The folks at the stable looked at the bump. They peeked inside Misty's mouth and saw some hay stuck inside near the bump. The trainer called me and recommended my vet take a look-see. Misty is eating well, but does appear to be dropping a little bit of hay from the left side of her mouth as she chews.
The bump is very hard and about the size of a large egg. Misty is uncomfortable when it is touched.
Of course, this bump-thing chose to make its debut on a Friday and I can't get Misty into the vet until Monday. I sure hope it is not an abscessed tooth.
We will find out on Monday.
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| Bump - front view. |
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| Bump - back view. |
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| Not the face of a happy girl. |
Could be a tooth abscess. In a younger horse, usually the tooth is not removed - the roots are very long and tooth removal is a serious business often requiring general anesthesia - instead it is treated with a course of oral antibiotics. In an older horse, the tooth can be more easily removed.
ReplyDeleteDawn had exactly this a number of years ago - antibiotics fixed things up and she had a lump there for a long while but gradually it's been reabsorbed.
Good luck with that!
Thanks Kate. I'm glad to know that extraction isn't the only option for an abscess. I heard of a $5,000.00 extraction that involved drilling into the poor horses jaw to pop the tooth out. Ouch! Ouch for the horse and ouch for the owner's pocketbook.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the way it always works? Something crops up Friday night, so if you need the vet out right away you have to pay an after hours fee. I'm glad you are getting it checked out. Hopefully, it can be easily resolved.
ReplyDeleteIt may not be an abscess..it could be cheatgrass or foxtail in the hay - that isnt pleasant at all, and that could explain the wad of hay others saw -Glad youre getting it checked out!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking cheatgrass, too. Hopefully nothing too difficult or expensive so she can get on with her training and be happy again. She does look sad in the picture.
ReplyDeleteNuzMuz, so true. Murphy's law. Plus these things never occur at a convenient time.
ReplyDeleteFeralWoman, Linda, so cheatgrass must be the grass that has the barbs on it and it bores through their cheeks? The guy who mows our property always suggests to mow the pasture before putting the horses back on it after the Spring growth has had a chance to come it. He says we've got that grass around here that bores through the cheeks. Googling cheatgrass now...
Thinking good thoughts here for sweet Misty. I hope you get her fixed up and feeling fine soon. She is a sweet girl.
ReplyDeleteAww poor baby. I hope it's nothing serious and she feels better soon.
ReplyDeleteNot a happy Misty girl :( Hope it gets resolved without too much pain for either of you.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...It could very weel be an abscessed tooth, but I wonder if it's actually a "lump" and not just grass hay caught in the side of her mouth. That may sound strange, but we had a pony with the same exact "lump," and so we were concerned had our dentist out and everything. He stuck his hand in her mouth and immediately pulled out a nice little wad of grass that she must have been "having for later." LOL. I've actually seen the same thing several times since then...And didn't you say someone saw hay caught up in her mouth anyway?!
ReplyDelete-Mare
Oh, Misty, I hope it isn't an abscessed tooth. I had one when my Mrs. Owner bought me. I didn't have a lump because the abscess was draining. But, she took me to a great dentist guy and he removed my tooth. Sometimes they do surgery and cut the horse's beautiful face to get the tooth out. That is really, really, expensive and dangerous. This dentist guy wiggled and wiggled and wiggled the tooth until after a few hours (I'm not kidding) it came out. I was better the next day. Call my Mrs. Owner to get the name and number of the dentist guy if that's what you end up needing.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Misty. I hope that your lump is something uneventful, like a stuck golf ball or something. Hope you feel better real soon!
Love from Pippin
Yes, cheatgrass is very sharp and lodges in their cheek and can bore right through to the other side. It often abscesses. We have it in droves around here. I hate the stuff. If you cut it before it ever gets its head, I'm told it won't reseed. Generally, horses won't eat it. My horses always eat around it. The farmers around here are really bad about baling it though.
ReplyDeleteOuch! Hope it's not an abscess. It looks painful, I feel sorry for poor Misty. Hopefully, the vet can clear this up on Monday.
ReplyDeleteOuch Misty!!! I sure hope it's nothing serious.
ReplyDeletePoor Misty. Hope it's all sorted out soon.
ReplyDeleteOh, no Misty - that doesn't look good at all. Hope you get it sorted out, and that it is not too painful.
ReplyDeletePoor Misty, whatever it is I hope it is resolved soon.
ReplyDeleteMurphy has done his share of calling here right after normal vet hours. I always hate when that happens.
Poor dear, I hope she gets better soon!
ReplyDeleteHope it is easily and inexpensively resolved!
ReplyDeleteI don't like the sounds of something called cheatgrass! that sounds terrible. And an abscess sounds no better! I hope it is only a wadded up gob of hay! Let us know! Poor Misty. I feel so badly for her in that picture! Oh, what a lovely mare!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to get to this so late, but I hope by now you know what is causing it. Poor girl, I hope it is easy to treat.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your well wishes. Misty is home and healing from some dental work. I just posted about it. She's been a very good girl through this.
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