Gutteral Pouch Horse

Guttural pouches are unique to few species of animals including the horse.

Gutteral pouch horse.

Guttural pouch mycosis is a fungal infection that affects horses. These structures are large air filled sacs positioned on either side of the neck below the ear of the horse. They are sacs of air that expand from the eustachian tube with one on each side of the horse s head. Guttural pouch empyema is defined as the.

The guttural pouch is a unique structure found in horses and only a few other species. With each breath or swallow a horse takes bacteria fungi or other infectious agents have ready access to the. Guttural pouch mycosis gpm is a potentially life threatening disease that may initially present as a simple nosebleed epistaxis or even poor performance in an equine athlete. Because of the nature of its workings a horse s guttural pouch may become a haven for bacteria fungi or.

What is the guttural pouch. The condition occurs in young horses from birth to 1 year of age and is more common in fillies than in colts. There are two guttural pouches one on each side that are located just below the ear in the throatlatch region figure 1. These structures are large air filled sacs positioned on either side of the neck below the ear of the horse.

The guttural pouches are structures that are unique to few species of animals. 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 and arteries. One of the main functions of the guttural pouch is temperature regulation.

The fungus has an affinity for growing on the surface of the guttural pouch overlying the nerves and arteries. Infection of the guttural pouch can be serious even life threatening. Fortunately this type of equine infection is rare but all horse owners should know the symptoms. 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.

It is an extension of the eustachian tube which is an air filled canal that connects the throat to the middle ear. The guttural pouches are unique to a small number of animal species including the horse. Guttural pouch mycosis is a fungal infection in the guttural pouch caused by a common fungi that most all horses carry.