage was roughly between the eyes.
After four days the bleeding from the nose stopped, swelling reduced and eating resumed. After about a week she looked externally like she could have been ridden, but in fact, with associated traumas and additional ones from the same accident, it was 6 weeks before she was medically ready to return to even in hand work. We then turned away for a full six months after that point to be sure everything reached a new normal at its own speed. There was neck damage due to the impact to the head and a lot of mental trauma quite apart from the damage to facial structures. She was brought back into work with her injury sites in mind to be sure she redeveloped strength properly in any weakened areas.
The medical professionals said she probably had the headache from h*ll for six weeks too from the combined effects of fracture, neck and other trauma. If I'd tried to make her work, I doubt she'd have been 'well behaved' even if nothing else hurt, and she's never a 'naughty' horse. A lot to consider when superficially, the horse looks mended.

 

[Jim bob]

I remember I got a phone call at 07:50 to say my horse was covered in blood. Never sped to the yard so quickly! Or jumped out of bed so fast! Horse had a kick to his forehead, it was possible fractured. When the vet came 1.5 hours later. Vet got second opinion. As could have needed a CT scan. Luckily as it wasn't bothering him and not showing further signs of problems ( had a few alarm bells I needed to look out for then it would have been CT scan). No work for 2 months while it healed.

 

[DabDab]

Wow. I'm gobsmacked and actually feel quite sick. To not get a vet and then to ride a horse with an injury like that....my heart just breaks for the poor horse.