Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pony with bad breath and nasal discharge - what to do?
By Lores, Marcos & Yarbrough, Thomas·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2020·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Repair of an oronasal fistula with a two-layer closure method involving an autogenous fascia lata graft and oral mucosal flap in a pony.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old pony was brought in because it had a persistent hole between its mouth and nose after a tooth extraction six months earlier. The pony had a runny nose with smelly discharge and bad breath, and a vet found food stuck in the nasal cavity. After an initial surgery to fix the hole failed, a new technique using a graft from the pony's own tissue was used to successfully close the fistula. This method proved effective, and the pony was able to recover well after the second surgery.
People also search for: pony nasal discharge treatment · oronasal fistula repair in horses · bad breath in pony causes
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 9-year-old pony gelding was evaluated because it was suspected that a persistent oronasal fistula had developed after a fractured right maxillary second premolar tooth had been extracted via repulsion 6 months earlier. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Unilateral mucopurulent nasal discharge and malodorous breath were noted on clinical examination. Examination of the oral cavity revealed a 1 × 0.5-cm defect at the oral aspect of the right maxillary second premolar alveolus, from which feed material was extracted. Endoscopic examination revealed feed material in the rostral aspect of the right nasal cavity, confirming the diagnosis of oronasal fistula. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The pony initially underwent a reconstructive surgical procedure that combined an alveolar bone flap with a sliding mucoperiosteal hard palate flap to repair the oronasal fistula. The fistula reoccurred 5 months later and was ultimately repaired by means of a novel 2-layer flap closure method involving an autogenous fascia lata graft and oral mucosa flap. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Fascia lata was effective as a scaffolding graft for repair of the oronasal fistula in this pony and may be useful for repair of oronasal fistulas in other equids as well.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31999513/