Despite its somewhat misleading name (hematoma = bruise), this very rare disease in horses is not a simple bruise, but a slowly growing tumor originating in the ethmoid bone or paranasal sinuses that can cause severe bleeding. Ethmoid hematoma can occur in horses of any age, but is most common in horses between 8 and 15 years of age.
The ethmoid bone is a tubular bone located inside the skull, roughly between the horse's eyes. It separates the nasal cavity from the cranial cavity and consists of a labyrinth of spirals covered with olfactory mucosa, the ethmoid sinuses.
The ethmoid hematoma is a mostly unilateral, encapsulated growth of the vessels of the ethmoid labyrinth. The exact cause of this growth remains unclear. It is thought that chronic inflammation, repeated bleeding due to congenital or acquired vascular abnormalities, or genetic factors may play a role as possible triggers.
Unilateral, usually bloody or mucous-purulent nasal discharge, which occurs particularly under stress, is a very characteristic symptom of progressive ethmoid hematoma. Due to the mechanical constriction of the nasal passages, affected horses may show varying degrees of breathing difficulties and coughing, depending on the size of the tumor. Swelling in the facial area, head shaking, protrusion of the eyeball, and foul-smelling breath may also occur.
If you notice one or more of the above signs in your horse, or if you have observed them repeatedly over a longer period of time, take your horse to a veterinarian.
The veterinarian can make an initial diagnosis after a thorough clinical examination and a detailed preliminary report on the onset, duration, and nature of the symptoms.
Further examinations such as X-rays or an endoscopy of the nasal passages are necessary to confirm the diagnosis. However, the exact location and extent of the tumor can usually only be determined by computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. With the help of a tissue sample, a definitive statement can finally be made about the type of growth and other types of growth can be ruled out if necessary.
There are various ways to treat a sinus hematoma. For smaller growths, special medications can be injected directly into the tumor to dissolve the tissue. In most cases, the treatment must be repeated several times, but it promises good results once the entire tumor has been reached.
Larger ethmoid sinus hematomas can only be removed surgically. Depending on the size of the growth, this can be done conventionally through a bone window or using laser surgery via an endoscope. In rare cases, surgical procedures may result in delayed wound healing, fungal infections of the nasal cavity, bone sequestration (death of a piece of bone), or permanent nasal discharge.
Your veterinarian will advise you on the appropriate surgical method in each individual case.
The success of conservative injection therapy depends greatly on whether the entire tumor tissue can be reached with the medication. Complete regression of the tumor is very rare. Relapses are common.
If complete surgical removal of the ethmoid hematoma is possible, the prognosis is favorable. However, ethmoid hematomas recur in 20 to 50% of cases after surgery.
Additional complications can also significantly worsen the prognosis.
If your horse suddenly looks like it has run through hundreds of stinging nettles or been bitten by a swarm of mosquitoes, it could be hives, also known as urticaria. Triggered by certain stimuli, this excessive reaction of the immune system causes hundreds of small, round, raised swellings, known as wheals, to form on the horse's skin. In most cases, this rash disappears quickly once the cause has been treated.
If feed components or foreign bodies become stuck in the horse's esophagus, the surrounding muscles cramp up and a blockage occurs. Due to the risk of pneumonia caused by inhaling feed residues (aspiration pneumonia), a blockage is always a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate veterinary treatment.
Narcolepsy is a pathological sleep disorder in which animals initially appear to be dozing, but then suddenly fall asleep and sometimes collapse without support. In most cases, this sleep disorder is associated with a loss of muscle tone, known as cataplexy.
Wobbler syndrome describes a complex of symptoms caused by nerve damage in the cervical spine. The often typical ataxic (irregular) gait of affected animals gave the disease its name, as the English word "to wobble" means to sway or stagger. It occurs particularly often in Dobermans and Great Danes, but other large breeds of dog can also be affected. Male dogs are twice as likely to develop the condition as females.
Dourine is a worldwide, notifiable horse disease that is transmitted through mating. It is highly contagious, spreads very quickly and is almost always fatal. It occurs mainly in Asia, North and South Africa. Thanks to appropriate control measures, the disease is now considered to have been eradicated in Australia, North America and Central Europe.
Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining that can occur in dogs as a result of superficial or deep injuries. Persistent irritation of the stomach lining can lead to chronic inflammation and ultimately to a stomach ulcer. The disease can take an acute or chronic course.
This condition, also known as "cold tail," has been known for some time but remains largely unexplored. It occurs mainly in the summer months, is characterized by a distinctive tail posture, and is very painful.
This disease, which has only been known for a few years and is feared by warmblood breeders, is a hereditary genetic defect that leads to connective tissue weakness in newborn foals. It is estimated that WFFS has existed for 170 years and affects approximately nine to eleven percent of all warmbloods.
For many horse owners, this is a sad moment. The diagnosis "unrideable" abruptly ends the dream of experiencing more wonderful moments in the saddle with your horse. But even if riding is no longer possible, the horse should not be any less valuable as a friend. After all, there are wonderful alternatives for spending time together.
For horses, which are flight animals, the eye is an important sensory organ, but it can also be very sensitive to internal and external influences. Conjunctivitis is one of the most common eye disorders in horses. It can occur as a separate disease or as a result of a general illness.
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi (the airways in the lungs). It is one of the most common respiratory diseases in dogs.
Ataxia is Greek and means "disorder." The term actually describes quite well what ataxia is all about. It is a disorder of the horse's normal movement and posture that is caused by damage to the central nervous system. Ataxia is therefore not lameness!
