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Juli,

Any chance it could be the alivary glands, rather than the lymph nodes?  Large swelling, behind the curve of the jaw, might spread over onto the jaw, and reaching possibly as high up as the ear? 

 

My gelding was over at a friend's place for a couple weeks, and when he was in this one field, he had this issue.  After a lot of internet research, we determined that it was harmless, and due to unknown causes...could be an allergy, reaction to something in that field that he ate, etc.  Do some Google searches on salivary gland swelling in horses, and you'll get a lot.  Basically, when he was removed from the pasture, it went away.  Doesn't take long to recede.

 

Dawn in East Texas

 

On 2/8/07, Juli Bechard <dakoiah@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

First of all, let me assure everyone I've called the vet, she just hasn't called me back yet.  And I'm paranoid and need something other to do than stare compulsively at my horses eating.

 

I went out to ride tonight, and pulled Alpine out of the pasture, and when I went to groom him I noticed his lymph nodes behind his jaw are swollen. Really, really, really swollen.  I peered in his nose, and he has some clear to cloudy colored discharge, but no pus or nasty stuff coming out, but he's blowing his nose out more than normal.  He seems to feel fine…maybe a smidge quiet, but it's warm out today. His temp is 99.8.  He's eating. He's bright and cheerful and was even trying to scavenge chicken feed.

 

I went out in the pasture to check the others, and Shoney (one of my boarders) also has swollen lymph nodes and a bit of clear runny nose.  He is perfectly bright and happy and hungry.  I didn't take his temp, I called his owner instead.  The other two seem fine. 

 

I live in florida, land of strangles, so I'm paranoid. I've never had it on our property before, and the horses have been nowhere and no one has been here in awhile, except my friend Kim with her 4 year old QH who is fine…I called to check.  Alpine has never been vaccinated for strangles, he has some severe vaccine reactions, so I've been pretty careful about what he gets.  Shoney gets the vaccine twice a year, the last time about a month and a half ago.

 

Help!  Anyone have any suggestions/comments/etc to keep me sane till the vet gets here?  I would greatly appreciate it if everyone would tell me I'm paranoid and that they just have a cold…..

 

Juli and the herd in Florida who are on standby for a vet call which no one is going to like cause the equines are getting shots undoubtedly and the human has to write the resulting check to the vet.