Soft swellings between forelegs?

Mrs B

Mrs B

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Hi All!

Had the hairy beast in for the last couple of nights (he'd been living out through the snow quite happily but now fields are mush and he's a mud monster), wanted to clean him up to clip this morning to get back on board.

He got very antsy about me clipping between his front legs - quite agitated which is not like him.

Then saw two soft swellings just where his forelegs meet his chest underneath in front of the girth (you know, in the wrinkly bit which is hell to clip!). One side bigger than the other and about the size of a small tangerine. Very hot to the touch, no sign of puncture or injury. Also very swollen sheath (which sometimes does happen on his first couple of nights in). Pinch tested the skin and he was a bit dehydrated, although he'd drunk nearly 2 buckets of water in the night. Also eating as normal. Gums slightly pale.

Cold compressed the lumps, which he obviously found welcome as he stopped fidgeting!

Anyhoo, hadn't gone down this evening when I got him in.

My guess is that he is fighting an infection somewhere and will have him blood tested on Tuesday but anyone else seen double lumps like these? Seen all sorts of haematomas and odemas over the years but not quite like these.

Thankies for reading and I'll post when I get the vet out and the bloods back.
 
Could he have been bitten by something in his bedding - insects?

Might it be something like rat fleas?

One of ours was getting bitten and had lumps - and then one day the little chap went spare in his stable and jumped around on the straw like a cat - and then I forked out a rather smashed up rat from the bedding - that was a BIG rat too!!!! Ugh...went and put dows sachets and traps - there seemed to be hundreds of the buggers! Killed them off though. Then we moved yard!
 
That little patch of skin and flesh, the "armpit" where the front legs join the body, can be a magnet for sweat, detritus and gunge. It can be very difficult to groom properly, especially with hairier horses and in poor winter light. The area can start to get sore and the skin starts to get thickened. Once it reaches that stage, the simple act of just walking about can aggravate it more and more. Take care because it's a prime site for more chronic skin conditions if not treated. I'd start bathing it very gently with warm Hibiscrub water and try to tease out any old scabs and grot with the end of a soft body brush. If the horse will stand still, gently clip as much of the hair away as you can without accidentally snipping any swollen bits of skin. Gently brush through the remaining hair so the area is as clean as possible. Do this regularly and it should slowly start to heal.
 
I would get your vet out as i had a horse with this and it turned out to be heart and liver failure, sadly after a 10 month battle i lost him, i would get this checked quickly perhaps get him on some milk thistle which will help if there is a liver problem liver can regenerate but once it fails over 75% its hopeless. I don,t mean to frighten you, but if my horse hadn,t been mis diagnosed with allergies he might have had a better chance. i do hope your horse hasn,t got this but please don,t delay in getting a competent vet to look at him and ask them to check his heart. wishing you luck x
 
I agree with Pines, when I read the title of this post, I immediately thought 'heart'. The only thing that makes me think otherwise is that they are hot which indicates some kind oftrauma or irritation. However, in this case I would definitely get the vet.
 
Morning all

Thank you for your replies - you are kind x
Brucea - good idea, but it's a fluid and soft.
Bof F - I know what you mean, but the skin after I'd clipped was smooth and scab-free - no sign of dermatitis.

UPDATE
Went up first thing this morning and the swellings were worse and spreading down his legs. Also some hard lumps come up on the outside of his shoulders.

So. Vet out and with me within 15 mins (bless her, but why does this ALWAYS happen on a Bank Holiday?)

Temp, heart, lungs normal - bloods taken and be back this afternoon, checking white bcs and for liver function (thanks, Pines, it was worrying me too) and we'll take it from there.

Obviously fluid gathering and travelling down due to gravity, but now just have to figure out WHY the fluid's there in the first place.

Will post later when I've heard back from the vet.

Thanks again everyone
Kate x
 
Could he have simply banged himself, maybe higher up but you haven't noticed it until gravity "assisted"?

