Gutteral Pouch Tympany

[babygoose]

I just got back from the vet. I discovered my shetland/mini mare willing but virtually unable to eat this AM, her jaws would not work. Took her to vet where they did x-rays and found her pouches to be filled. Scoped her to look for infection or mycosis. Everything looked normal. There was a little feed in her sinuses. So they released the air and we are waiting for the sedation to wear off to see if she can now eat. They don't know what may have caused the tympany. Possible a choke that resolved itself but caused her pouches to fill. I am just hoping that she can eat now and there isn't an underlying cause of that. Vet is putting her on a week of antibiotics, several small meals a day of soaked hay and close supervison.

Anybody have an older horse that has had anything similar?

Edited to add I just heard from the vet and she is able to eat.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I am assuming the vet looked at her teeth?

Another idea: I had a horse that was quidding--which isn't the same as your problem, but the solution with mine was the chiropractor. He had tmj and his poll was out. After the adjustment, he never dropped food again. I don't know if that would be helpful for your horse.

Hope she is better soon!

 

[Katiean]

I am glad your horse is now able to eat. It gets so frustrating when you can't figure out what is wrong. You just wish they could tell you how they feel and where it hurts.

 

[sfmini]

I haven't heard of it in a mature horse, had a weanling arab with it and he was bad. He had the tradition surgery where they open a hole between the two gutteral pouches, and he still filled up with air. My vet did a last ditch surgery where he opened a small hole into the gutteral pouch internally as he wasn't going to be able to live with it the way it was. The surgery was a success and my colt's case was even presented at a national conference. I am happy to say that since it is a teaching hospital (Ohio State), the vet got me all kinds of discounts so I was able to afford the surgeries, and he even went to bat for me when I had a young one in at the same time with hyperlipemia, and got lots of stuff written off as another teaching case.

He went on to mature into a gorgeous stallion and was ridden and bred. None of his foals had the problem.

 

[babygoose]

The vet did look at her teeth. She is due for a dental but this is beyond that. When I went to feed yesterday she was drooling long strings of drool but was otherwise herself attitude wise. I offered her a bite of hay and she could barely open her mouth and could barely make her jaws work. I was about to go in for the food but she was determined and worked it down. No more hay and straight to the vet. She had stopped drooling by the time we got to the vet. The vet gave her another bite hay to see what her jsws were doing and they still weren't working. Looked in her mouth, nothing. Took x-rays and that is when she saw the pouches full. She ran a tube to make sure there was no esophageal blockage.

When they looked with the endosope they saw nothing abnormal except a little food in her sinuses. She is still eating this morning but eating a little slow. Of course I imagine her nose and face hurts from all the tubing and scoping. She is antibiotics and banamine for a few days. Hopefully her pouches won't fill up again. I am just thankful that she didn't have an infection or mycosis.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Could she have had an injury, a blow to the face, and the nerves are damaged? Our local vet got a horse in that could not eat or drink. He suspected rabies, but the last I heard he determined it was an injury from another horse.

I had never heard of tympany and had to look it up.

Hope to hear she is better soon. What a worry for you!

 

[babygoose]

Could she have had an injury, a blow to the face, and the nerves are damaged? Our local vet got a horse in that could not eat or drink. He suspected rabies, but the last I heard he determined it was an injury from another horse.I had never heard of tympany and had to look it up.

Hope to hear she is better soon. What a worry for you!

She was by herself and hasn't been turned out with any horses. There is a possiblity that she maybe got stuck and hit her head somehow, but she didn't look like she struggled with anything and there was no evidence of a disturbance in her pen. It is likely that the air in pouches was presssing on her throat and possibly some nerves that made it hard to move her jaws. She is better today. Still not eating with gusto, but I imagine she is still sore. She is wadding and quidding her food more so it is defintely time for a dental as soon as she recovers from this. So there is still a chance that she choked and somehow filled her pouches and the choke resolved on its own. Leave it to my bunch to develop something weird and unusual. Keeps my vet on her toes I guess!!