Symptoms on the Horse Head: Eyes, Ears, Nostrils and Gums

Watery eyes, discharge from the ears, swelling or gum colour give you information about possible infections or injuries. In this blog post you can read how to interpret these symptoms.

What You Need to Know About the Horse Head

Discharge From the Horse Ears

Discharge from the ears is often caused by an infection, parasite or insect infestation.

If you notice a swelling in the ears, it may also be caused by parasites, insects or an infection as well. However, these swellings can also be frostbite or tumours. Bleeding ears are usually caused by trauma or sarcoids. Equine sarcoids are skin tumours that respond to irritation and/or injury with massive growth. Treatment of sarcoids by a veterinarian is essential.

 

If you notice that your horse suffers from severe itching, then a mite infestation is obvious.

 

Your horse’s ears are essential. Not only does it hear and orient itself, but it also shows you its state of mind. If you notice that your horse hardly reacts to you or not at all, then this can have various causes. Besides a sudden loss of hearing, an injury or swelling in the ear is also a possibility.

Horse Eyeinfection

Not only cloudy eyes can be a sign that your horse is not healthy. Discharge, swelling, itching and/or a reddish discolouration or frequent blinking are also possible symptoms. These are often caused by foreign bodies/insects/dust, infections or injuries. Have the eye examined by a veterinarian!

Horse Nosebleeds and Discharge

Horses are real sniffers. They can detect smells up to two kilometres away. Moreover, horses can only breathe through their nostrils and not throuAgh their mouths. This makes it all the more important to keep an eye on your horse’s nostrils and treat possible infections immediately.

Discharge from the nostrils is categorised as one-sided and both-sided. One-sided discharge can be caused by a dental abscess or a sinus infection. Both-sided discharge often indicates a bacterial or viral infection.

If your horse has a nosebleed, it may be due to overloading or, in extreme cases, head trauma.

What Does the Gum Colour Say About My Horse's Health?

It is often forgotten or underestimated how much the colour of the gums tells you about the health of your horse.

Ideally, your horse’s gums should be pale pink to white-grey. Here is an overview of what the different gum colours can mean.

 

White/light: reduced blood circulation, anaemia, shock

Red: dehydration, poisoning

Dark/purple: poisoning, shock, lack of oxygen in the blood

Yellow: liver failure, high bilirubin concentration

 

Save this chart with all symptoms and always keep track of your horse’s health:

Equine symptoms of nostrils eyes ears gum gum colour

Health x Happie Horse App

Happie Horse App digitale Gesundheitsakte

Enter all of your horse's symptoms into the Happie Horse App's symptom diary and have all of the health information at your fingertips for your next vet appointment.

Also get reminders for the next vet appointment with a push notification when you add the appointment in the Happie Horse App.

Download the app and try all premium features 7 days for free!

Related articles

Blog Articles Overall

Horses With Asthma – Possible Symptoms and What to Do

Equine asthma, also known as “heaves” or chronic obstructive bronchitis, is a common condition in horses. It is a chronic respiratory disease caused by inflammation of the airways. Symptoms of Equine Asthma: Horses with asthma show a variety of symptoms

Blog Articles Overall

The Horse Hoof – Symptoms and Diseases

“No Hoof, No Horse.” The horse’s hoof represents a remarkable anatomical phenomenon. The horse rests practically all day on the tip of a single toe or finger. Hence the old adage, “No hoof, no horse.” There is no question that

Horse galopping on sand outdoor arena
Blog Articles Overall

Active Stables for Horses

Constant Free Movement in Herds Can Help Against Obesity We always talk about how feed can affect a horse’s weight but feed is not the only thing that can and should be considered when helping a horse lose weight sustainably.

Blog Articles Overall

The Equine Skeleton – The Horse From the Inside

It is nothing new that horses are very agile animals. But did you know that a horse’s skeleton consists of 252 individual bones? This means that a horse has 46 more bones than a human. However, horses do not have

horse eating a poisonous plant
Blog Articles Overall

Which Plants are Poisonous for Horses?

Expert Advice: Kim Lina Pethahn, an independent feed consultant, wrote this article. Common Symptoms and What to Avoid Poisonous plants can be found all over the world and sadly horses do not always know that what they’re eating might be

Horse with a rug in winter snow
Blog Articles Overall

How To Rug Your Horse in Winter

Are you over-rugging your horse out of concern? There are key factors you should keep in mind when using blankets for your horse during winter. During the winter season, most people automatically throw a rug on their horse, or so