I think my horse had a bloody nose, is this normal?

Question

Went to the barn this morning and noticed little drops of blood on the floor. Looked at my horse and he seemed to have a "runny" nose, but it looked like blood. Is this normal???? Should I wait to see if it happens again? Should I get the vet there ASAP??? Help!

Answer 1

Although nosebleeds can look alarming, in most cases they are not serious. Even a small bleed can look dramatic, especially down the front of a grey horse. Most minor nosebleeds stop bleeding within 15min.

Is it serious?

* How much blood is there? Would the drips slowly fill a teacup or rapidly overflow a bucket? If a Thoroughbred-sized horse loses more than about four litres (say half a big bucket) of blood rapidly, it needs emergency investigation

* Is the blood coming from one nostril or two? A true nosebleed originating from within the head will only emerge from one nostril. A horse bleeding internally from the lungs will bleed from both nostrils

* Is there any obvious reason for the bleeding? A horse may have just knocked its head, had a fall or the vet has just passed a stomach tube up the nose

* Is it a one-off nosebleed? This may be a minor bleed that hopefully will not recur. Has it happened repeatedly? This is more serious and definitely needs investigation

* Has the horse just been exercising hard? If so is more likely to have an exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage, when the blood originates from the lungs.

Common causes

Horses do not tend to have spontaneous nosebleeds, so there has to be a reason why it has happened.

A nosebleed — properly termed epistaxis — occurs when any part of the nasal passages (which are richly supplied with blood vessels), throat, lower airways or lungs are injured to such a degree that blood vessels are damaged and blood leaks out.

The commonest cause is a simple knock on the head, when alarmingly large amounts of blood may pour from one nostril. Such traumatic nosebleeds are usually self-limiting, but always consult your vet.

Nosebleed are also common reason if the delicate nasal tissues are knocked inadvertently when a vet passes a stomach tube up from the nostril. Sometimes this is inevitable, particularly if the horse moves at the wrong moment, but the bleeding always stops.

A moderate nosebleed, if accompanied by coughing, suggests a foreign body wedged in the nose or throat.

Occasionally tumours somewhere in the respiratory tract or inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis) will produce a trickle of blood from the nose.

More serious problems include a progressive ethmoid haematoma, which is a lump that can grow inside the horse's nose. It is similar to a giant blood blister and is aptly described as a "bleeding polyp". It is a rare condition seen in around one horse in 2,500.

Guttural pouch mycosis is the typical cause of repeated nosebleeds, unrelated to exercise or trauma, and is a serious condition that requires surgery to control the bleeding.

Bleeding from both nostrils after exercise is most commonly due to an exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage. This happens when bleeding occurs from the blood vessels within the lung. Because the blood is coming up from the lungs, technically it is not a true nosebleed at all.

First aid for nosebleeds

* With any nosebleed, the horse should be kept as calm as possible

* The nose should never be packed, because horses breathe through their noses

* It may help to hold an ice pack or cold wet towel just below the horse's eyes. If the bleeding is coming from inside the nose area, this may reduce it

* Horses have large volumes of blood inside them, so what looks like a lot coming out of the nose may not be critical for the horse. Even so nosebleeds should not continue for more than 15min; if one does, your vet should be consulted as an emergency

* It may help your vet if you can say if the bleeding is coming from one nostril or both

* There are some serious, but rare, conditions in the horse, which start as tiny nosebleeds that then get worse. A significant or recurrent nosebleed should always be checked out promptly...

Answer 2

Bloody Nose Horse

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

When did the horse start with these symptoms, just today or has it been ongoing? If it just started today I would go ahead and get the vet tonight. I had a friend that had some of the symptoms that you are seeing and we watched her horse bleed to death from his nose before the vet could get there. It started out as just a little and very soon was pouring like a water hose. This was all due to a brain aneurysm. Good luck and let us know what the vet says.

Answer 5

Wait to see if it happens again. He could have sneezed really hard and broken some capillaries. Due to the season, he may have a really dry nose, just like a person, and it could be bleeding due to that. It could also be that he hit it on something and got a nose bleed. If there is a lot of blood, I would contact the vet. If it was just a little, watch him, and see if it happens again.

Answer 6

Calm down. Don't panic. A bloody nose is just that, a bloody nose. If its cold and dry nar you right now, and its just a little bit of blood, don't worry about.

Start worrying when its a lot of blood or your horse is getting them all the time.

Answer 7

My horse sometimes gets blood from his nose but it's sometimes just because they have caught their nose on a prickle. But if your horse is old then get a vet becuase it might have internal bleeding so if its old get a vet asap!!!

Answer 8

It could just be the cold weather, but it could be a number of things. I would give your vet a call and describe the situation. He'll give you some pointers.