Swelling behind jaw, vet thinks injury, I thought thyroid?

Orchardbeck

Orchardbeck

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My old mare has a swelling behind her jaw which to me looks like an enlarged thyroid gland, although it is very slightly more prominent on the off side.

I asked the vet to take a look when she was sedating her for dental work yesterday and she said she thought it was more on her larynx, as if she could have injured it putting her head over something like the stable door? She also asked if she was showing symptoms of thyroid issues, which is difficult to tell, I'm not sure.

It did get bigger for while and I increased her feed as she was dropping weight plus wasn't getting a full ration, however now she is, it appears to be reducing in size which make me wonder if she had an iodine deficiency.

When I say reducing, this is over a matter of weeks - I would have thought injury swelling would have taken less time than that. Can anyone shed any light?

It is not swollen grass/parotid glands, although these do raise occasionally which the vet and dentist put down to her dental diastema.
 
Thank you very much Shay, that is really helpful. I'm still convinced it is a thyroid issue, although she displays symptoms from both the hypo and hyper list! Since I've upped her feed, and therefore her iodine intake she has put weight back on, the lump has reduced, but her legs appear to be 'thicker' - I just put it down to her winter coat coming in and me comparing them to her sec A pal's tiny legs, plus she has had the swollen glands around her face. But she is not lethargic, enjoys her exercise, and canters around chasing the little mare. I think I'm going to have to have another discussion with the vet.
 
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