“I have a horse that could not eat or drink water.”…

I have a horse that could not eat or drink water. He tried putting his mouth in the water tub, but could not drink. We had our vet out to look at him. The vet gave him a shot (I don’t know what it was) and drew blood. The horse died that same night. We had him autopsied by the the State but they found nothing. They did say that the gutteral pouch was too far gone but may have given them a clue if it were not. Do you have any clues with this limited informatiom as to what happened? Could it have been a weed, snake bite, mushrooms, mold or insect? No one seems to know.

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Larry:

A true inability to swallow is due to nerve damage, either destruction or paralysis. This can be due to several things: bacterial, fungal(mold), or viral infection can certainly cause this type of problem, with progression leading to nerve damage. There are several blood vessels and nerves that run through the guttural pouches, and disease of these can cause major problems. I can only assume that your statement of what the State thought is in reference to this. Did they screen him for Rabies as well? How did that come back??