Swollen depressions over the eyes

[Flame_]

My big mare has always had puffiness around the temporal fossa and sometimes across her forehead.

I know this can be a sign of cushings disease but this is 7 yo, 16.1hh, ISH X SF. She has no other indications towards cushings.

She does have weird issues about her ears being touched (sometimes

) and sometimes panicky, re-active behavior when ridden.

I'm just wondering, in the rare cases of horses found to have brain tumors, is this ever a symptom? My vets keep telling me there's nothing wrong in her head because she's not inconsistent enough, but I don't believe them! Totally clutching at straws here, but has anyone experienced similar problems?

Any other suggestions welcome. BTW, she has it whether she's fat or thin and isn't creasty or anything like that.

 

[shazza283]

If you consider how thick a horse's skull is and the fact that the brain is encased in thick bone all around it - it just doesn't hold up that a brain tumour would cause swelling on the head without consistent clinical signs.

A brain tumour that was so big that it was causing swelling of the skull around it would be exerting enormous pressure on the brain - probably before any external signs could be seen - the pressure on the brain would cause all sorts of problems, depending on which bits of the brain it was squashing - from fits to blindness, loss of balance, colapse, behavioural issues etc etc.

If you think about humans with brain tumours one of the most consistent things is they look totally normal.

I'd believe your vet.

It could be old injury related? old scarring? Just a really way out idea - have you tried riding without browband? If she's a big girl it may be a bit tight??

 

[Flame_]

Thanks for answering. Yes, that's true when related to humans. She does have very extreme behavioral problems ridden but not in the field and she's never collapsed or anything like that.

Can't be the browband thing, she's barely ridden and she's been turned away since last summer, still the same.

I suppose an old injury's quite a strong possibility.

 

[Bubbles]

How are her sinuses, I wonder if it could be fluid build up? I suppose if she's got a pressure build up of some kind that could cause behaviour issues... Cushings is the only thing I've even seen do this, but there must be other things that cause it.

 

[Flame_]

Erm, not sure about her sinuses. She's never seemed to have breathing problems or mucus or anything like that. She had a lot of nosebleeds when I first got her and she was endoscoped for them, would that have shown up a sinus problem? It was just burst blood vessels causing the nosebleeds and they stopped, and the endoscope didn't show up any other problems.

Thanks.

 

[AmyMay]

Try popping a small amount of vick in the corner of her nostril for a few days - just to see if it is her sinus, and to encourage her nose to run.

Is she overweight?

 

[Flame_]

Ok, will try the vicks.

She's not overweight at the moment, she's a bit odd looking due to lack of work but I'd say she's about the right weight.

In the year I've had her she has had fat and fit spells and I've not noticed a pattern linked with the puffy head.

Thank you.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Be careful putting vick directly onto the sensitive skin inside the nose of a horse with existing behaviour problems! Vick stings! There has been something in the press in the last few days about how people use it totally wrongly on themselves/children/etc. It's supposed to be rubbed on the chest or on a hanky (to inhale pong) or in a bowl of hot water to inhale the steam.

 

[Tia]

I thought sinuses at first too, however another thought occured to me; are her teeth correctly aligned? Sometimes this can happen due to exaggerated and stressed eating practices. Is she due for her teeth to be done?

I'm also not totally clear on exactly where the puffiness is; is it the temporal or the supraorbital? And I agree with BoF, be careful when using Vicks on animals, it does sting when used on sensitive areas; if you can, put some in a bowl of hot water and hold her nose out of the water so that she just inhales the fumes.

 

[fatpiggy]

My friends pony only had swollen eye pits, no other symptoms, but she was still found to have Cushings - get it tested just to put your mind at rest. I noticed that if she had been turned out, her head used to get more puffy looking. In the morning it would have gone down again. As to her ears, well she could have aural plaques. Horses that have them get incredibly over-sensitive about having their ears touched. Funny behaviour - well horses are famous for having small brains and losing the plot at times, especially mares! Could her browband be too tight, or even too loose and flopping about and irritating the base of her ears? I see you have only had her a year. My horse took 10 years to be openly affectionate with me. Before that, I think she couldn't bring herself to be close to me in case I got rid of her, like everyone else.

 

[digitalangel]

My horse had an ear infection last year -he really didnt like his head or ears being touched. Does your horse headshake when ridden? this casn be signs of ear trouble.

I would get the ears looked at, as there could be an infection or fungus growing down from the ears to the sinus.

 

[Flame_]

Thanks for the replies. Oh, the vicks might have to wait until she comes back into a stable (if she does).

Tia, you might be right about the teeth. She's had A LOT of dentistry since I got her. She quidded like mad at first, gobbling food but dropping most of it. The woman I got her off said she'd done her teeth herself.

She had some really sharp mis-shapen ones but the dentist said he'd sorted it and she doesn't seem to have problems eating anymore.

The swelling is usually just that the dips over her eyes look like they've been blown up. But sometimes she seems to have puffiness high up round the centre of her forehead and around the base of her ears.

Fatpiggy, this isn't normal mare losing the plot, she's seriously screwed up, whether its medical or behavioral, or a combination. Time's almost up on trying to fix her. The swollen head is just one thing about her that I don't have an explanation for, so I just thought I'd ask.