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Discussion on Tumor mass in horse's jaw
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Member:
Jennbk
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004 - 3:27 pm:
I bought a 17 year old ranch gelding last year for my daughter. He has been wonderful to ride and own. Last week I noticed his cheek right where his upper jaw line is, was a little swollen. I thought it was probably an abscessed tooth. On Saturday it was swollen out like a huge mass. His whole face looked deformed. I took him to the vet on Monday and he found a very large bloody mass in front of his first tooth on the upper jaw. It was a tumor and he took a biopsy of it and send it of to Texas A&M. He is on antibiotics and pain medication and the swelling has not gone down. The vet said he thinks it is cancer. It is a very large ulcer in his mouth. I looked at it and it is bloody, fleshy and very large. It looks like a bomb exploded in his mouth. I have never heard of anything like this and the vet has never seen anything like it as well. HE did xray the jaw and said there was no abcess at the root of the tooth. Any thoughts?
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Member:
Jennbk
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004 - 7:35 pm:
I forgot to add that the Vet said it was a soft tissue swelling.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004 - 9:23 am:
Ulcerative tumors can be caused by cancer or infections and considering how fast this thing is growing infection moves to the top of the list. Let's wait for the biopsy but in the mean time and in either case I would want to explore for a foreign body and rule out bony involvement which would be hard to do without a radiograph in this area. A set of stocks, sedation, and a good mouth speculum would help with the exploration.
DrO
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Member:
Eoeo
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004 - 9:32 am:
We had a yearling gelding that did this same thing. Unfortunately for us and him, it was cancer. Very Unusual. We had to euthanize him. Hope the diagnosis is different for you. EO
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New Member:
ronjohns
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Posted on Monday, Aug 31, 2015 - 5:54 pm:
My 9 year old quarter horse mare was diagnosed with an abscess on the under side of her jaw last September. It was lanced, drained and flushed. It did not heal. The vets then thought it was due to an abscessed tooth. After x-rays, and the removal of a lower #9 molar, the swelling continued to grow. So, a biopsy was done (November) the lab report came back, diagnosing a malignant tumor. This was correct. The tumor has continued to grow, almost a year now, and it about the size of a soccer ball, with a large(3") open wound. She is eating well, but recent blood tests show several abnormalities. Sadly, at some point in the near future she will have to euthanized. Anyone out there experience this?
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Member:
moxshi
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Posted on Monday, Aug 31, 2015 - 6:13 pm:
Sorry to hear of your horse's tumor, zannady. I am trying to imagine what it would look like for a horse to have a soccer ball hanging from its jaw. 
I haven't dealt with face tumors, but have dealt with squamous cell carcinoma in two horses, one of which had a partial phallectomy. He is fine at this point.
I have dealt with putting horses down . . . several, in fact, for many different reasons. It sounds as if you have done what you can do for your mare. I am sure you will make her leaving as peaceful and kind as possible. Sometimes, that's the best we can do, and horses who have owners who opt to humanely euthanize rather than send off to auction are doing their best for the horses.
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New Member:
ronjohns
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Posted on Monday, Aug 31, 2015 - 11:09 pm:
Holly, thank you for your kind thoughts. The volume of the tumor is about that of a soccer ball. However, it is not spherical in shape, but kind of "crumpled", with an irregular shape. About 1/3 of the tumor is tucked up under the jaw between the two mandibles. The rest of the tumor extends below the lower jaw bone about 6-7" and is irregular in shape with three open wounds, one about 3" in diameter. The wounds drain, and are constantly getting opened up as she bumps against her feeding stations. I have cut the fronts off her pellet and hay feeding stations, to lessen the damage done by the physical bumps. I gently clean the open wounds daily with a betadine solution, then coat the wounds with a zinc oxide/thuja ointment. This helps keep both dirt and flies off the open wounds. She is also given 57mg of Previcox daily, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. All of this goes on with the consultation of two very good and understanding vets.
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Member:
moxshi
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 1, 2015 - 9:32 am:
What more can any horse want than a kind and understanding owner who employs good and understanding vets? 
We know when we get them that we will most likely have to put them down or see them die before we leave this Earth . . . It is hard to see such painful and destructive aberrations in any of the ones we love . . . and the best we can do is try to alleviate the pain while trying to find a cure . . . and to let them go softly when the leaving time comes.
It sounds like you are doing everything you can do . . . No regrets.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 1, 2015 - 5:28 pm:
Welcome zannady,
My condolences on your horses illness. Perhaps the best information I can direct you too is HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Routine Horse Care » Particular Situations & Procedure topics not covered by above » Euthanasia. Here you will find a lengthy discussion on many folks experiences with the situation you find yourself in now. I hope it provides help.
DrO
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