James is a 24-year-old Warmblood gelding who had a long history of on-and-off discharge from his right nostril. His regular vet had examined his nasal passages and mouth and had taken head x-rays. These x-rays showed that there was fluid in his right sinuses, which are usually cavities filled with air, so he was referred to the equine centre at U-Vet.

At U-Vet, our equine specialists performed a CT on James’ head, using our state-of-the-art standing CT machine – only the third of its kind in the world! This allows us to perform CT scans on horses and other large animals more quickly and under light sedation while they’re standing, which means they don’t have to undergo general anaesthesia.

The scan found that James had extensive dental disease and fluid sitting in three of his sinuses. Our specialists decided the best course of action was surgery to remove an infected tooth and to open and flush the infected sinuses, which was performed under sedation and local anaesthetic.

After surgery, a catheter was left in James’ sinus for two weeks to ensure it continued to be flushed out. James was given dedicated care at home by his owner, Louise, and his usual vet to monitor this.

We’re happy to say, James has recovered remarkably well and is enjoying life – without a runny nose!

To learn more about our equine imaging and equine surgery services, or other services available at the U-Vet Equine Centre, visit our equine services page.

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