Observation

What you see. The starting point for addressing any equine health related issue is your observation.

YOU ARE OBSERVING

Face or Head Seems Swollen or Enlarged

Summary

Swelling of the head and/or face is caused by a variety of disease processes. If this just occurred, one of the most common is some sort of allergic response. You can see this as a consequence of a wasp sting or contact with various allergens. You have to wonder about traumatic injury of course.

In contrast, dental conditions/ sinusitis commonly causes swelling on one side. A nutritional deficit such as Big Head or Bran Disease, commonly causes generalized swelling of the facial bones of the skull but this is a chronic, slow process. Other disease processes cause swelling of the whole head. There is even a rare condition that causes swelling of both cheeks (masseter myositis).

Code Red

Call Your Vet Immediately, Even Outside Business Hours
- If the swelling is large, painful or growing rapidly.
- If the results of the Whole Horse Exam (WHE) in the resting horse indicate fever (Temp >101F/38.3C) or heart rate greater than 48 BPM.
Code Orange

Call Your Vet at Their First Available Office Hours
- If the results of the Whole Horse Exam (WHE) suggest the horse is otherwise normal.

You also might be observing

Very Common

Less Common

more observations

your role

What To Do

Stand directly in front of the horse and carefully study their face and head to determine whether the swelling is present on one or both sides, and what part of the face or head is affected. Evaluate the skin using good light, looking for evidence of trauma, puncture wounds or spots of blood that could indicate a snake bite.

Assess the horse's general health using the Whole Horse Exam (WHE), paying special attention to rectal temperature, attitude, appetite, and the horse's ability to breath, eat and drink.

Consider how severe the swelling is and how rapidly it is changing as that is key to the type of disease process this might be and the actions you may need to take.

If your horse is showing any other signs of illness or abnormalities, or if the swelling appears to interfere with your horse's ability to breath, contact your vet immediately.