Q: My 3-year-old pony mare developed a purulent (discharging pus) head infection last summer and was subsequently diagnosed with a stenotic (narrowing) left guttural pouch, which required two laser surgeries to correct. Surgeons constructed an opening to allow the infection to drain. The infection cleared up, but she now ends up inhaling feed and water when she eats and drinks.

The vets say that the laser surgery might have paralyzed the nerves leading to the pharynx and, consequently, her throat doesn’t close properly when she swallows. She is understandably depressed and, unless the condition corrects itself, doesn’t have much of a future. She is also at risk of pneumonia if she gets foreign material into her lungs. Have you ever seen anything like this, and do you think time will help correct the swallowing/nasal problem? Is this a congenital condition?

—Libby, via e-mail

A: This is, indeed, a very sad problem, but it can happen. Although your veterinarian says the laser surgery has caused the swallowing problem, the original infection itself can also contribute. Regardless, recovery, if it happens, will be slow and could require months of feeding by other methods (for example, by stomach tube or esophagostomy tube–an artificial opening into the esophagus)