choke

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andy1

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11 October 2008
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my horse has suffered choke which was a very terrifying experience, whats the best way to go about feeding so it shoudn't happen again.
 
Sometimes horses choke for no obvious reason but it would be good to know that your horse has had a dental check up and also had the very back of the throat and entrance to the airways checked just in case there is a restriction there.

Try and slow down your horses eating, you can do this by putting a brick or a big stone in the feed bowl which will help to stop him taking huge mouthfuls and bolting it down.

Also ensure you have plenty of damp feed, either water or well soaked (24hours) sugarbeet (or just the juice). Dont fuss or bother him while he is eating and if possible dont let other horses stress him either.

If he choked on hay I would certainly have concerns about his teeth.

It all boils down to not putting too much in your mouth at once, keeping the actual feed in small pieces and chewing it properly.

Hopefully this is a one off, it is frightening when it happens I know but you need to try and stay calm and keep the horse calm if its safe for you to be in with him.

Fingers crossed you dont see this again.
 
thankyou that was all very helpful. I'm new and I think this forum is excellent for less knowledgable people like me. once again thanx
 
I always make sure my horse has quite a bit of molichop mixed through his feed as the only time I didnt feed with it my horse choked and I am sure it was because he gulped his feed down too quickly without it. It is a pretty scary experience though
 
I have owned Dolly for 5 years, and at the beginning of this year, she choked out of the blue on a hay net. Since then, I have wetted her feeds and hay and she eats everything off of the floor. She can bolt her food, so carrots, apples etc are always fed whole to encourage her to chew.
 
My horse went through a period of choking last winter.

I found that soaking his feed thoroughly for around 12 hours prior to feeding it, plus putting something like a swede in the bowl to slow him down did help prevent it.
 
I think soaking feeds and encouraging them not to bolt are the keys..
My cob choked for the first time in 11yrs this month. I'd thrown a handful of nuts on the grass for him and he obviously didn't chew... won't be doing that again!!
 
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