Swollen throatlatch, what could it be?

[endlessclimb]

My Old Man horse, Niko, has a swollen throatlatch. It’s been swollen for 3 days now - I texted my vet yesterday who says it could be a tooth issue, or gutteral pouch tympany. I’ve asked her to make a trip out this week sometime to get a look at it (she wanted to wait until spring vet check in April…). No fever, he’s eating and drinking as normal, normal clear nasal discharge. The area is mildly sensitive.

While waiting for the vet to make the trip out… anyone have any other ideas what it could be? I worry for my old guy.

[JB]

It looks like what I often see in Spring, which is swollen parotid/salivary glands. It seems to be an allergy trigger of sorts, and coincides (IME) with the rush of things greening up.

The mild sensitivity could be (and hopefully is) just because of that weird feeling of being swollen.

Both sides or just this one?

Any changes in hay/grass/shavings?

[endlessclimb]

Worse on this side by a long shot, but both. Nothing is greening up here, we’re in the dead of winter. No changes in hay (grown on site), no changes in shavings (same sawmill in Michigan).

It could be an allergic reaction to who-knows-what, though he has not exhibited allergies to anything in the past.

Other than the swelling, he is 100% bright eyed and bushy tailed. Nothing else seems wrong.

[Bluey]

Our old Cushing’s horse used to do that at times.
First time vet checked him out, could not find anything.

After that, we just watched him and if it cleared, all ok, I guess.
Some times that gland in the groove under the ear a bit back, the size of a key fob, stayed swollen for long time after the rest went down.

Maybe yours will be innocuous also, nothing to it.

[NaturallyHappy]

I certainly do not want to be an alarmist…we had a 31 gray horse who presented this way. He also had the occasional trickle of blood. The vet and his owner both thought it was allergies but it was the dead of winter… like you. It turned out to be lymphoma, so you may want to push for bloodwork to alleviate that concern. Edited to add it came on quickly.

[endlessclimb]

Yikes. I have already had one horse with lymphoma.

I have asked her to come out this week - she wanted to wait until April vet check but I think that’s too long (even if it’s a tooth).

[wildlifer]

In that area, I would also have abscesses on the radar, my horse went thru quite an ordeal with those & there were no real signs until they were quite extensive. Hopefully not, but something to rule out. Check salivary gland openings under the tongue.

[2DogsFarm]

I’d ask vet why a tooth issue (if that’s a possibility) should be left that long.
It’s not going to get any better
If you’re willing to cover the cost, why can no visit be scheduled?

[NaturallyHappy]

Jeepers…I agree… April is too far away.

[NaturallyHappy]

Agreed.

[cnd8]

If it were Spring, it looks like “grass glands” (a bit of an allergic reaction to something), but it is not! I’m not sure what that is, but I’d have the vet take a look.

I had a mare get this once in the spring and we gave her some dex and rubbed it with DMSO for a couple days before it went away. This, however, doesn’t fit the right timing of that.

[endlessclimb]

She gets a blank check from me, I’m not sure. I’ll continue to push, but you know how vets can be in this area (I believe you live somewhat nearby me)…

[JB]

I would agree that April is much too long. I’d think any time this week is fine, it doesn’t seem to be an emergency.

I can’t believe a vet who thinks a tooth issue, regardless of age, can way 2+ months

I had to look up gutteral pouch tympany, and given that the Merck Manual says

Guttural pouch tympany is seen in horses ranging from birth to 1 yr of age and is more common in fillies than in colts.

I can’t for the life of me figure out why she thinks that’s a possibility in an old gelding?

[endlessclimb]

I did some googling myself yesterday when I got home from the barn and was thinking the same thing. It sounds like something that presents early and needs to be addressed immediately… not something that shows up on a nearly 24 year old gelding.

If she doesn’t get back to me on a day she can come out within the week, I’m hauling him to Purdue. I don’t mess around, lol.

[StormyDay]

Maybe she meant a guttural pouch infection. Which if it’s that, that’s a serious problem.

It could just be that there was something weird in the hay that triggered the swollen glands. Maybe a patch of clover, one of my horses gets it from that.

[sascha]

Is the horse on a small hole haynet? My spring/fall “grass glands” horse got this issue when her haynet position and type was changed when I moved her. Got rid of the net and put in an open feeder and the “grass glands” went away, except for spring and fall when she spends a ridiculous amount of time “grazing” on basically nothing instead of eating at the round bale buffet.

Hers can always be brought down by Banamine/putting her in dry lot or like when it happened in the winter, getting smrt and changing how she eats in her stall.

[endlessclimb]

Yes, but he’s been on the same net year round for several years now. I can try a larger hole net, but if you just leave out a 3lb flake, it’s gone in 10 minutes.

[endlessclimb]

I don’t think she meant that, because I asked her “are either of these things (tooth or tympany) emergent?” and she said no.

[sascha]

Darn, worth a shot. If it has moved at all in height or location (one side of stall to the other where he may be twisting his head in a new direction) try moving it back for a couple of days to see if there’s any difference.

[endlessclimb]

It’s hung in free air in the center of the stall to maximize the slowing impact. I raised it up a little bit higher several months ago (smartass had learned to pin it to his chest to get the hay out faster), but can try lowering it again to see if it helps.