Gutteral Pouch Infection?/nose bleeds

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Spook

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Yesterday in the field my horse had a massive nose bleed, both nostrills. He was lethargic afterwards. We noticed that his lips and muzzle were abit swollen and that one eye and nostril were some what droopy but not excessively. The vet thinks it might be a gutteral pouch infection(possibly fungal) and that after further investigation an operation may be nessesary.
Untill a month ago we had been treating him for an eye infection, I wondered if the two conditions could be connected?
Any thoughts?
Has anyone had experience of this? good or bad?
Thanks
 
I'm a bit surprised that with all the symptoms your horse is presenting, that your vet hasn't sent him directly to a veterinary hospital!

GP infections are notoriously difficult to clear and I'd say a fairly serious condition full stop. I know of horses and ponies which have been lost to chronic GP infections/conditions and they have exhibited the same symptoms as yours
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GP infections are usually sequela of a respiratory tract infection (in the case of pus) or if the problem is mycosis, which is possibly more serious, many years of being housed in dirty and unsuitable conditions or eating mouldy forage. Either way, prompt and thorough treatment is required.

The eye infection could well be connected, but usually, it is via the nose that the bacteria (in the case of infection) or fungal spores (if it's mycosis) gain entry to the guttural pouch.

This link just about covers everything.

Our pony had a spontaneously resolving GP empyema, but x-rays had shown the affected GP to be solidly packed. She was taken to Leahurst to begin the aggressive flushing procedure (with a very guarded to hopeless prognosis) only to discover it had, against all the odds, cleared itself
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The pony was late twenties, so even more of a miracle. Her friend, though, died after suffering an episode which sounds alarmingly similar to the one you describe. They had both recently suffered from a strep-equi strain infection
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Thanks for that, I've had a read through the link and will consult the vet. She did say last night that PTS might be the sensible option as his treatment was likly to be fairly expensive and not necessaily successful. This is the first bleed and his eye has been left cloudy by the infection, so I suppose we'll have to make a decision today, operate or not.
 
I have a little pony who had a GP infection caused by a previous strep infection[strangles]. She went to Bristol veterinary hospital where she had the GP opened up and flushed out. 2 yrs later i can say it appears to have been successful. We debated whether to PTS, thank God we didnt she is a sweetie but it cost £2000. Good luck i hope it works out well. We felt we had to try, the pony was only 6 yrs old and our young daughters, she would have been devastated.
 
I had a TBx who had a guttural pouch infection - almost lost him as his carotid artery was on the point of rupturing (think it was the carotid - vets here will correct me), but it was caught in time and aggressive treatment of flushing and antibiotics fixed him quite quickly. The early symptoms were puzzling as he was holding his head on one side and there was a small one-nostril bleed - it wasn't until he was found with his chest covered in blood from his nose that we realised there was something severely amiss.

I hope you've had better news today.
 
It's this very subject which brought me to the forum in the first place and where I recieved lots of helpful advice and mostly positive stories of horses which had survived. I didn't expect our pony to but she did and my bill was just shy of £300, so I escaped VERY lightly indeed.

I hope you have had good news.
 
Echo brighteyes. I'm staggered that your vets haven't done more. The eye problem could be linked but the fact that the cornea has suddenly showed up cloudy is not good news. Whether or not it's linked, a cloudy cornea means that there is some sort of damage to the cornea, whether trauma or bacterial, fungal or viral infection. What was the working diagnosis on the eye problem? An unresolved eye infection can eventually lead to more serious conditions and I'm just wondering if there is a neurological link here. How old is your horse hun? Your ned's lethargy after the nosebleed would worry me. Horrible situation. Fingers crossed for some good news. Please let us know how he is xxxxx
 
He was PTS yesterday, at home, my vet has been very supportive through this, the decision not to operate was my decision. His face had almost become paralysed.
Thank you all for your replies
 
I am so sorry to hear this, how upsetting for you.

I was quite shocked reading some of the replies to your initial post as I had no idea it was so life threatening.

RIP to your horse and hugs and condolences to you.
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Very sorry to hear this. RIP for your horse and condolences for you.

It wasn't till my experience was behind me that I discovered how serious the infection can be. I don't think many people are aware of the early symptoms and the need for swift action.
 
Hi Twisock,

Totally understand how you feel. x

Lost my old lad from gutteral pouch infection (secondary). He'd had laminitis on+ off for years, from Cushing's, then subsequent foot infections seemed to spread, then his nose started to run (horrid, stinky stuff!) then he got nosebleeds.

It was actually my dear farrier who said 'maybe it's time', while my dear vet at the time said 'i'll just give him this, it may help'. I knew my lad had given up when he lay down in the mud. Vet agreed.

Sharing my horrible experiences with you, friends, hoping we can all learn from them. You did the totally right thing, Twisock, don't let my ramblings ever suggest otherwise! BS x
 
Thankyou all for being so sympathetic, I've been quite upset, so its been helpful to know that I'm not alone in this. l
 
No, friend, you're not alone. We're all here! x

With love + understanding, dear Twisock, + may your experiences help other horses + those who love them. I'll do my best. In meantime, may your happy memories of your lad live for ever. With love, BS x
 
Hi, really sorry to open up past grief here, but I have got to take my mare in to horspital next week as the vets want to test for GP infection. And I'm really worried now....
She has been light nosebleeds from her left nostril most days now for a while, mainly when she has been out in the paddock (Could be as it drains down her nostrils as she is grazing?) But apart from that has been 'normal', well as normal as she can get.

Just been reading about GP infections etc and I'm absolutely petrified now!!!!
 
Well done Spook for doing absolutely the right thing by him. As you say, it was your decision and however painful it must have been for you imagine how much worse you would have felt if the infection had caused him to bleed out. He will have plenty of new friends now as sadly, so many have left us in the last few months.
 
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