PULLMAN, WA – A 24-year-old Pinto horse named Flyer has made a rapid recovery after veterinarians at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital removed a large nasal mass that had caused him chronic breathing problems and a lifelong cough.

Flyer’s owner, Heather Ray, traveled six hours from Boise after the mass grew visibly from his left nostril and threatened to block his airway. What was expected to require surgery ended in a quick 20-minute procedure when equine surgery resident Dr. Sebastian Larriva removed the entire growth during an initial CT scan.

Ray said the outcome was “very unexpected,” noting Flyer immediately returned to normal breathing. Larriva estimated the polyp may have been growing for up to 20 years and said untreated, it could have been fatal since horses cannot breathe through their mouths.

Back home, Flyer is breathing freely and no longer coughing. “It’s especially rewarding when we can make a difference in a horse’s quality of life, and in this case, the impact was immediate,” Larriva said.