This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Skin Diseases, Wounds, and Swellings » Swellings / Localized Infection / Abscesses » Diagnosing and Assessing Swellings in Horses »
  Discussion on Intermittant cheek and jaw swellings coinciding with pasture turnout
Author Message
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008 - 6:43 pm:

Dr. O,

A few weeks ago, I posted about my 3 year filly's accident and my concerns about infection from the stone dust racetrack. She is now well on her way to recovery thanks to the advice and articles on this website.

However, now I have a new issue with her and the gelding she is turned out with.

I recently started turning her out again, but each time she comes in her cheeks and jowls are swollen. No temp, acting normal, eating well. 12 18 hours (overnight) later swelling is completely gone. The same thing happens to the 12 year old gelding, except sometimes his swelling appears either in his cheeks and jowls, but also under his chin. It does not affect his performance as this happened to him earlier in the year, he was cultured and the culture came back negative for any infectious diseases.

The swellings themselves feel like blown up balloons, they are not painful or hot. It just makes the horses look like chipmunks.

I looked at the article on Hoary assylum, the symptoms don't fit and I looked at the pasture there does not seem to be anything other than grass in them and anything else thats there weedwise is dead.

Any clues as to what this might be?
Rachelle
Member:
scooter

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008 - 6:52 pm:

Rachelle is there any thistles in your pasture (dead or alive) Mine have become obsessive about eating them as of late. I even found a big dead half chewed one in the lean-to. I've been waiting for chipmonk cheeks to start from that. They got the "cheeks" last year from them. Soon as I locked them off that pasture things went back to normal...just an idea!
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008 - 7:29 pm:

Diane,

Both these horses have been in the same paddock together since early April. I do not remember seeing any thistle. My horses are the only ones in there and I have had this paddock for three years and never had any similar type of problem.

The only thing that did change is that the ownership of the farm did not fertilize the fields this year, nor did they do a final seasonal mowing in these paddocks.

Rachelle
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 9:54 am:

This is such a common question that I have added a paragraph to the above article under the subtopic of "Swellings of the Head" that explains this phenomena Rachelle.
DrO
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 1:54 pm:

Dr. O,

I'd buy that explanation except for a few things.
1. It only started happening to the filly recently. On and off with the gelding
2. She eats her hay off the floor in her stall ( so her head is just about always down).

Do you think this could be related to her accident?

And is this a long term thing or do you think this could be seasonal?

Rachelle
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 - 9:24 am:

That is always the way this occurs Rachelle, intermittently, with acute onset, and for some horses on and off. As to related to a past accident I have no way of knowing: did something happen that might cause the head to swell when turned out but goes away when brought in? Horses that do this sometimes have a recurring seasonal history of this usually associated with their first long turn out with good grass.
DrO
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 - 1:00 pm:

Dr. O,

I think these episodes are indirectly related to her accident. Before her accident this mare was outside 24/7 came in to jog, train and race and then went right back out. I did not notice any chipmunk cheeks or any other swelling.

After her accident, although she was towing up to six miles daily. She was rarely turned out and when she was it was for a very short time because I had to make sure I kept her knee wounds clean. Also, during this time the temperatures DrOpped and a lot of the pasture died off.

Over the past 10 days the temperatures rose, the grass started to grow again and the filly was getting turned out more and more back onto the good grass for longer periods of time.

I am about to go check her, she's been out since 3pm yesterday afternoon. When I looked at her this morning, her cheeks did not look as puffy.

Is this something horses eventually get over on their own or is it something I need to be concerned about. Any treatment?

She's about ready to start back into serious training and I would really like to keep her on the same schedule she was on with her turnout. She had just started racing good when she got hurt.

Thanks for all your advice, it has been very helpful.

Rachelle
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 - 1:02 pm:

I inadvertently double posted, I erased this one but could not delete. Sorry
Rachelle
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 - 8:16 am:

We cover the likely course in the article Rachelle.
DrO
Member:
rtrotter

Posted on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 - 8:12 pm:

**Update**

Whatever this was it seemed to have resolved itself. The filly came in after 24 hours of turnout with no chipmunk cheeks or swelling of any kind. Maybe it is her way of cleaning out her system. Hopefully, the longer she gets turned out the less this will occur. She is out again tonight, so I will see what she looks like in the morning.

Thank you
Rachelle
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC