Swollen nose? And now a dog attack...

[poniesrule]

Yesterday was a fun day, NOT! I went out to the barn after work only to find that my little naughty boys managed to get out of their pen and into the pasture with another boarder's large mares. I assume (by the hair left on the fence) that they somehow crawled over the hog wire mesh, under the barb wire & hot wire along the top and out they went. The fence was all sturdy & attached on the neighboring posts, but the top 2 steeples had come out on one, while the 3rd bottom one was still in. I don't know how they didn't get wrapped up and hurt. The mesh comes up to their withers, the other wire is plenty high for them to walk under. But I really don't understand how they both got out the same way, it really would take some thinking & careful movement. When I looked at it, It just didn't seem possible, but the only gate in was locked, so unless someone physically moved them, that's what I assume happened. Weird. But even weirder is my 3 year old now has a swollen face. They were on the pasture for roughly 8 hours. They are not used to grass, except for 10/15 minute hand grazing, but that's another story, I'm watching them like a hawk for founder/colic. Back to the face... he looked very strange, dopey almost, so I got out the clippers & clipped his head fully expecting to find wounds. Nothing. We just had the dentist out 2 weeks ago and had his teeth checked over and taken care of. In one of the pictures, you can see his eyes are goobery, they weren't that way yesterday morning. He didn't mind me putting pressure where it's swollen. To top it all off, I can't get ahold of my vet. She seems to be screening my calls. I will be calling a different vet if I don't get ahold of her in the next half hour. When I checked him this morning, he was happily munching away at the grass hay. He even ate a cookie just fine. No fever, no acting strange, just the swelling. Here are my thoughts, hoping someone can share their experiences!

1) Maybe he got kicked by the giant evil paint mare in the pasture?

2) Sinus infection?

3) Allergic reaction?

 

[Marty]

This is awful. I think you are right on target with your list of three things. Could have been anyone of them and even a bite by an insect. Regardless, you need something to get that swelling down quickly before it obstructs breathing. Mercy. I'm with you, call another vet because that swelling is very worrisome where it is located. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Adding: Not giving medical advice to you but if it were my horse and a vet couldn't get out there right now I'd be reaching for a bit of bute.

 

[poniesrule]

Just called the local vet. I fired them in November, so we'll see how this goes ha! Heading over now, will post update. I'll try to get a good pic of the fence too. Sigh....

 

[amysue]

It could be allergies to grass pollen. My dog's nose swells just like your horse in the picture once all of the pollen comes out. I hope your naughty ponies feel better soon.

 

[poniesrule]

Good news! I had the new vet on staff come out today, she still likes me haha! She thinks he had his nose where it didn't belong and it really is a kick. I'll be watching for excessive discharge around the eyes and nose, and any changes in appetite or behavior, but all seems well. She said that there is a chance there's a fracture, but at this point there isn't anything they can do for him. Time is our friend... along with a few days of antibiotic & bute just in case. Sigh.... little turkey. I guess we put off conditioning for another few weeks. Well played Kenai, well played.

Thanks for the quick responses!

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Had this happen with two big horses - the evil

Paint mare got the brat app colt in the cheek for being the brat app colt he is! It looked awful, and he had a lot of tooth damage too. A pulled tooth and a few months later all is well but a mild bump you really gotta search for! Just dexamethasone, banamine for a day or two, and lots of love! Hoping your guys heals as well as my mothers did!

 

[poniesrule]

Well, swelling is localized right where (in the side picture) bump is. It doesn't seem to be close to the eyes or any closer to the nostrils. I have clipped his head & neck, & he stays inside with a neck warmer on overnight. The days are about 68-72 in the shade, and a lot warmer in the sun. Nights are running 45-50 outside. He is now getting turned out around 10 AM when it's warmed up. I just went out over my lunch & he was standing in the sun and seemed to be breathing hard... not panting and having a hard time of it, but definitely breathing a little harder than I would think normal. His skin isn't snapping back when I pull it on his neck, so possibly getting a tad dehydrated. No fever as of right now. His winter coat is very coarse & dense, he had been standing outside just sweating which is part of the reason I clipped his neck. The other gelding with him is a blue roan, black winter hair that's quite a bit finer & no clipping yet, and was standing next to him breathing normally. So I'm wondering if he's just hot or if this nose thing is a bigger deal than the vet thought. She said to watch him through the weekend. Sigh.... No excessive discharge from nose or eyes (did pull a bunch of hair out of both of their eyes this morning, icky!). He's acting pretty normal, a little spooky if I move too quick around his face, which I don't blame him for! Guess I'll check him every couple hours today & tonight and if I have to call vet to come see him off hours tomorrow? Writing my thoughts helps me think. And maybe someone else has had this breathing challenge when it's warmer & they're in full winter get-up?

 

You can give him some soft, mushy feed or soak his hay to help hydrate him. And if he's hot, consider clipping the chest taking the clipping between his front legs and along the base of his belly, so that he can "catch the breeze" to help cool him down.

Keep us posted.

 

[poniesrule]

Well, ended up with a 103 temp. I'm freaking out, the vet doesn't seem to care. Finally get ahold of my regular vet, she's 3 hours away so said to get banimine from local vet. Go there, they won't give it to me until they see him again but the gal that came out Tuesday is tied up, would tomorrow work? NO IT WONT WORK TOMORROW!!! Gaaahhhh!!! So I had a different gal come out an hour after and she spent a good half hour checking him over, but didn't seem too concerned. Said I was doing everything they would recommend so I just need to let him work his way through it. Stall at night (which he hates) to make sure I am able to monitor how much he eats and drinks and passes. Checked him through the night, he was fine, crabby to be confined, but fine. Took him for a walk this morning and he was his usual turkey butt self. Increased discharge from his right eye & nostril, and the swelling has seemed to stay in that side. I would say it's down more on the left. Stopped at the clinic again & talked to the vet. We have an appointment on Wednesday. If he would be a cow, we would have results at the drop of a hat. Sigh. Thanks for the happy thoughts all.

 

[poniesrule]

Well, ended up with a 103 temp. I'm freaking out, the vet doesn't seem to care. Finally get ahold of my regular vet, she's 3 hours away so said to get banimine from local vet. Go there, they won't give it to me until they see him again but the gal that came out Tuesday is tied up, would tomorrow work? NO IT WONT WORK TOMORROW!!! Gaaahhhh!!! So I had a different gal come out an hour after and she spent a good half hour checking him over, but didn't seem too concerned. Said I was doing everything they would recommend so I just need to let him work his way through it. Stall at night (which he hates) to make sure I am able to monitor how much he eats and drinks and passes. Checked him through the night, he was fine, crabby to be confined, but fine. Took him for a walk this morning and he was his usual turkey butt self. Increased discharge from his right eye & nostril, and the swelling has seemed to stay in that side. I would say it's down more on the left. Stopped at the clinic again & talked to the vet. We have an appointment on Wednesday. If he would be a cow, we would have results at the drop of a hat. Sigh. Thanks for the happy thoughts all.

 

[Marty]

This is horrible. "Let him work through it?" That is beyond unacceptable when he is having trouble breathing and is dehydrating. Waiting until Wednesday is not hardly and option. He is suffering and in pain and someone needs to help this horse right now.

 

[chandab]

I know its not the go to med for minis, but would you happen to have bute on hand (or have a horse friend close by that might have it)? Bute can help bring down a fever; vet prescribed it for my full-size mare for her fever, but only if she was pushing 103 (which yours is). Its a pain in the behind to dose bute tabs for minis, especially small ones; but it might be the only option right now.

 

[Minimor]

If the vet believes it was a kick then the banamine should have been prescribed in the first place. Applying ice over the swollen area might have helped too... it would all reduce swelling an inflammation.

Could your vet phone in a prescription to the other clinic so that you could get the banamine that way? She has no office person that keeps her clinic open during her absence? That's unfortunate to say the least.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Im going to be the odd duck Im sure, but he was kicked in the face by a horse 4X his size - and all he has is a little discharge, slight dehydration, some raspy breathing but is still feeling fresh on his walks and a temp 2 degrees too high. That's all to be expected and its really not as big of an emergency as it feels like. I was kicked in the face by a heifer 4X my size, and I suffered irreversible brain damage! He is LUCKY!

I know they are our babies, and even though I manage the health of 1000 head of cattle full time and have literally seen it ALL in the last 5 years in doing so, from animals getting loose and literally jumping into a chest deep manure pit under the barn (successfully pulled out and healthy!), to stopping arterial bleeding with a cold hose and my hand when a dry cow was hit in the face with a skidsteer accidentally (also lived!), to a cow literally hanging herself on a pulley system mounted to the ceiling (she was trying to mount another cow because they are morons in heat, she also lived!) to too many other horrifying things to count, when my 32" stallion had a reaction to a wormer and got a smidge of diarrhea (nothing else mind you!) I was literally in tears. I had to step, back, breathe, and look at the situation. Vitals? Good. Temp? Slight elevation, 102, but it was hot and he had been inside. Heart rate? Slightly high, but he had just been trotting back to the barn. Dehydration level? Moderate at best but he was drinking well. Is he acting like himself? Totally! Emergency? No, not really. Cause for concern though? Definitely!

Banamine really isn't all too effective at bringing down swelling, it eases pain well, but will also upset his stomach, which is why he might not be drinking too well, especially if it's been via oral administration. Has he had any dexamethasone? 3cc IM would bring down any internal swelling (probably the cause of the rasp), and it would help with respiratory issues as well even if it is deep in his lungs. The antibiotics take a bit to work, but it might be time to change to or add a different one, but unless he's got smelly discharge or its absolutely pouring out and he's still eating and pooping well, I'd feel comfortable waiting until tuesday. If his temp spikes or he stops being fresh on his walks and starts looking 'no happy' (as my assistant puts it when a cow is noticeably sick), then its a true emergency.

Alternating heat and ice wouldn't hurt at all, and would be good pain relief for him. For colics we put bed sheets in the dryer and wrapped around their bellies. I'd make him a nice warm, soupy mash he can 'slurp' a few times a day incase his jaw is sore.

Im praying for your little guy! Hang in there! It's most definitely going to hurt him for a little bit, but Im sure he's thankful it wasn't any worse! When Mom's colt got socked in the face she worried WAY worse than you do, and his wasn't even as bad. Breathe, just hang in there, he'll be better soon, you're dong SO well for him!

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

My thorouhbred had a fully broken bridge, he was fine with healing etc, no sensitivity and no breathing problems.

 

[poniesrule]

Ok. He is on an antibiotic & buts. He seems to be doing very well, no more fever or breathing troubles. Hopefully it was just the heat Friday! The vet I use is fabulous with horses, but she's a one woman show, that makes it hard to work with her at times. The local clinic is....... Interesting. I am kind of on the same page as FurstPlace right now. He's acting normal, eating & drinking well, just going to take time now. He will go to the dr for a follow up though! Here's a new one though, now my other gelding seems to be locking in the stifle. I've never seen him like that before!! It's come on over night. Ugh. I'm researching that now. Is that something that randomly comes on?? Could he have gotten kicked too? Is it related to all the grass he ate? These two...... :'(

 

[poniesrule]

And today we had a dog attack them & they ran through the fence. What. A. Week. Will update more tomorrow, both are fine, just very shaken. More muscle soreness than anything. I need to wrap them in bubble wrap....

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Glad to hear both are doing fine. Sometimes if its not one thing, its another. Hope they make a fast recovery

 

[poniesrule]

So I had a really fun weekend too! Yesterday, we got home from an out-of-town wedding, went straight to the barn and checked the boys over & gave them their breakfast. Then it started raining so we went home instead of spending more time out there. About an hour & a half later we got a phone call from the neighbor to where we board that a dog had attacked the little horses & sent them through the fence. Thankfully, he got pictures so we were able to file a police report. The horses are kept about 100 yards outside city limits. Now, the pictures were taken with a cell phone, so not super clear, but it shows enough, even shows the dogs owner/people in the horse pen with the dog!!! Here's what I was told: Tom heard a commotion outside, grabbed his gun (yeah, that's him!) and ran outside to see what was going on. He saw a white flash go behind on barn and then watched it crawl through the pipe rail gate and into the horse pen. In the meantime he saw a black car screech to a halt near the driveway and 3 people get out. He snapped a picture. Then he watched the dog attack the roan horse until it went through the fence. Then the dog went after the brown horse and the same results. The 3 people jumped the gate, grabbed the dog(Tom snapped a picture), shoved it in the car and took off.

Now, I am an animal lover... I am. This is the people's fault, not the dogs. Pure speculation, but I assume it is the same dog that attacked my filly while I was walking it this fall. I also suspect that the dog is the reason my guys went through the fence Monday night as well because there is NO REASON my horses would have gone through the fence like that on their own. Thankfully we only had a scrape and some small wire cuts, you can see the fence they went through. The wire is about 32" tall with a barbed wire about 3" above, and a hot wire 3" above that. This could have been so much worse... I'm thankful we don't have broken legs or strains or open wounds.

I'm trying to decide what to do... we will be putting up game cameras around the pen, possibly getting a mini-mule (I have access to one that is just vicious to dogs), and adding a hot wire along the bottom of the pen. This is such overkill. If people would just be responsible pet owners! I know you can't control everything, but for pete's sake, notify someone if something like this happens instead of just driving off!!! I called the police right away, they are working county & city to find the owners & the dog. Thankful for the pictures.

On to the boys: RockStar was extremely stiff Sunday morning before the dog incident. He looked like his stifles were locking up, and I had NEVER seen that happen before. Called the breeder, they had never seen anything like that with him either. Called my regular vet, she answered finally, and she said it sounds like something that came on from his trip through the fence on Monday night and to watch him to see if he comes out of it on his own over the next couple days. It's possible he just strained something. After the dog incident he was moving freely in the pasture. This morning, just looks stiff, which I don't blame him at all. I'm sure there are some super-sore muscles! Kenai's broken nose still looks puffy, he's been extremely head shy due I'm sure to the pain. He got his last dose of bute yesterday, but will still be on an antibiotic for a couple days. I've been soaking their alfalfa pellets & grain and making it a little extra soupy just so I know they're getting water. RockStar is usually a little piggy, but didn't seem to excited to see his grain last night. Kenai looks like he's lost weight, so I'll be adding beet pulp back to his daily ration (slowly). They are both extremely spooky and are very much in my pocket when I come in their pen. Such snuggle babies, I would move them into our garage but the Hubs thinks that's a terrible idea! I guess we just spoil them with attention and good food and hopefully can put this behind us. I'm going to attempt to add more pictures, hopefully I can figure it out!

 

[Marty]

First I would bake that neighbor some brownies and let her know how thankful and important it was that she notified you about the dogs.

Next i would be getting these horses on some ulcer meds and probios today. They've been stressed enough. Pain and stress could be the culprit of why the loss of appetite.

And no, I don't think its over kill whatsoever to hot wire around your pen. I hot wired the outside along the bottom of our fencing also to help detour the stray dogs that come around here.

Keep up with the inflamtories I think is key to get all that swelling and stiffness down too.

Best wishes for a very speedy recovery