Thyroid problem? (Also in Veterinary)

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keeperscottage

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One of our horses, a 15.2hh 12 year old Irish gelding is currently on loan to someone who hacks and competes cross-country, dressage and show jumping at riding club level. He's a super little horse and his new "owner" is really pleased with him. However, a couple of weeks ago, he developed a swelling (about the size of half an egg) on his throat, just behind his left cheek (NOT "grass glands"!). The "owner" contacted her vet (who I personally do not hold in high esteem!) who suggested they waited a week to see what happened. I went out to see him and took some photographs (below). The swelling is firm, but not solid, and appears painless. His performance has not been affected. Anyway, the vet came out today and thought it was almost certainly a thyroid problem, but no treatment was needed. I immediately started "Googling" but couldn't find any photographs of horses with an enlarged thyroid although from what I've read on the subject, the only symptom he is showing is excessive weight although he has always been a good doer since we bought him as a 6 year old. Most of the sites I visited referred to poor, patchy coats, and his coat is gorgeous, and when I saw him, I commented on how trim he looked - in fact, apart from the swelling, he looked fantastic......haven't seen him look so good since my daughter's Pony Club days!

So, what I want to know, is there anyone else out there with experience of a horse with a thyroid problem, how did the problem manifest itself and how was it dealt with?

pi1.jpg

Viewed from near side

pi2.jpg

Near side again.....

pi3.jpg

Viewed from off side
 
My old boy Nav, is 22 this year & also suffers from the same problem, hes had it the last 5 or 6 years & it hasnt been any bother to him at all, though it has increased in size over the years. My only worry is taking him to any shows or rides that someone may think hes got strangles!

Nav.jpg


Edited to say, it just appeared over night & none of my vets have been keen to do anything at all with it due to its location!
 
Quite strange really isnt, yours is about the 3rd horse ive heard of with it, apart from my own, but no one seems to know what causes it or if theres anything you can do to get rid of it. I guess we just need to learn to live with a lumpy horse lol!
 
It is almost certainly an enlarged thyroid from your description. It is quite a common incidental finding in horses and is almost without exception clinically insignificant, and does not result in increased thyroid hormone production, so don't worry.
 
We have a horse that suffers from an under active thyroid .It was diagnosed a good few years ago . It was a surprise to us as it was something that cropped up in routine blood test,and we hadn't noticed anything through him or his work.

The vet wasn't really worried about it,and it never really has been an issue. One thing we did do is a friend of ours is into homeopathy and treated him this way which improved his thyroid for his next blood.

If you want to know more about this just let me know
 
Ring Silverlining Herbs as they can be really helpful with strange cases like this. A friend has had great success with their recommendations and though it may seem a little odd give it a go as loads of top eventers have had huge success.
 
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