Hi everyone,
this is my first time posting but I’m trying to reach out for any advice on what might be going on with my little guy.
Hank is 9 months old, he came from a rough start in life and I’ve had him for about a month. Today when I got home from work both sides of his mouth are equally swollen and under his chin. He is acting 100% normal, gums are a good pink, no heat in the swollen areas. He is breathing fine, heart rate good, no nasal or eye discharge, stool is normal. He doesn’t seem to be in any pain and doesn’t care if I tough the swollen areas. There isn’t a vet nearby who will do an emergency farm call unless the horse is practically dead. Anyone have any ideas what might be causing the swelling? The other gelding in his pasture is 100% fine no swelling or anything. All the research I’ve been doing mainly says its probably just allergies but I’m looking for any input!
Thanks in advance
Here is a photo of him just a few minutes ago
http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r612/Lindsey_Stack/13775339_10209401444094617_5031735668367608359_n_zpsoroa2ls0.jpg
Well that’s weird. Kinda looks like grass glands, but really in the wrong place.
Agreed it’s not an emergency call if he’s not distressed, but perhaps you can at least get a pic to the vet tomorrow? There is a horse dose of Benedryl, which might be worthwhile if you suspect allergies. Nothing looks wonky with his teeth, right?
Congrats on having something totally bizarre for your first post! 
Thanks lol
I’m baffled at the moment in 21 years of horses I have never seen swelling like this. His teeth are fine from what I can tell, he’s a pretty relaxed little guy and let me take a decent look. I’m just at a loss that’s why I posted thought maybe someone could offer some type of insight
I don’t know if this will help, but I have a KWPN mare whose face did this after deworming with Eqvalan Gold (in the US it’s Zimectrin Gold). She’d been done before with that product, but the last time I used it she had a reaction very much like this one. Two days of dexamethasone stopped it, and I’ll never use Eqvalan Gold again.
Can you fold the skin inside out and have someone take a photo?
My first thought was that he may have nibbled across a ground-wasp nest and received a few stings. Which is less likely if the swelling is identical on both sides.
Other than that, he could be having a reaction to something he’s eaten. Is the swelling soft or hard?
My first thought reading this was “did you recently use Zimecterin Gold or Eqvalan Gold?”
Next - snake/spider bite?
If he is breathing, eating/chewing, and drinking water, all normally, and his temp is normal, and the swelling is not getting worse, I would monitor thru the night, and contact vet first thing in the AM.
If any of that changes he needs medical attention. Can you or a friend haul to a vet?
It is very hard to tell what caused the swelling, I would try to rule out trauma, like a broken jaw, or allergic response to something that got into his mouth.
Is his tongue swollen too?
thanks everyone for the input, he has not had any Zimectrin Gold or any wormer for 3 weeks now. I’ve found a vet that I can haul to this afternoon to have him checked out. When I went out to feed this morning he was bright and alert just like he normally is making a fuss until he got his food. No temp, swelling was about the same. His tongue isn’t swollen at all, there is no apparent trauma. I’m still leaning towards allergies, but I’ll find out more later
Vet Consult
So after having the vet take a look he isn’t worried. He said it’s probably just a mixture of allergies and teeth. He told me to try and ice the area if Hank would tolerate it, so I took the gel ice pack I use on my back and put it on the swollen areas and it did help temporarily he actually seemed to like it and dozed off while I was holding it in place. Vet says to monitor and if it gets any worse to call him back out and we’ll look into other options.
