sore swolen belly

[fawndashaw]

My sister-in-law's 20+ mare has swelling right behind where the girth goes. The swelling is right along the vein line on both sides and is swollen across the bottom of the belly. It is very sore to the touch but ptherwise she is eating and acting normal. It has been swollen for 3 or 4 days now. I haven't seen this before and would appreciate any info.

 

[tikino]

Get the vet out as this could be somethinf serious to do with her intestines etc

 

[lhotse]

Sounds very much like ventral oedema to me. Nothing to do with her intestines, as is they were sticking out, she certainly would be very ill!! If it's sore to the touch, I would get the vet out as she may need a course of antibiotics to kill off any infection in the lymphatic system. Mine had massive ventral oedema secondary to lymphagitis, so it's worth checking her legs as well for swelling. Ventral oedema can be caused by other factors also, such as too much protein in the blood and certain types of lymphoma, as well as poor circulation. My mare still suffers from it sometimes, usually her back legs are puffy as well, but it's not sore and in her case I believe it to be due to her age (25) and the fact that she suffered from septicemia 3 years ago which may have impared her heart slightly. It goes down with a walk around the fields and a brush with a stiff dandy brush, but she is not sore with it. She has also had blood tests to rule out any protein problems.
I think I would be having a word with the vet to put my mind at rest if this is abnormal for the horse.