Conference noted::equitation

    Lou,
    
    This could still be a bug bite of some kind. 2 of our horses have had
    similar things happen that turned out to be bug bites. 
    
    In one case, there was a swelling on the chest which was large and soft 
    the way you described. After 4 days or so, the swelling started to go 
    down and a hard lump emerged at what appeared to be the site of the bite. 
    At least, that's what our vet said. He thought it was a spider bite.
    
    In the other case, the horse's *entire* body was swollen and he was in
    respiratory distress. After an emergency call to the vet who shot him
    full of steroids and bute, he stabilized. The swelling went down over
    the course of a couple days. And, guess what, he too had a hard lump
    in practically the same spot as the other horse had had!
    
    In both these cases, the soft swelling had hidden the hard lump. When
    the swelling went down, the lump became visible. In both cases, it took
    about 8-10 days from the time we first noticed the swelling for the
    hard lump to dissolve. 
    
    Hopefully, this is something as simple as we had. Oh, just as an
    afterthought, you didn't recently deworm this horse with ivermectin for
    the first time did you? I vaguely remember that there is some internal
    parasite that the old dewormers couldn't touch and causes swelling on the 
    mid-line when killed off by the first ivermectin deworming...

    re .1
    
    Yes, John, I though about that parasite too.  I think it's called 
    oncoccerca (or something like that).  When I first gave my old gelding
    ivermectin (when it first came out) he developed a swelling starting at
    the inner edges of his front legs, right at the chest line, and
    continuing back along the midline of his chest.  The vet said it was
    caused by the sudded death of all those parasites, and the body
    reacting to that.  
    
    Also, I had a friend whose horse was very sensitive to insect
    repellant, and it turned out that, as the horse would sweat, the
    repellant would get washed down her sides, and collect at the midline
    of her abdomen, where she got swellings from the irritation.
    
    Gee -- lots of possibilities here, huh?
    
    -ellie

  Another possibility is that Sultan may have given himself the
  lump from kicking at the flies biting him on the belly.

  Ed's horse gave himself a big lump on the belly from kicking at 
  the flies. We smear ointment (I use Derma-plus, but some people
  use Swat) along his midline to discourage insects from landing there.

  Kiirja

    
    thanks,  I have been useing alot of bug spray in the ares just incase
    it's a bug bite.  I will put off calling the vet and see if goes down
    (he's in no discomfort) and No, have not dewormed Sultan w/ the wormer
    you have described.
    
    Louisa

    This may not be related at all, ..but my Appy had a problem with lumps
    forming and it took quite a while for the vet and me to figure out what
    was going on.  
    
    Most of the lumps were on his neck, but he would occassionally get them
    on the hindquarters or elsewhere.  The lumps were quite large and full
    of fluid as they were 'squishy' when you pushed on them.  Some of them
    would continue to get large and eventually burst. There would be some
    hair loss that would grow back in later.  Other lumps would gradually
    shrink and go away.
    
    The lumps first appeared shortly after a hurricane hit our area and it
    took us a long time to realize that the bumps were the result of an 
    allergy. Apparently it had orignally been triggered by eating the
    leaves from a weeping willow tree that had fallen during the storm.
    None of the other horses have ever reacted to it. 
    
    After that first episode, many things would trigger the allergy (sort
    of oversized hives) so we had to watch his hay content, etc ..and
    watch out for leaves in his paddock, etc. 
    
    Linda

    
    	Sounds almost like saddle gall (?). Have you tried washing
    	your girth (assuming it's cloth) every time you use it, rinse
    	it twice. If leather, clean very thoroughly each time you ride.
    	A friend of mine has to do this for her horse all the time.
    
    	Sherry
    

    
    I allways wash my girth when I'm done riding.  I allwasy put my
    saddle in it's carrier and i have seat savor, if I dont wash my
    girth when I'm done riding the horse hair gets on my savor and then
    on my butt....so I have never missed a washing of my girth..I allwasy
    wash my bridle when I'm done riding to.
    
    The lumps seem to go down after I ride, then flair back up again.  They
    are weird.  I guess I'll call the vet now, atleast to ease my mind.
    
    

    Sounds a lot like bug bites to me, too.  The girth area is fairly
    popular and the girth probably aggravates the area the same way
    scratching it would.  But, best to be safe and put your mind at 
    ease...
    
    mary

    Louise....
    Sultan, while we had him, was wormed with Ivermectin.  John did the
    same as we did.
    I agree with the bug bites but it won't hurt to have the vet take a
    look if it would make you feel better.
    
    Good luck
    
    Kathie
    

Hi Louisa,

It may be fluid collecting under the skin, and simply abiding by the laws of
gravity and collecting at the lowest possible point. This would make sense if,
as you say, once he has done some work the lumps go down. that might be because
the muscles in the area are increasing the circulation and carrying away those
fluids. 

I have had this happen for a variety of reasons, one time Zeus got kicked in 
the chest and the fluid resulting from the swelling collected at the girth
at it's lowest point. I have had the same thing happen to Neo when he got some
nasty bug bites, the fluid from the swelling eventually kind of "pooled" on his
underside, right at the girth. 

If it is something chronic though, I would have a vet take a look,

	JoAnne