The Second Chance Event Team is potentially going to have a giant setback. My 5 year old gelding Bailey has developed a large bony mass on his jaw. It appears on x-ray to be bone and not an abscess. So far my vet, and a second consulting vet have not been able to determine the cause of the growth. It is directly under the interdental space where the bit goes in the horse's mouth and doesn't seem to involve any teeth or tooth roots where abscesses or fibromas are more common.
The remaining theories are that it is bone healing over an old fracture, or it is a form of bone cancer.
The idea that it is a healing fracture is not likely due to no significant fracture evidence being found on the x-ray... and also it is not likely because I handle Bailey every single day, twice a day, and monitor his food consumption. There is no way in my mind that Bay suffered a broken jaw without my knowing it. He would have been swollen, and resistant to having a halter put on him since the noseband would have hit the traumatized area. And I would think that he would have had a hard time chewing and therefore I would have noticed that he was not eating all his feed.
On Tuesday afternoon, Bailey is scheduled for a bone biopsy which should give us a definitive diagnosis. I will update the blog when I know more.
P~
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