Neck Ingury, and unsual Swealing, advice on how best to treat it please?

Hey,

I have a 15.2hh TB x ISH mare. I recently took her to a XC competition and in the box on the way there a horse she was traveling with got loose and has nibbled her neck.

The cuts are just on the surface and they didn't bleed very much if at all, but around them its rather swollen, warm to touch BUT its swollen in a "wrinkly" way, not just as a block. The skin feels really hard on the raised wrinkles too.
Other than it being warm and looking unusual it doesn't effect her movement or seam to be causing her pain when I touch it.

I have tried cold compresses and witch hazel ointment, and they don't seam to have done anything. Has anyone seen this kind of wrinked swealling before, or no any effective ways of treating it, or is it best just to leave nature to it. Or could it be more serious and should I get the vet out?

Thanks for any help guys
Emma

How long ago was the horse bitten? What you are describing sounds like an abscess. Hot compresses work to bring the infection to the surface. Some abscesses must be lanced/drained/cleaned by a vet and the horse should be given antibiotics. Have you had a vet look at it?

She was bitten on saturday, but there is no open wounds that would let infection in??

I havn't had the vet out yet, but am thinking il ring tomorrow if its still not looking any better

I would imagine that it is a hematoma or a seroma. Both will go away by themselves better than if you mess around with them. Hot packs will only enlarge them and make them take longer to absosrb.

If you think you may have an infection beginning, the horse's temperature will rise, so you can keep a watch on that if you want to do something. The blood or serum in one will absorb all by itself. If you drain one, it just comes back and you take a chance on introducing an infection, so they are best left alone.

This is what it looks like, see the wrinkeld swelling, phoenix's is a little larger than this but deffo the same kind of pattern, hope this help yous help me haha.

Thanks for both your advice sooo far :)
Emma

You said there were cuts that didn't bleed much at all? If the skin was broken, infection can get in.

But there healed now, and the swelling came up after if that makes sence? Its looks very simular to that picture above if that helps :)

Thanks

That is what an abscess is. The skin heals over and the infection brews under the surface of the skin. But the infection was introduced when the skin was cut.

Here is a pic of my mare who had an abscess.....it got much worse and had to be lanced and drained by a vet.

The whole raised parts off the wrinkles are now peeling off my horses neck ''/ the skin under is healed over with some tufts of hair growing threw the exposed parts. Il try take a picture tomorrow, see what yous think??

Its still not casueing her pain to touch, and am washing it every day with warm water, HiBi scrubing the area and sparying it with an antiseptic loation. Any other ideas or sugestions would be great.

Thanks again guys
Emma
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Could it be sunburn on her neck nd its peeling, like humans??

I am just clutching at straws here haha. I have rang the vet, they said to use a warm compress and spray it with disinfectant and antiseptic daily, which is what iv been doing, and may have been what brought about this ''peeling'' effect.
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