The horse's brain is a remarkably small structure and it is the sinuses that fill much of the head. The sinuses are air-filled chambers that are connected to the respiratory system. They are situated at the front and sides of the head, around eye-level. There are five sinuses on each side, most of which interlink and ultimately drain into the nasal passages. When allergic rhinitis has become a chronic infective or sinus problem the situation is that the mucous membranes which line the sinus cavities are actually breaking down and constantly inflamed and/or infected.
There are two main classifications of sinusitis in the horse, primary and secondary. Primary sinusitis refers to when there is an inflammation or infection of the sinus of which the offending pathogen is usually just one type of bacteria and secondary refers to when there are many offending pathogens and the disease process is most commonly associated with a dental disease, facial fractures, tumours or sinus cysts.
Signs and symptoms
- Sinus inflammation is uncomfortable for your horse and can affect his performance.
- The most common symptoms of sinusitis is a nasal discharge usually unilateral.
- Bad breath is another very common clinical sign.
- Facial deformity
- Discharge from one corner of the eye
- Difficulty chewing food
- Laboured breathing may also be observed
An effective treatment must include ingredients which genuinely rehabilitate and repair the mucous membranes because without this there is no hope of restoring them to normal health and breaking the cycle of constant re-infection.
My Chronic Sinus mixture contains 7 herbs, 4 of which are directed at rehabilitating the damage done. The others are to clear the current infection, the waste products of past infection, and to reduce over-sensitivity. In cases where there has been a great deal of antibiotic therapy Colloidal silver may be required to deal with resistant infection created by the exposure to antibiotics.
The best approach is to start on a course of the Chronic Sinus Rehabilitation Mix, and to report back to me after about 6 weeks, so that I can provide further advice at that stage of the treatment.
The herbs used in this mix are Buchu, Fenugreek, Echinacaea, Horseradish, Garlic, Golden Seal, and Elecampane as well as the Bach Flower Remedy Olive. Chronic sinus infections are not a difficult problem to treat successfully with herbs but you need to follow a program for 6 months or more to heal such a case permanently.
