Okay, let me walk you through what happened with this whole temporohyoid osteoarthropathy thing. It wasn’t something I’d really heard much about until it hit close to home, you know?
It started subtly. I noticed my horse, bless his heart, just wasn’t quite right. He started getting really fussy with his bridle, shaking his head a lot, sometimes seemed a bit wobbly, almost dizzy-like, especially after working. At first, I thought maybe it was his teeth, or an ear infection, maybe even just a bad mood. We all have those days, right?
Figuring Things Out
So, the first step was getting the vet out. Standard procedure. We did the usual checks:
- Looked at his teeth – they were fine.
- Checked his ears – nothing obvious there.
- Did a basic neurological exam – that’s when things got a bit more concerning. He showed some mild signs, like not quite knowing where his feet were, a slight facial paralysis on one side. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was there.
The vet mentioned a few possibilities, and THO – this temporohyoid osteoarthropathy – was one of them. Basically, as it was explained to me in simple terms, it’s like arthritis where the jaw and some little bones in the throat connect up near the ear. Things get bony, fuse up, and can press on nerves or even risk breaking. Scary stuff.
Getting a Clearer Picture
To really know what we were dealing with, we needed better imaging than just looking. Standard x-rays of the head are tricky for this area. The next step involved a trip to a clinic that had more advanced gear. They ended up doing an endoscopy – sticking a tiny camera up his nose to look at the back of his throat and the base of those hyoid bones. They could see some bony changes, thickening around that joint area. That pretty much confirmed it.
What We Did Next
Management became key. There wasn’t a magic “cure” button. It was about reducing inflammation and managing the symptoms to keep him comfortable and safe.
We started him on a course of anti-inflammatories. That seemed to help take the edge off the discomfort pretty quickly. He seemed less head-shy and moved a bit more freely.
We also had to make some changes to his routine:
- Feeding: We switched to feeding him from the ground or a low feeder. Apparently, reaching up can put strain on that joint. Made sense. Soaked feeds also helped make chewing and swallowing easier.
- Tack: We had to rethink bridles. Anything putting pressure near the base of the ears or throat latch area was out. We experimented with bitless options and halters for light riding or groundwork. A hackamore worked okay for a while. We avoided bits completely for a long period.
- Handling: Just being more gentle around his head and poll area. No rough yanking or pulling.
In some really bad cases, I heard they do surgery, but thankfully, we managed to avoid that path. Our focus was purely on management and keeping him comfortable.
How It’s Going
It’s been a journey, for sure. He’s not going to be a high-performance athlete again, but that’s okay. With consistent management – the right meds when needed, careful feeding, and adjusted handling and tack – he’s comfortable and happy in his retirement pasture. He still has occasional flare-ups, especially if the weather changes drastically, but we know how to handle them now. It was a learning curve, figuring out what this condition was and how best to help him live with it. You just observe, try things, talk to the vet a lot, and do your best for them.
