My horse is very sick with swollen head, bloody pee, and weight loss. Help!

I would be extremely worried that this laceration went into his pastern joint on his worst cut leg. The only way to know is this is for a vet to do a joint tap. I know you said there are no vets around but I'm not really sure what you expect us to be able to tell you over the internet. He needs to be examined in person and have some testing done to figure out why he is so lame. It could also be that tendons in the back of the leg have been cut or it could be both. If the joint is infected it needs to be flushed sterilely under anesthesia otherwise it will never get better, only worse. I have no idea what antibiotics you are giving him or even if it is the correct dose. Do you have anti-inflammatories to give him like Bute or Banamine? How much does this horse weigh so we can tell if you are dosing him correctly? I'm not sure we can be of much help without a lot more information. I strongly recommend you do a private consult with me or one of our vets so that you can get more one on one help and we can chat back and forth asking you the questions we need answers to.

It is impossible to tell from the picture, but I would have a vet out immediately. I would quarantine that horse and make it a very strict and severe quarantine. Horses who come in from kill pens unfortunately carry with them a host of issues that can do a lot of damage if not properly handled before they come to your property. In the future, it is always best to have any animal coming from a kill pen quarantined at a separate location for 30 days before they even step foot on your property. You will need to watch all your other horses for symptoms and quarantine them as well if they start to show symptoms. Make sure to bleach clean all areas and wear protective gear. Clean boots in a bleach tub when leaving his stall and to play it super safe, I would designate one person to deal with the sick horse and someone else to deal with the others until a vet can confirm or deny the strangles diagnosis.

Has your horse been seen by an equine vet? If not then this would be the next step. Swollen legs/veins can be a sign of heart disease. I would also have the horse tested for Equine viral arteriitis. There is a possibility that it once had this disease and these are problems connected to arteriitis. he cellulitis and the abscess can have caused sepsis which in turn caused heart problems. So these are two diseases that definitely need to be checked by an equine vet. There are a few other diseases that could cause swollen blood vessels, so your vet may want to take some blood for checking organ function as well.

Yes, you should call your vet out. Any cough and nasal discharge should be treated right away as it could turn chronic without treatment. Your horse likely has an infection and will require antibiotics and cough medicine.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm not an equine or large animal veterinarian but many many things could be wrong with your horse. Dental issues come to mind but many other things need to be evaluated by your large animal veterinarian. I would advise calling your veterinarian and let them handle this case. This could be something easily remedied or more complicated. A good physical exam, history, and possible tests would provide light on what is going on. I'm sorry I can't be more specific but a hands-on exam is definitely a place to start. Thanks for using Pet Coach!

Your dog sounds very sick, and I think he needs veterinary attention now. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

Poor Sage! This is a medical emergency, and he has to see a vet immediately. I would be concerned he ate something more than hay causing his symptoms, as it's very serious he can barely walk or hold his head up. He needs veterinary attention now. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.