Warble bump or?

[CHT]

Tick infested mare #1 has a mystery bump under her jaw/cheeks (found last Monday). Vet thought infection/strangles, and put her on antibiotics, but it is unchanged, other than today it had a little cap of blood. It has never had pus and the vet could not cut a culture to test.

Could it be a warble? That would be uncommon here…but so are ticks… Not really sure what I should be doing for her. It feels warm, and slightly soft in the middle. The hair fell off the bump and the skin was scaly at first. Now it is shiny.

No fever or cough. Bright and happy otherwise. Mare has been in isolation with her sister since they came in November. came from a closed herd of five horses (the sisters, their foals, and a two year old).

[PaddockWood]

My guy had lymph nodes infected in that area several years ago. Shortly thereafter found PPID and once on Prascend they never infected again. Just a thought. Poor girl! Do keep us posted ok?

[NancyM]

Warbles usually migrate up onto the topline somewhere. I’ve had one on a horse, came out in front of the withers. They tend to be “confused” in a horse, they are “supposed” to develop on cows, not horses. When on a horse by mistake, they tend to get lost. That’s what my vet at the time told me, anyway. But unlikely that what you are looking at is a warble, for that reason. Either way, leave it alone, especially if it is a warble. It sounds like it’s coming to a head, and will expel whatever is in there… a sliver? An infected lymph node? Or? If it is a warble, you WANT it to continue to develop, and burst naturally. You do NOT want it to die in there, and decompose.

[CHT]

This was the best picture I could get today. If I wipe off the blood, it is just pink underneath, and that center is soft.

I am going to send the picture to the vet. I would have thought an infection would either have pus, or have resolved with the antibiotics, but this isn’t resolving and may be bigger (hard to say with all her hair and her reluctance to it being touched.

@NancyM a friends dog got a warble this summer which is the only reason I thought of it. Google showed them in various places, but still hairy…I have no idea how they progress. (friend had a vet remove the one off her dog).

[pony_baloney]

Many years ago my first horse had a cow warble near his withers. The spot was very itchy, and when the hair came off, the circle looked like the top of a salt and pepper shaker----several small holes. These are where the maggots are getting air and will work their way out. This doesn’t really look like that to me. (Gives me the heebie jeebies every time I think of it). They looked like tiny tubes coming out…ICK!

[CHT]

Interesting. This bump is not itchy (it is painful/sensitive), and no little dots. That is super disgusting!

[Guyot]

Had one horse looked like that. Basically looked like a strangles situation that would pop open and then heal over. Happened about once a year, but never tested for strangles and vet wasn’t sure what it was.

Then the last time it popped it was pussy so had the vet out who ultrasounded it and there was a foreign particle in there causing the inflammation. She couldn’t see it or feel it but flushed it out really well and it never came back. Something to think about. Best of luck.

[SusanO]

I have had horses get swollen gross looking bumps where they had a tick bite. I am not sure that is what this is. Can you apply a poultice to see if there is infection there?

[CHT]

She has small bumps from the ticks, but having a bite on her face at this time of year would be very unlikely (as it is too cold for them), but I suppose is possible.

Vet suggested waiting 10 days and it it isn’t resolving, to have it looked at.

Today it was even more bloody, but still no sign of pus (very dark blood). I didn’t mess with it at all. Very cold here today…thinking that somehow the blood cap might be warmer than if I cleaned it/opened it up.

[Sdel]

It looks a lot like the tick bites my horse has had. There was one my horses’s back that when the “scab” came off would be a little crater with just a drop or two of blood/pus and you could feel a hard lump underneath and it hung around for a couple of months. I put a few dabs of ichthammol on it for a week, it brought out a lot of gunk and then it healed up and went away.

[pony_baloney]

Ichthammol is my go-to for getting rid of mysterious lumps. Usually works quite well.

[3rottenponies]

Interesting! I have never met anyone else who has had a horse with a warble. When my guy had his, I was mortified, and my vet didn’t know what a warble was. I’ve never seen another!