Tie back Surgery symptoms later on

[Mon G]

Hi! I’m looking for some advice, if anyone could help please (I’m new to this page)

I have recently bought a new horse 10yrs old, bay, thoroughbred. He is wonderful.

The previous owner said that he has a tie back surgery when he was younger and that his runny nose was an ongoing symptom.

I have noticed that he coughs up a lot of clumps of grass and his nose discharge has a funky smell. I had a vet out to do his teeth and check it out, they said he was fine.

I just wanted to know if anyone else had come across these symptoms and if I should be doing/feeding or anything to help him?

Thank you!!!

 

[ycbm]

You should feed him only from the floor and never feed him when travelling.

Did you have him vetted, and if so what did the vet say? Because a tie back shouldn't create those problems and I was able to feed mine any way I wanted, but it's way too risky for yours, I'm afraid.
.

 

[Mon G]

Thank you for your reply!

So, I only had him vet checked when I got him here, I did not have him vetted prior to purchasing him. The vet said that often grass can get caught in the partially open larynx so he thinks that could be the cause of the smell?

I do feed him only on the ground as the previous owner also mentioned this.

 

[ihatework]

Thank you for your reply!

So, I only had him vet checked when I got him here, I did not have him vetted prior to purchasing him. The vet said that often grass can get caught in the partially open larynx so he thinks that could be the cause of the smell?

I do feed him only on the ground as the previous owner also mentioned this.

IME the only time you get a proper smell is when there is infection. There is an increased chance of respiratory infection as they can aspirate. In the circumstances you describe I’d want a scope and trach wash just to rule anything out.

 

[Goldenstar]

As above you need it investigated .

 

[ycbm]

Thank you for your reply!

So, I only had him vet checked when I got him here, I did not have him vetted prior to purchasing him. The vet said that often grass can get caught in the partially open larynx so he thinks that could be the cause of the smell?

I do feed him only on the ground as the previous owner also mentioned this.

I'm a bit surprised that your vet doesn't want to investigate a smelly discharge. As the others have said above, if it's because of the tie back, that's likely to be an infection. It isn't uncommon for horses with a tieback to breathe in food, but ime the vast majority of them don't. Surgeons are much better these days at knowing exactly how tight they can go without causing that issue.

I would feed him only wet food, including hay, and probably go for soaked grass nuts or something else that creates a mash.

I'm afraid you won't be insured for investigating this .
.

 

[Mon G]

Thank you so much for your help! I will definitely investigate it further as this clearly isn’t a symptom that others have in relation to the tie back surgery,

My vet didn’t seem to smell it like I could, he didn’t really think there was a smell. I just haven’t smelt something like this with a horse before.

Ok perfect, I wet down his food, but not the hay so I’ll start doing that too!

 

[ycbm]

I would avoid ever feeding him short chop, either feed long stalks like hay/ haylage so he mashes it up by chewing, or mash. That and feeding wet will give him the least chance of breathing in something that's difficult for him to cough back up. And I'd rather see him on longer, lusher grass than close grazed stuff if he's coughing up grass, for the same reason.

I hope you have a lot of fun with him. I'm guessing he's an ex racer given his breed and the tie-back?
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[Mon G]

I would avoid ever feeding him short chop, either feed long stalks like hay/ haylage so he mashes it up by chewing, or mash. That and feeding wet will give him the least chance of breathing in something that's difficult for him to cough back up. And I'd rather see him on longer, lusher grass than close grazed stuff if he's coughing up grass, for the same reason.

I hope you have a lot of fun with him. I'm guessing he's an ex racer given his breed and the tie-back?
.

Thank you so much for all the advice! And I’ll take everything on board. You are right he is on short grass at the moment so thank you.

He is so wonderful, such a calm guy He is an ex racer, but only did the one race!

 

[SEL]

I've got a pony who had the surgery in 2020 and she's fed off the floor and I soak hay if she's stabled - less of an issue if it's in the field.

If she started presenting like that I'd want a scope to see where the problem was.

 

[ester]

My friends horse was like this, mostly it wasn’t affect performance (he was eventing) but did end up with aspiration pneumonia after eating hay on a trip to Aston le walls and a 2 week stay in horspital. Vets said he had lots of small bits food debris in his lungs that he’d likely accumulated over the years.

 

[ycbm]

Coming back to this I would encourage you to give him an absolute blast of a gallop once a week to get him to breath as deep as possible and clear his lungs, but only after keeping him away from any food for about an hour first.


You should both find that quite good fun!
.

 

[SEL]

Coming back to this I would encourage you to give him an absolute blast of a gallop once a week to get him to breath as deep as possible and clear his lungs, but only after keeping him away from any food for about an hour first.


You should both find that quite good fun!
.

The surgeon recommended that to me as well. If she's had a bad week (pollen doesn't help us) then she sets off like she's in the National does a short distance flat out then stops to cough.

I felt awful the first time it happened but I get the vet to listen to her chest regularly and she's better for the faster work. When we were walking only after she strained her check ligament I could hear a lot more noise.

(OP mine is a small native so flat out is Thelwell style )

 

[Mon G]

Thanks everyone! I have just booked another vet appointment so hopefully next week they can look further into it and see what’s going on with him!

I will definitely take him for a gallop each week as well, to clear out his lungs.

Hopefully it’s nothing and I’m just crazy.

 

[SEL]

Thanks everyone! I have just booked another vet appointment so hopefully next week they can look further into it and see what’s going on with him!

I will definitely take him for a gallop each week as well, to clear out his lungs.

Hopefully it’s nothing and I’m just crazy.

Make sure they bring the equipment to scope the airways. Popping a camera up his nose will make sure there's nothing odd going on.

 

[paddi22]

My one competed eventing for years but got a bad cough that didn’t stop. Went to vets hospital and they said the throat muscles get weaker with age on tie back horses. They put cameras down his throat and he was aspiration food, it was going into his lungs snd causing constant infection. They injected Botox into his areas in his throat and that solved the issue and ended the cough.

He always has to live out tho. I don’t feed dusty forage. And always feed from the ground. His wind never came back properly so he wound down from tough eventing. He is still happily working at 22.