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oliviacharley

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Not too sure if I am just over worrying here...which I tend to do...
I have only ever had ponies before and they have been as tough as old boots...no knocks, no cuts and usually pretty smart....I finally buy a palomino last year and he is accident prone....I went down one evening to find he had torn his new fly sheet and pulled half the skin off his side with him...! managed to put lots of wound powder on it and bath it with hibiscrub etc and it all looks fine and is healing well.
I have had a fly mask and sheet on him since April due to him suddenly getting sweetitch too but he always manages to get the mask off and the flies drive his ears mad...finally found a great mask but on taking it off last week noticed it has rubbed under his cheek - well actually where the top of his tounge would be actually...today I noticed it looks quite puffy and soar and although he has not worn it for the week it looks quite swollen...now I have been checking it and he does seem to get a big reaction from anything so I am thinking it is just still a little soar and taking time to heal...only problem is I am wondering if it might be the start of strangles..?
I have looked at his eatting and he is fine and finishing his nightly chaff with vits, plus each morning when I put the fly cream on him he seems to be quite happy and not having problems...I did notice today he was yawning a little more then often and wondered if it was causing him a problem...
I was going to call my vet but I dont want them to come out and just say, oh its just swollen and charge me a fortune where if I had just left it and kept an eye on it, it might go down...
I am just wondering what other people think...he is not off his food, no soarness around throat or head, happy in himself and his company has no syptoms either...
can someone tell me is strangles a quick illness and occurs obviously..? I am not too sure...
 
"Once a horse becomes infected the symptoms usually appear within 2 to 6 days.

Symptoms of Strangles:
nfected horses quickly develop a high temperature (up to 41°C) causing them to become depressed and go off their food. In the following days the lymph nodes around the throat enlarge due to abscesses forming with in them. These can result in respiratory obstruction and difficulty swallowing, hence the name strangles. Although the name sounds concerning, complete respiratory obstruction does not occur. The abscesses in the lymph nodes may rupture of their own accord or may need to be surgically opened by your vet. Infected horses often develop a nasal discharge which may start clear but becomes thick with pus and often copious in amount. They frequently also develop a cough. In very rare cases, the bacteria may affect other lymph nodes in the body and cause abscesses to form through out the horse’s body."

Found this on a website, so it sounds like it can happen pretty quickly. But first symptom is usually the horse going off its feed? Which yours isnt so IMO it doesnt sound like it, but then Im not pro! If you're worried then get the vet out just to rule it out.

2 of my horses last summer suddenly rubbed patches off their cheeks (literally overnight), they kept rubbing for about 2 weeks (I tried loads of things, including anti-hystemines which didnt work etc.) then it cleared up all on its own. Was very odd! But I did find the skin got puffy around the rubbed area. Im not sure if this is the same though as maybe it was just the mask rubbing it?
 
thanks Magicmerlin, thats great advice and puts my mind at ease..
He is a bit of a wuss when anything touches him, seems to puff up under his skin and look something is going to erupt like out of alien...
He is def not off his food...he eats, eats and eats a bit more so I think I would know if he was ill...
thanks again for the advice...good to know, always a help when someone replies when you are worried.
 
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