Does anyone know if a horse who had gultural pouch sugery with a capater inserted if antibiotics could block?

Question

My horse had gultural pouch fungail infection in which it ate through her main atery causing her to have one massive nose bleed. She under went life saving sugery in which the artery was tied of with a capataier to repair the artery. She then had human drugs to kill the infection. However 8 months later her neck has swollen up underneath the scar from the operation again, but it is not the return of the fungi as she was endescoped and came back clear. However we have be told it could be the body rejecting the captatier , shouldnt it already have done this if it was going to? We were also told it could be an absase or infection, but recently she had to have antibiotics to treat a cut on her leg and someone suggested that the antibiotics could have blocked the captatier causing her neck to swell were it was inserted. Does antibitotics cause a captatier to become blocked resulting in the swelling of her neck?

Answer 1

This is very interesting.  My horse had a gutteral pouch infection many years ago and despite working with horses for many years never came across one before or since.

To answer your question.  I think she would be in a heck of a lot more trouble if she had a blocked catheter.

It is possible for horses, like humans to be okay on something for years and suddenly develop an allergy or reaction if you like, to it.  For example I was able to eat all shell fish and then suddenly allergic symptoms got worse and worse, so much so I have to carry adrenilin with me everywhere I go.  While your horse may not have such drastic reactions it could be that she is becoming sensitive to it, but I would also expect hives (lumpy skin), itching and other problems.

I am wondering if the lump is just a bit of scar tissue which is showing up.  Think of someone who has had surgery and the original line was almost hair-thin, but later begins to grow.  It happens in some people more than others. And animals.

I do not think that the antibiotics would block the catheter.

You do not say if she has trouble moving her her neck or breathing.  Are those two things an issue?

With surgery anywhere on the body it is inevitable that muscle tissue is going to be cut through and it could be that there is some loss of muscle tone causing what appears to be a swelling.  Unless it is a vital one, she should not have any major problems.  It just looks unsightly.

In the end I would follow the vets' advice, not somebody on the yard.

If it seems to be causing her no trouble then she should be fine, though you might not win the perfect specimin class in a show.

Good luck and you seem to be a very caring person.

Answer 2

Not likely...but many complications can and do occur anytime an indwelling catheter remains in place.  It is possible that the body is rejecting the catheter, and a secondary infection not able to be seen on endoscopic exam could be developing.  An abscess is a distinct possibility and more likely than other possible explanations.  Fistulas often develop in situations like this...the body forms a tubelike passage from a leaky area to drain the leak, sometimes opening to the body surface, or sometimes connecting to another structure.  An abscess forms when the body tries to contain an infection in an enclosed area.  A hematoma could form if blood was leaking and the body enclosed it into a confined area.

The antibiotics would have nothing to do with what is probably going on.

Answer 3

Thank you for clarifying gallop, Im thinking to myself, whats a capater????...lol  Then thought she must me a catheter.......great explanation, I learned from that one, It was my line of thinking but never could have explained it that throughly, awesome.

Answer 4

Don't you think you should..CALL THE VET???

I don't think you are ready to play doctor.  I don't think one has anything to do with the other but if the "captatier" (sp??) is blocked it may need to be flushed.  Don not attempt this on your own.