Paralysed larynx - wind operations etc.

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boxcarhorse

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My dressage horse has been off work with a persistent cough for about six weeks. While investigating this, the vet scoped him and reported that he'd developed a partially collapsed/paralysed larynx. (Apparently this can happen to any horse and any time!?)

I've just started him back in work and he's making a noise, which I think must be attributed to larynx issue as he's never done so previously. I believe that the only options are either to live with it or have a tie-back operation or similar (if it is affecting performance).

I'd be really interested to hear if anyone else has experience this and what your thoughts are.

Thanks
 
We had an ex pointer who had been hobdayed - i can honestly say you wouldn't have known - he did everything - including being a schoolmaster on the gallops for the babies without any issues :)
 
It's more common in bigger horses. My horse was done in 1995 as a 5 year old. He had a partially collapsed larynx and roared like a train, his stamina was affected and he got out of puff rapidly.

Dropped him at Avonvale in the morning and fetched him the next day. He was put onto his back and operated on. That was a lot of years ago and medicine moves on, I don't know if they can do the operation under standing sedation now.

He came home with an opening on the underside of his neck at the top just behind his cheek bones, hole was about the size of a small orange. He was turned out to graze and allow the hole to drain and heal. I had to clean it with a solution and use a cream given to me by the vets. The hole healed extremely quickly and left no scar at all. The horse never looked back and was so much happier. His voice altered after the op, if he spoke he sounded like he had a sore throat, he could not shout or squeal anymore.

I was warned to be careful with his feeding as with the larynx being tied open food could go down the wrong way more easily. I didn't have any problems with him eating, but I did make sure he was always feed in his box or alone in the field, rather than in a competitive situation with other horses about to put pressure on him to eat too quickly.

He was off work for a few weeks. As I said medicine has moved on and somebody else will post who has had the operation done recently and they may be more helpful to you.
 
Thank you both for your posts. I'm familiar with the problem and tie-backs/hobdays etc. in racehorses but don't know much about how it affects competition horses.

I'm going to get him back to full fitness and see whether it affects him working and take it from there. But thanks for sharing your experiences.
 
OH's old horse had a 3/5 paralysis, it never slowed her down at all. Tie back surgery is not always successful, so my theory is, leave well alone.
 
It doesn't affect mine at all. He has a tie-back and he is indistinguishable from a normal horse, physically. Mentally is a whole other ball game :) and nothing to do with his throat :) My friend has one which she sold and the buyer resold it without declaring it, and it passed a 5* vet without comment.

It was not optional in my case, the horse could not even get up the hills around here in walk without fighting for breath and could not canter more than 100 yards.

Get it done by someone with experience of how tight to tie it - too tight and the food comes back down the nose and too loose and it's no good - and you won't have any problems.
 
Boxcarhorse, my horse done in 1995 wasn't a racehorse, he was a 18.2 heavyweight hunter and dressage horse. I showed him at county level and if I remember rightly it was not allowed to show horses that had wind op's in those days, but it was so successful I got away with it, never a question asked.

As in cptrayes case my horse struggled to trot let alone canter up a hill before he had it done.

If your boy can manage his workload without getting exhausted or making a noise you may not need to consider having done at all.
 
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