# Horses with brain problems



## Kenzo (6 January 2011)

What sort of problems can affect the horses brain? for example tumours and disease.

What are the signs and can anything be picked up visually? is it possible to see swelling or possible abnormal lump located on the front of the face by any chance?

Any info/experiences much appreciated.


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## iconique (6 January 2011)

I can't answer your whole question but I can give my friends horse as an example.  

He started to lean and not just his head but his whole neck then body towards the right.  He failed some of the standard neuro tests, including the tail pull and blindfold (please don't try without at vet!)  He went for tests which included scoping the gutteral pouches (sp?) and injecting radiation into his spine.  All tests came back inconclusive, however shortly after the tests were done he started a fever and was treated for this with Antibiotics, along with the steriods which were perscibed to reduce swelling if it was this causing it.  They have identified that there are possibly 2 areas of the brain affected.

Anyway he's home and although still leaning the cause is deemed to be one of 3 things, brain tumor, brain trauma (horse fallen and smacked head) or migrating worms (v. rare).

When he was at his worst not only did he lean but his right eye also drooped.

Hope this helps?


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## Box_Of_Frogs (7 January 2011)

So many things can cause neurological problems. Severe trauma to the head or neck, tumours or bleeds in the brain, liver damage or failure, sadly the list is long. You won't necessarily see brain or neurological damage though obviously, severe trauma to the head would show. You won't see a swelling if the brain swells - it's all encased in the bony armour of the skull. Neurological damage is more commonly picked up from severe behavioural problems such as apparent blindness, collapse, staggering, unnatural lethargy and a host of other weird behaviours, many of which can be very dangerous for the horse and the owner/rider. If you are in any doubt whatsoever, please call your vet out asap. If your horse has a swelling on its face or head that is now accompanied by strange behaviours then I would suspect deeper trauma. Some traumas can mend on their own, some can't. Fingers crossed x


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## Kenzo (7 January 2011)

Thank you for your feed back.

Reason I ask is, he's got what I can only describe as a bulge to the left of the centre of his face where the centre whirl then to the right if you were facing him but high up so the short forelock  overs it, so not noticeable unless you where really looking, but it is visable and you can really feel it.  This is not something I have only just noticed however, I noticed it a few years ago, in fact he may of well had it since I got him as a two yr old but I can honestly say that I remember seeing it then, so I'm not sure if it could of grown, could just be the shape of his skull or the soft tissue around that area, I know some horses vary in the shape across that area.

There are no behavior or odd signs to suggest neurological problems, never had a trauma to the head, certainly not while I've had him.

I just got thinking about it last night, the more I thought about it the more I started to worry about if it could be something, as you do.

Next time I have the vet, I'll point it out and see what he says.

If I can take a photo of it today, I'll bob it on so you can see what I mean.

Meanwhile I keep a close eye on thing just in case.

Thank you.


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## misterjinglejay (7 January 2011)

A 15 year old ex racer where I work has a brain tumour - she has a lump just behind her jawbone , near her ear on one side. It's hard and doesn't affect her when you touch it.

She'll be fine one minute and then have a complete change of character the next, throwing herself around her stable, knocking anyone over etc. This happens at least once a day - she'll go to the pasture in the sky soon, I suspect.


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## Booboos (7 January 2011)

Just a thought...I had a grey with melanomas and over the years he developped similar sounding lumps around his head and neck. Could it be that? The lumps under his tail were tiny and black external lumps, while the ones on his head were under the skin and eventually as large as eggs. He had no other symptoms, until eventually he had recurrent laminitis and the vet thought this could be caused by the melanomas.


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## fatpiggy (7 January 2011)

Most brain problems are diagnosed only by symptoms - there isn't anything you can really see.  My horse has epilepsy and in investigating this my vet found she had brain damage, although we don't know if the two are related (her seizures are tied to her seasons) and she certainly showed no problems at the vetting a couple of years before.  Basically she showed poor spatial perception on her left side, reduced menace response on the left and interestingly, and again maybe coincidentally, her eyesight in the left eye has gradually declined until I would say she is partially blind in it. Personally, as she has had epilepsy for at least the last 16 years, I would doubt that she had a brain tumour, not least because she has not shown any personality changes in all that time and I'm sure by now something would have showed up. That doesn't mean to say she doesn't have a brain lesion though which isn't necessarily the same thing.

Ask your vet if the lump on the pony's forehead could be a sinus cyst. It certainly sounds from your description as if it could be and yes, they do grow over time.


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## Aoibhin (7 January 2011)

old mare i used to ride was a sweetie one min & a hateful human killing machine the next, after her owner sold her on the new owners were shocked by her behaviour (seller diddnt tell them) they got her checked out by vet who took bloods & stuff she sadly had one of her Episodes whilst they were waiting for results & lunged headfirst into brick stable wall & died, post mortem revealed huge tumor on her brain.
she was only 9 too


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## Kenzo (7 January 2011)

Ok, again thank you for your feed back.
I've taken some photos today on my phone, not great picture quality and it was raining at the time, only thing is I don't know how to put them on here, I can cpoy the image code or the link from Photobucket but how do you paste it on here when using a phone? its not like I can right click and paste with a mouse...otherwise I have to load them on a PC tomorrow.
It's more of an indentation than a swelling when you feel it, like a dent in his head, sounds strange I know, but its the only way I can describe it.
I'll try and put the photos on again if I can Sus it out.


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## sizz (7 January 2011)

Brain tumors in  horses are extremely rare and they can only be picked up on post mortem or MRI and it is very difficult if not impossible to get a horses head into the scanner.  The dent in the horses skull could be due to past traumer or maybe he was born with it.  If he isnt showing any abnormal behaviour I wouldnt worry about it.  There are lots of reasons why a horse shows abnormal behaviour I should think the rarest being a brain tumour


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## Box_Of_Frogs (8 January 2011)

I'd suspect a cyst or a problem/abscess with one tooth. I saw this not so long ago in a rescued filly. Really asymmetrical face, big hard swelling one side only. Owner hadn't bothered to get vet advice on. Vets came out when filly was safe in her new home and it was a massive tooth abscess.


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## Kenzo (10 January 2011)

Right I've finally got some pictures loaded up.

Box of Frogs - Your thoughts regarding a tooth abscess, a good suggestion but I very much doubt it is, I have the dentist out to him twice a year and have done since I bought him back in 2006, if it was abscess or trouble with his teeth I'd of had some issues come to light and my dentist would of picked it up by now (well I'd of thought... hopefully!), although I see what you mean,  if it had just formed then yes I'd of thought it was some from of abscess too.  

Not very clear as they were taken on my phone in the wet.

It looks more of a bulge because of the indentation, it's like a groove.

It does look like a scar on the photos, probably because the rain has trickled into the groove, but it is not a scar (well certainly not while I've had him) as he's never done anything to his face and wouldn't be posting wondering what it could be in the first place if that was the case, I wonder if perhaps he was born like this or something may of happened (chipped skull) when he was a foal or yearling perhaps? 

To be honest it looks worse due to his winter coat as his head is very fluffy


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