Soft Palate Injury , any info?

[rambling]

My horse got a cut about 2 1/2 ins long in his soft palate. He also has a haematoma in his trachea .He's a browser and it seems like he may have done it on a hedge.

He came in from the field with pink foam in his mouth and in obvious distress.

Had the vet out straight away who gave him muscle relaxant and painkiller.
Had him examined under standing anaesthetic the following day, Vet put a gag in and with a headtorch the cut was visible right up the top of his soft palate running the same direction as his nasal bone,midway in the soft palate.He was scoped too and nothing other than that and the haematoma in his trachea was seen.

He was unable to either eat or drink the first day but now on day two he is able to swallow a sloppy mix of Alfabeet and bran. He coughs and snorts but there is no blood spatter any more . He can't drink at all , he just can't seem to get a mouthful of water "around the bend" with his palate the way it is now.

He doesn't seem to be in any discomfort either at rest or when trying to swallow , he is on two bute a day now , but don't think that would do much if he were really in pain. Theres no tension around his nostrils or mouth and his skin is loose and his muscles wobbly.

I know racehorses sometimes have soft palate surgery .

If anyone has any experience of something like this especially how a horse might relearn drinking I would be very grateful for your replies.

 

[chestnut cob]

My last horse had soft palate surgery and he was like this for a few days. I was terrified but the vet said he would be fine once it started to heal. IIRC he had 2 bute in the morning and 2 at night, syringed into him because he wouldn't eat anything, at all. He struggled to swallow even that to begin with but once the bute got into his system, he did start to drink a bit more. I was more concerned with him getting dehydrated than anything else but vet kept telling me not to worry.

My horse wouldn't eat at all so at least yours is eating. If he will eat a sloppy feed then what about giving him extra feeds, just to try to get water into him? Mine would only eat a very sloppy bran mash, and that was 2 or 3 days after the surgery, covered with mint. Wouldn't eat any of his normal feed nor any hay. I bought Horsehage for him but he refused that too. He was supposed to be on box rest but the vet told me to take him out for walks to pick at grass, to see if that would stimulate his appetite. Would yours eat grass? I know there isn't much goodness in it ATM but there is plenty of water so this might help too.

Other than that, all I'd say is that it will get better, though it is awful to see them struggling for those first couple of days. Keep in touch with your vet. I can't comment on re-learning how to drink because mine didn't forget, he just didn't want to for a couple of days.

 

[rambling]

Thanks ,chestnut cob, its great to know they get over it.

I was very relieved today that he managed to drink some sugarbeet water when I held it up for him , I think he just couldn't figure out how to get the liquid up to his throat without the help of the soft palate closing off the trachea.

Would he heck eat grass he would kill for it right now but vet said no hay or grass till hes drinking so I will take him for a grass walk tomorrow . Just hoping I can get him back in

 

[rambling]

Just updating this.

It is two weeks now since the injury. Horse is in very good form , he is off all meds and not sore at all. He is out at grass 12 hrs per day and wolfing down unmolassed beetpulp when in .
He still hasn't drunk from a bucket on the floor but will drink beetwater or carrot juice when held up for him and I have seen him drink from a bath in the field.

He gives a couple of coughs after eating and sprays a fair amount of food particles around . He also coughs and snorts after galloping off down the field and after rolling ( which he does with great glee , going over and back a few times and getting up on the other side)

Vet says no riding or halage/hay for 3 to 4 weeks after the injury .

Does anyone think this coughing will go away and he could be ridden again normally?