Gutteral Pouch Horse

Guttural pouch disease in horses empyema.

Gutteral pouch horse.

Guttural pouch infection description. With each breath or swallow a horse takes bacteria fungi or other infectious agents have ready access to the. Infection of the guttural pouch can be serious even life threatening. Guttural pouch tympany in horses guttural pouch tympany occurs when the guttural pouch becomes abnormally filled with air causing nonpainful swelling just behind the jaw.

Guttural pouches are unique to few species of animals including the horse. The fungus has an affinity for growing on the surface of the guttural pouch overlying the nerves and arteries. Because of the nature of its workings a horse s guttural pouch may become a haven for bacteria fungi or. There are two guttural pouches one on each side that are located just below the ear in the throatlatch region figure 1.

Guttural pouch mycosis is a fungal infection in the guttural pouch caused by a common fungi that most all horses carry. They are positioned beneath the ear and each guttural pouch cavity in an adult horse can hold as much as a coffee mug. They are lined with a thin membrane which separates them from nerves and the jugular artery. Guttural pouch mycosis is a fungal infection that affects horses.

They are sacs of air that expand from the eustachian tube with one on each side of the horse s head. It is an extension of the eustachian tube which is an air filled canal that connects the throat to the middle ear. What is the guttural pouch. These structures are large air filled sacs positioned on either side of the neck below the ear of the horse.

One of the main functions of the guttural pouch is temperature regulation. The guttural pouch is a unique structure found in horses and only a few other species. Fortunately this type of equine infection is rare but all horse owners should know the symptoms. The guttural pouches are unique to a small number of animal species including the horse.

The condition occurs in young horses from birth to 1 year of age and is more common in fillies than in colts. The guttural pouches are structures that are unique to few species of animals. Guttural pouch empyema is defined as the.