On the nosebleed front, which I hadn’t really clocked, I had my horse immediately scoped when she had a nosebleed. While there are many potential causes, some (gutteral pouch mycosis, for example - or tumors compromising vessels), can be catastrophically lethal. That’s probably out of the mix for this mare, it could be, as @Texarkana pointed out, a ticking time bomb. I would consult with your vet.
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When they bleed out from GPM it is awful. Awful! And on the farm, there is nothing you can do but watch them exsanguinate. You can’t stop the bleeding, you can’t transfuse them quickly enough, even if you are close to a hospital it probably won’t be fast enough to save them.
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Why even wait until spring? Very difficult could rapidly deteriorate to down right dangerous. Horses don’t know tomorrow. Only here and now. Her dangerous behavior could be caused by the tumor. Horses don’t generally chose to be difficult for no reason.
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The vet was actually out this week for another horse, so he is aware of the nosebleeds. She hasn’t had one in over a week, and they were not severe, just persistent. I’m aware of the potential catastrophic causes of nosebleeds but going with “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras” for the moment, based on the proximity of her tumors to her tear ducts. This mare is not a candidate for more extensive diagnostics.
I don’t think she warrants euthanasia at this very moment (though that can obviously change rapidly with any elderly animal). I’m doing a Bute trial currently. Hopefully that will provide some insight into how much of her grumpiness is behavioral versus possibly a reflection of her general discomfort.
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If she were mine, I’d hit her with all the vet-approved pain killers (bute doesn’t touch everything), and see if there’s an attitude change. Then at least you have a metric on how bad she hurts, which can determine if she’s just closed off and mistrustful, or if her quality of life has deteriorated entirely.
I’m of the camp that if she can be reasonably comfortable this winter but the signs are there that she’s just not going to thrive long term, letting her go on a nice day with a belly of yummy spring grass is very kind. If nothing else, it feels better to us humans.
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Are you sure it’s not sinusitis? I had a mare with nose bleeds. She scoped clear and the diagnosis was sinusitis. Went on antibiotics and it cleared up just fine. She could just need a course of antibiotics.
Interesting. Did your mare have any other symptoms or just the nosebleeds?
Just the nose bleeds
Thanks for that information! I’ll definitely be on the lookout for any more bleeding and keep that in the back of my mind.
I think you have done what you could for her and there is no sense in prolonging it if that’s what you decide
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