Lump on side of neck

[snelson]

Pebbles has a soft lump about the size of a golf ball on her neck. Sort of right in the middle. It was there last Sunday, no heat, no pain when I touch it or press on it nor does it seem to bother her when I flex her neck.

Flies are terrible so I asked the bm to please keep an eye on it for me and if it doesn't go down or if it gets worse to please let me know. Had a busy week and finally made it back out there tonight. Still the same and although I asked her to put fly spray on them every day, my fly spray bottle that I left out in their paddock for her to use is still full They stand absolutely still when I spray them so I know it's not that she would need to chase them around. And she didn't bother to text me that it hadn't changed.

I cannot see that there is any abrasion and she had her spring shots back when she had her shoulder injury so it's not from an injection. She is eating fine and acting normal. If it had been painful when I touched it on Sunday I would have called the vet right out but when I didn't hear from the bm this week I figured it must have subsided.

Any ideas? Should I use moist heat on it? Or ice? I will call the vet on Monday if it is unchanged but maybe there is something I can do that will reduce the swelling?

Thanks all!!

Enjoy your 4th Holiday

[Yip]

No guesses here, but I hope it's nothing important!

[DorothyB]

Shiloh and Keet's Holly have both had similar, both more in the side area near where the girth would go. We figured they were insect bites of some kind. Both of Shiloh's went away eventually (took a while). One of Holly's is still there, but doesn't bother her at all.

[Marci]

My first horse had a lump on his shoulder right near the point of the shoulder. It wasn't sore he didn't have any problems so I left it thinking it was something he had already. (I was 16 and this was my first horse) time goes by and I show up and it has burst open. I try to clean it out and get the pus out and out pops a rose bush thorn. After that it healed up and the bump was gone. Not even a scar. If I had called a vet out it would actually have probably been a worse mess. Think I missed a day or two of riding, and that was when I rode EVERY single day. LOL

[Mary Ann]

I'm thinking something's in there too. Probably a splinter from itching during spring shedding, or from bugs being so irritating. How's it doing now?

[snelson]

Nope, nothing in there. It finally subsided. She got another smaller one along her wither but with a little moist heat it disappeared fairly quickly. She has never had any reactions to bug bites in previous years but she has had all sorts of issues this year. So here's hoping they have all subsided and no more reactions. They certainly did not irritate her or bother her but I had never seen her with that sort of bump before. The other horses at the barn who get bug reactions all seem to get "hive" type of bumps. Small and plentiful.

[snelson]

She got over the lump, but then had one eye swollen. Thought it was irritated with dust, rinsed it and put some cream in there. Cleared up completely within 48 hours. It was about 95% in 24 hours. Then a few days later it was the other eye...what in the world Her eyes look good. I thought it may be dust but the little snot won't wear a fly mask. I have tried various brands and types and she gets them off within an hour or so. She tolerates the riding mask when we go on the trail but to wear one in turnout is definitely not going to happen.

[Idaho Linda]

I have had the best luck with the original Farnum masks--without ears. They sure save a lot of frustration in the summer--as long as the horses leave them on, of course.

You might try using Freedom Spot On. Don't use any of the imitation ones, stick with the original. I have had problems with the others burning when applied--the horses were not pleased. It lasts for two weeks. The second application will be more effective than the first. Be very sparing with any bug spray you apply before riding if you use this. If you can find something like Rio Vista Coat So Soft--even the dog version--you can use that to your heart's content. If the Avon Skin-So-Soft works in your area, you can use it.

I have noticed that this year my horses don't have the chewed up bellies and udders that they did when I just sprayed them for riding. I trap the big biting bugs quite effectively, but there are some other critters--probably real small--that seemed to get past the biting fly traps and fly parasites. 24 hour protection is a good thing.

[snelson]

Thanks Linda. I do use the original Freedom Spot On. Have been for a couple of years. I see some improvement but she still gets quite a few flies bothering her around her face and of course her fetlocks.

I have literally tried every single type of fly mask that I can get my hands on. She will get it off before I leave the barn or the bm will say it was laying in the paddock within a couple of hours. On the plus side...she is very good about letting me put them on!

I would love to do what my dad used to do and put a burn barrel out in the paddock and put some old straw or even stall shavings in there and light it on fire. My mare figured out if she put her nose into the barrel and stood there for awhile she could go out in the pasture and graze and the bugs would leave her alone. We used stuff that would smolder and not flame...like a straw bale wet down. But the barn manager says that the owner would not like that liability.

[Idaho Linda]

For the fetlocks, try DEET. Put it on the sides of her hooves. I wouldn't want to put DEET on a horse everyday, but I can't see where it would hurt anything every day on her hooves. It works great for riding if you have deer flies bothering the ears. A spray or two of DEET and the flies all go away to go bother someone else. I would wipe Endure on her face and ears every morning. There is no way it lasts as long as it claims, but, then, we don't soak the hair like they suggest.

I think that some old horsemen used to wipe Scarlet Oil (whatever that is) on the face, especially around the eyes.

I release fly parasites from "The Source" every few days. It isn't instant--especially starting in the summer--but within a year or so, there just isn't a fly problem anymore from nuisance flies. I do NOT practice good manure management. I just turn the little guys loose to lay eggs on the fly larvae. And I have Horse Pal biting fly traps to get rid of the horseflies/deer flies. It is cheaper to get rid of the flies than try to keep them off the horses. A few bird houses for swallows helps as well.

[snelson]

Thanks Linda, I will have to get some DEET and see how that works. I do have Scarlet Oil. I used that when she had her shoulder injury this spring. It is pretty oily so that may be why the old horsemen used it. Not sure I will, but it's something to think about when the little gnats are bad.

Our barn does a good job of cleaning paddocks and runs every day and the manure pile is quite a ways from the horses. She did try the fly traps the last couple of years but she hung them in the alleyways and they would start to stink so bad that the college instructor objected to them. She said she didn't mind them all summer when there wasn't any kids riding but once college started back up that the bm needed to remove them. That was a huge drama the bm does not like being told what to do and will do the exact opposite even when it's detrimental to the horses...just to prove she is the "boss".

[Idaho Linda]

Horse Pal biting fly traps do not stink. There is no bait--only a black shiny ball.

I believe that the fly traps people hang up actually breed flies. If you put one of those with flies in it inside a clear plastic bag, you will be shocked at the amount of flies that come out. The directions call for those to be shaken several times a day to make sure the flies are drowned. That never happens. But, I have better things to do than argue with your BM.

I love my fly parasites.

[snelson]

Ahhh...nope she is not using Horse Pal. I will have to suggest that. It's the clear bag with yellow on them that she gets at the ag store that stink and of course the flies are buzzing so my horse walks by with his nose in the air and snorting!

[Idaho Linda]

Fly parasites from "The Source" got rid of my flies. I can't vouch for Spaldings.

[Trailpal]

Those stinky bag traps should be hung away from where the horses and humans are - the stink is an attractant. You'd want to attract the flies -away- from the barn aisle. Even if it's just around the corner from the barn, the flies will go there instead of into the barn, and the stink is outside.

Our barn has a handful of chickens, in addition to the normal wild birds around. The predators kept getting eaten! So this year (we got a late start), we used predators for a month or two to catch up, and put the horses on a feed-through IGR (Insect Growth Regulator). It passes through the horse unchanged, and when the flies lay eggs in the manure, the larvae get the IGR and it prevents them from developing into the next stage. It's working really well! (of course, all the horses need to be on it) I did hang a sticky trap (it's a box, not a strip) in the grooming area - it doesn't draw flies but takes care of the ones that follow the horses in.