29/05/2025
✨Interesting Case✨
This gelding presented with hypersalivation and a persistent cough. His owners were also struggling to get weight on him despite a good feeding program. Dr. Candice Crosby saw him for a choke presentation and the decision was made to x-ray his throat (see first photo).
She found a small wire in the throat location. The next day Dr. Charlotte MacLeod and RVT Lynn brought the endoscope to see if they could see the wire at the back of his throat. Luckily the wire was visible within some irritated and inflamed tissue above the opening to the trachea.
After a bit of creativity and patience, Dr. MacLeod and Lynn were able to dislodge the wire and pull it out with the biopsy forceps through the scope!
There have been multiple case reports of wires being found in the tongue and pharynx region of horses. These wires may come from the inside of tires used for feeding hay or may be picked up in other feed material. Clinical symptoms include hypersalivation, trouble eating, fevers, weight loss and coughing. Often these wires embed in the tissue and have to be surgically removed.
If you can’t tell by our faces, we were thrilled to have retrieved this wire without surgery!
