Gutteral Pouch Horse

What is the guttural pouch.

Gutteral pouch horse.

They are lined with a thin membrane which separates them from nerves and the jugular artery. Guttural pouch empyema is defined as the. It is an extension of the eustachian tube which is an air filled canal that connects the throat to the middle ear. They are positioned beneath the ear and each guttural pouch cavity in an adult horse can hold as much as a coffee mug.

These structures are large air filled sacs positioned on either side of the neck below the ear of the horse. Guttural pouches are unique to few species of animals including the horse. They are lined with a thin membrane which separates them from nerves and and arteries. These structures are large air filled sacs positioned on either side of the neck below the ear of the horse.

Infection of the guttural pouch can be serious even life threatening. Guttural pouch infection description. Guttural pouch disease in horses empyema. 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 unique to a small number of animal species including 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 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. 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. Guttural pouch mycosis is a fungal infection that affects horses. With each breath or swallow a horse takes bacteria fungi or other infectious agents have ready access to the. 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. 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.