What should I check if my horse was bitten and is off its feed? | arlo.® Atlas

Read time: 3 minutes

Overview

If your horse has been bitten and is off its feed, check the wound carefully, then look at your horse’s general behaviour, temperature, and whether there’s swelling, heat or pain around the area. A reduced appetite can happen for a few reasons, including discomfort, stress, or a wound that’s becoming irritated, so it’s worth checking the basics rather than assuming it’s minor.

Most bite wounds are straightforward to monitor at first, but it’s sensible to keep a close eye on any change in appetite, especially if the bite is on the face, neck, chest, or near the mouth. If the horse seems dull, the wound is worsening, or it’s not eating normally, veterinary advice may be needed.

Things To Check

1. Check exactly where the bite is and whether it’s close to the mouth, jaw, throat, or another area that could make eating uncomfortable.

2. Look for swelling, heat, redness, broken skin, discharge, scabbing, or a bad smell around the wound.

3. Watch whether your horse is chewing normally, dropping feed, preferring one side of the mouth, or seeming reluctant to eat hay, hard feed, or grass.

4. Note any change in attitude, such as dullness, reluctance to move, head pressing, or seeming more withdrawn than usual.

5. Check if the horse is drinking as normal, since reduced drinking can go along with not wanting to eat.

6. Consider whether the horse has had recent turnout, contact with other horses, grooming, or exercise that may have disturbed the area.

7. Look for any signs the wound is getting worse rather than settling, such as increasing swelling, more discharge, or a new lameness if the bite is on a limb.

Common Causes

The most common reason is simple pain or soreness from the bite itself, especially if the wound is near the face, neck, or a busy area of the body.

Stress or annoyance from being sore can also put a horse off its feed for a short time, particularly if the bite happened during turnout or horse-to-horse interaction.

Sometimes the bite may have become irritated or contaminated, which can lead to more swelling, heat, or discharge and make the horse feel generally off.

Less commonly, the horse may have a deeper wound, a developing abscess, or another problem affecting eating that just happened to show up at the same time as the bite.

What To Do

Keep the horse somewhere calm and easy to monitor, and compare feed intake with its usual routine rather than just whether it has nibbled a little.

Check the bite wound a couple of times a day and note any change in size, heat, swelling, discharge, or comfort. If the area is dirty, gently remove loose dirt with care, but don’t keep handling it if that seems to make the horse more distressed.

Offer familiar, easy-to-manage feed and make sure fresh water is available. If the horse is reluctant to eat because of a facial or mouth-area bite, watch whether it can still chew comfortably and whether feed is being left behind.

Limit anything that might rub or disturb the wound, and keep turnout, stable contact, and grooming sensible until you know the area is settling.

When To Contact A Vet

Contact your vet if your horse stays off its feed, the bite is on or near the mouth, or the wound is getting more swollen, hot, painful or smelly. A vet should also be called if your horse seems dull, has trouble chewing, develops a fever, or you’re worried the bite is deeper than it first looked.

Products That May Help

If you’re managing a bite wound at home, the Horse Care collection may be useful for sensible first-aid and routine cleaning support while you keep an eye on how the area looks and how your horse is behaving.

Horse Care

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