Breathe easy

MEET THE EXPERT

LEONA BRAMALL MVB CertAVP(EM) MRCVS, an equine vet at Oakhill Veterinary Centre in Lancashire, holds an advanced veterinary practitioner certificate in equine medicine. Her primary areas of interest lie in foal medicine, dermatology and gastrointestinal disease. Visit oakhill-vets.com/equine.

THE LARYNX FORMS part of the upper respiratory tract and is located between the pharynx and the trachea (windpipe). It consists of a series of cartilages and muscle and houses the vocal folds - hence its more common name, the voice box. In addition to vocalisation, normal function of the larynx is essential for respiration and for protecting the airway when food is swallowed.

ENDOSCOPIC IMAGE OF AN EQUINE LARYNX

Larynx anatomy

The larynx consists of three unpaired cartilages - the cricoid, thyroid and epiglottic cartilages The intrinsic laryngeal muscles are responsible for normal respiration, protection of the airway, and vocalisation. Arguably the best known of these are the paired muscles, which are the principal opening muscles of the larynx. The extrinsic laryngeal muscles are responsible for laryngeal stabilisation during exercise.