Paralysed layrnx and Tie Back Surgery in a Pony

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CBJack

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Hello!

My 4 year old Welsh Section D gelding was recently diagnosed with a Grade 4 paralysed layrnx on his left side. I have only just backed him when this became apparent as he can't cope with more than 2-3 circuits of the school without struggling to breathe.

He had the tie back surgery on Monday and am bringing him home tomorrow after a week at the vets.

I have been reading a lot about this condition and the tie back surgery but everything I can find is on race-horses or big 16hh+ horses. Jack is a 14.2hh Sec D - even the surgeon told me it is unheard of in ponies and noone is even sure how it may have occured in him to start with.

I was wondering if anybody had a pony with this condition and how it affected them? Did the surgery help and did were they able suuccessfully return to work?

Also, just a general question about aftercare - does anybody have any tips/advise they found useful during the aftercare process? I have changed him from straw to Bedmax and all feeds/hay is now soaked and on the floor.

Just want to know what to expect when he back home :)

Thank you!
 
I have dealt with many a racehorse who has had this op and plenty of other wind ops. Wind ops aren't restricted to racehorses so no need to panic. I have heard of a few ponies having them but it is rarer as they generally don't do enough work for their wind to come into play. You have done the right thing in op'ing him as it will give him a greater quality of ridden career.

95% of tie backs work and once healed then the horse should have no further problems in that area of it's wind. Thousands of racehorses have these ops done every year and return to racing and they perform better for it as they can now use their wind pipes to their full capacity so expect your ponies performance to improve greatly.

Stock up on Vaseline! Whilst the incision is healing lather it all around it and down the jaw so that any discharge doesn't burn the skin. Smell it everyday so you will know if there are any changes which may be an infection starting. The swelling should go down after a few days. Most horses are reluctant to eat for a few days as their throats are understandably sore so get some big syringes off of the vet if you can so you can scoosh the drugs down your ponies throat so that he definitely gets them if he stops eating. The most important thing is not to allow the horse any chance to excert himself and breath too hard for the first 2 weeks at the minimum so it can all heal up inside and out. Tie backs come back into work quicker than any other wind op but do listen to the vet and plan out his whole recovery. They will give you a set of instructions on how to care for the pony but do not hesitate to ask them if there is anything at all you are unsure about as the first 2 weeks are crucial for things to go 100% right.

Once he is back in more than walking work you should be able to change back to straw bedding without issue. We usually feed wet hay and feed for 4-6 weeks on the floor and after that just normally but it is recommended to feed on the floor for 6 months.

Good Luck and enjoy the new pony you will get in return :)
 
The only thing I would add to the above is be prepared for him not to talk to you. Most of them have a much reduced voice.
 
I've only had a big horse done, but I don't see why a pony would be any different. He healed easily and the operation changed him completely, even making him a bit braver to hack out.

Did your vets tell you why it fails, and always on the left? If not, you might be interested to know that it's because the nerve to the left hand side of the larynx leaves the brain, goes down the neck to the heart and then does a u turn back up to the larynx again. They reckon it fails more in bigger horses because it's so much longer.

Daft, eh?
 
I had a 13hh welsh sec C done a few years ago, again the vets had never really seen the condition in a pony!!

She has made a full recovery :) PM if you want any further info, I think I still have her vet report that I can send you.
 
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