Note to self to groom horses more often :o I have not groomed mine for months - they get linseed meal and I never seem to have to groom them! Except for the small chap - he mud baths. :D

Actually I do run my hands over everything once a day so I would pick anything up !
 
brucea said:
Could he have simply banged himself, maybe higher up but you haven't noticed it until gravity "assisted"?

Note to self to groom horses more often :o I have not groomed mine for months - they get linseed meal and I never seem to have to groom them! Except for the small chap - he mud baths. :D

Actually I do run my hands over everything once a day so I would pick anything up !
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Not sure, as it's both sides - like, as the vet said "water boobs!"

Bloods are now back and...... all is normal. Just soooo weird - I and the Y/O would have both put money on something showing. Think vet was pretty surprised too.

So, have been advised bute morning and evening for a week, 24/7 turnout to allow the fluid to disperse and close observation to see how it goes.

Most odd. :cool:
 
When my horse had this the first thing was the swellings just in front of the girth, but still fine in himself then when ridden would sometimes do a little skip step om his near fore [ this was his heart missing a beat] he then developed a little cough , vet came listened to his heart said he had a murmer he then did an ECG he had atrial fibrilation heartbeat all over the place also did bloods which came back pretty normal slidhtly low albumen but didn,t show liver failure he was put on digitalis for his heart and diuretics for the fluid this stabilised him for a couple of months and then things went down hill , his cough got worse his sheath swelled his legs swelled he had pale gums and a digital pulse and was now losing a lot of weight i was struggling to get food don him. This treatment wasn,t working so as a last ditch attempt i got a homepathic vet he hit with every thing he could and he seemed to be responding his hearbeat came back to normal, then one day i found him dead in his field looked peaceful had just dropped, the vet asked if he could do a post mortem the results showed an enlarged heart and a liver that was only 5% working vet was amazed he had lasted so long, i always wish i had had him pts when i fist found out. RIP my dear brave Grant
 
I'm really sorry to read that, Pines. They break your heart, don't they?
But we can't seem to stop keeping them!
 
Thanks Kate, i truely hope that it is something else with your horse, is he young or old, what breed? Grant was a big ex seeplechaser and was 17 when it started and 18 when he died.
 
pines of rome said:
Thanks Kate, i truely hope that it is something else with your horse, is he young or old, what breed? Grant was a big ex seeplechaser and was 17 when it started and 18 when he died.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Hun. He's that grey <<<<<<<< and is rising 16, IDx 15.3hh and I've had him since he was 10.

He mostly lives out 24/7 but was in at night for the muddiest 3 months of last winter and his sheath did swell then but not his chest. He's only been in for 3 nights since the snow went, but until I clipped him after the 2nd night, I couldn't see the swellings for fluff! The vet said if it's still the same in a month, she'll start looking into it further - one possibility further down her 'mental list' is Cushings.
 
I lost my second horse Jack 22 year old T.B due to cushings progressing to laminitis wasn,t going to have him suffer at that age so i made the heart breaking decision to let him go but although he grew the big coat he never had any swelling anywhere, but a freind of mine did have a mare with simalar symtons and she did have a mild heart murmer but the real problem was kidney failure she was 28 so was pts. if your vet dosen,t seem sure i would get another opinion. Hope you find out soon ,lovely horse by the way xxx
 
My old mare suffered from swellings but not quite between the front legs, slightly further back. Tests were done, all inconclusive and they eventually went away. The pic attached was taken 2 years ago. She was pts 1 month ago aged 25 due to illness, some of the symptoms of which could have been for heart failure. After reading your post I am now wondering if the two were related and the swellings were the start of possible heart failure, which I did mention at the time but weren't really considered.
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Sorry to read that Dotty. x

Swelling was worse again this morning and more widespread although of course as it's fluid, that could be gravity taking effect. Hoping the bute will kick in properly tonight and he's still eating well and looking bright, but I think it'll be another vet visit needed tomorrow. Just so bizarre that the bloods came back normal! Something's not right, just wish I knew what! :(:confused:
 
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