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  Discussion on Horse with skull fracture
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Member:
stek

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 1, 2010 - 7:01 pm:

About a month ago my mare presented with a ridge of swelling laterally across her forehead between her eyes. There was no break in the skin, and she didn't show any other symptoms, vitals all normal, eating, drinking, moving normally etc. It didn't even seem to be sore. I figured she must have whacked her head pretty good but didn't see anything that said 'vet call' to me.

The other day we had our vet out for routine spring work, teeth floating etc. By this time it had come down quite a bit but she still has a hard bony ridge there. He said it looked to him like a skull fracture! He also said he would be surprised if there weren't any other symptoms and that maybe I noticed it late, but I find it hard to believe I would have missed it .. when you look at her it's hard not to see it.

Anyway vet said nothing in particular we should do for her at this point, and that it would likely heal without incident, and that the bony ridge would eventually go away.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with skull fractures and if there is anything else I need to be on the lookout for?
Member:
dsibley

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 1, 2010 - 11:32 pm:

I purchased a 4-y/o QH gelding who we later found to have two 'bumps' on his forehead. They were just a little above his eyes, but in the center of his forehead. I called them 'devil horns', as he had a very quirky personality. He 'saw things'..would stand and just stare at nothing as though there was a ghost in the corner or something. Not too amusing if we were on his back! I was told that the bumps might be indicative of a skull fracture.
Or maybe they really were 'devil horns'....lol!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 2, 2010 - 5:22 pm:

Hello Shannon,
Unless there was crepitus I would be slow to diagnose a skull fracture. Trauma to the bone can cause periosteal swelling, which is quite hard, then result in bone deposition that will remodel back to normal or near normal over the following 6 months. If it is a fracture I agree with your veterinarian after a month with no symptoms there is little worry. One thing that might indicate poor healing do to the presence of dead bone would be increased swelling.
DrO
Member:
stek

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 2, 2010 - 5:49 pm:

Thanks Dr. O, there is no evidence of crepitus that I can feel, but I likely wouldn't recognize it anyway. The vet did palpate, but didn't mention that specifically. The lump has gone down steadily but I will be on the lookout for recurrent swelling.

Dieliz this mare is a 'horned one' and the thought that her true self is showing through did occur to me =)
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