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Post by johnnysauntie on Jul 17, 2009 13:19:14 GMT -5
Last night I noticed a monster bite on Jag's behind. It's on his left cheek, about 6 inches due west of his tail head. The bite is big (about the diameter of a 50 cent piece), and, worryingly, a swelling emanated from the bite - it looked like a large, swollen blood vessel sprouting from the bite, and leading toward the tail. The swollen vessel thingy is about 1 cm wide, and it stands up from the surface of his skin much as a horse's veins are visibile under its coat after exercise.
The bite had some discharge - not a lot - so I bathed it gently with warm water and betadine. Then applied the nicks & cuts cream I got from my vet. This am the bite swelling had lessened, though I can see that the bite surface through the hair is really raw. The swelling that is radiating from the bite is still evident. I repeated the cleaning/cream application. The bite area is not markedly warmer than the rest of the horse. It does seem to be a bit tender but not overly so.
Now, this is a bug bite. Jag is the prototypical thin skinned TB and gets welts from bug bites - he's reactive. But the swelling that is radiating from the bite worries me. I have an overactive imagination and am imaging a nasty infection is in the works.
My question for you all is whether or not you've seen a swelling like this, and whether or not this is a case for the vet. Some time a bug bite is just a bug bite, and sometimes it's not!
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Post by Deb on Jul 25, 2009 8:40:17 GMT -5
Gosh, I just realized no one replied to your post on the bug bite on Jag's behind. It could have been a bug bite and Jag's system over-reacted to it. I'm not a gambler, but I'll just bet the swelling has resolved itself. As long as his appetite is still good, he is drinking enough water and his poop is normal, I'd not be overly concerned.
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Post by johnnysauntie on Aug 6, 2009 15:54:27 GMT -5
Thanks, Deb. The swelling went down over a few days and he didn't seem worse for wear. It did look horrible at the outset though!
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Post by Deb on Aug 17, 2009 9:01:50 GMT -5
I'm glad Jag's bug bite did resolve it's self. Sounds like you did all the right things to help heal up the bite and swelling.
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