Pleuropneumonia in two horses caused by a tracheobronchial foreign body

Two horses suffering from a cough, purulent foul smelling nasal discharge, inappetence and intermittent fever were hospitalised at the Equine Clinic in Brno from 2008–2010. A diagnosis was made on the basis of endoscopic examination which revealed a foreign body (thorny branchlet) in the right caudal lobe bronchus in both horses. Pleuropneumonia developed as a complication in both horses. Following endoscopic extraction of the foreign bodies, both horses were treated using antibiotics and drainage of the pleural cavity. One of the patients recovered, the second was subjected to euthanasia at the request of the owner.