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  Discussion on Swollen Muzzle
Author Message
Member:
Janeh

Posted on Thursday, Sep 8, 2005 - 10:39 am:

Yesterday morning, my Clyde-cross mare came in with a very swollen lip and mouth area. Her muzzle was about twice its normal size. Her temperature and respiration were normal and her appetite and spirit good. On the vet’s instruction, I gave the mare two packs of Banamine, and left her in until the vet was able to arrive. Throughout the day, the swelling decreased until it was barely noticeable. The vet examined the inside Glory’s mouth and found a hive-like appearance to the inside of the cheek area. From this she guessed that the mare had an allergic reaction to a plant or a sting (say from a wasp on a fallen apple?). The mare came in again this morning with a swollen lip and mouth area, although not as swollen as yesterday. Has anyone else experienced this? Any thoughts?
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Thursday, Sep 8, 2005 - 1:37 pm:

I've had swollen muzzle from a snake bite, and also from insect stings. Have seen one that was from a foxtail embedded in the inner cheek. Also, had a mare with a lip swollen, but neither vet nor I could find any reason for it. It went down when treated with cold water, and antihistamine, and never came back.

Did you check to make sure there was nothing in the cheek to cause swelling?
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Thursday, Sep 8, 2005 - 9:04 pm:

There are some weeds the horses can ingest that will cause swollen muzzles or sores above the muzzle, where irritants touched these sensitive areas.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Sep 9, 2005 - 7:53 am:

There are so many possibilities here jane that it is best not to start with a list of possibilities but to go and search the whole horses environment, including feedstuffs, for oddities and then track down if this is a possible problem. Weeds, wasp nests, garbage, things that should not be there... all should be examined. That said this type of nonspecific inflammation of the muzzle often is a one time event and goes undiagnosed. But by being thorough you may prevent something more serious from happening.
DrO
Member:
Janeh

Posted on Friday, Sep 9, 2005 - 8:32 am:

Thank you for your advice. The horses were in a different paddock last night, but again Glory came in with a swollen muzzle. I have one more paddock I can move them to, and I will try that tonight. I will search the two large paddocks, and hopefully find something that is causing this inflammation. Thanks / Jane
Member:
Janeh

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2005 - 10:17 am:

FYI update: This is day 6 of Glory coming in with a swollen mouth area. Glory was on steriods for three days, but the treatment was ineffective.

The vet came this morning to have another look. The vet says technically, it is not the muzzle area, but the lip area and the soft area directly behind the mouth. Glory's throat latch area showed slight swelling, and slight swelling under the upper portion of the neck.

As I mentioned before, swelling is the only visable symptom. The swelling subsides throughout the day, even though Glory is in the same paddock during the day, and the swelling is present again in the morning. The other horses have no swellings.

The vet gave Glory a shot of antihistamine, and left antihistamine for me to give in her feed. The vet took blood and will do a complete run down to look for any oddities. A fecal test will be performed to look at the parasite situation as Glory has had some issues with parasites, and in the past, we have had a hard time keeping her clean.

I will post any findings.
Member:
Canter

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2005 - 1:27 pm:

Jane...a wild guess here but could the cause be some type of biting insect that only comes out at night? Could you put Glory in a stall for one or two nights to see what happens?

...Very odd situation. I can imagine your frustration.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 13, 2005 - 6:25 am:

Another thought is that dependent edema may be contributing to the problem. Is the horse putting its head down for prolonged periods during the night. Is the horse eating off the ground at night or does he sleep heavily standing up?
DrO
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