05/20/2026
Last time we talked about asthma, let’s keep talking about the lungs!
A tracheal wash is a diagnostic procedure that we do when we suspect a pony that is battling a bacterial infection in the lungs most commonly - pneumonia. The wash is warranted when they are spiking fevers, coughing, and there are changes on a lung ultrasound.
We place a sterile catheter into the trachea, infuse sterile saline, and then aspirate the fluid back to place in a culturette. The sample is then sent off to see what bacteria is growing and what antibiotics that specific bacteria is sensitive to. This procedure is the fastest way to get your equine healthy again when battling pneumonia instead of guessing what antibiotic to use!
Here is an example of the fluid we aspirated from a tracheal wash from a sick pony🤧🤒🤢