Horses rarely get sinus infections (sinusitis), and if they do, veterinarians can easily treat them using antibiotics and, sometimes, a sinus lavage.

Recent study results showed that one reason a horse might develop sinusitis is because the veterinarian used a nasogastric tube to manage colic. But don't panic about this colic complication just yet; researcher Julie Dechant, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, ACVECC, of the Equine Surgical Emergency and Critical Care Service at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California (UC), Davis, said gastric intubation's benefits still outweigh the risks.

"Horse owners should not be overly concerned by the risk of sinusitis after nasogastric intubation, because this complication is very rare," said Dechant. "The benefits of nasogastric intubation in preventing gastric rupture and managing colic in horses far outweigh the risks.”

Dechant said that sinusitis development post-nasogastric tubing is due to the nasal passages' contamination with blood and gastric reflux while the horse is positioned on its back or side during anesthesia and surgery