Choke!

PucciNPoni

PucciNPoni

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Have had my horse for three years. He's living out in a laminitic type field just now as he's a very good doer - it seems to suit him well - his weight is great and he's keeping mobile which is brilliant for his creaking joints. However, he's had two episodes of choking recently that I've never noticed him do in the three years I've had him. Even when I was feeding him nets of hay/straw mixed he doesn't choke.

So the first episode was last weekend - gave him a small net while he was stabled for an hour or so. I use eliminets to slow down the consumption. He manages to gut it anyway and choked.

Today, he had a small (I mean SMALL) handful of chaff and handful of mix - after he'd been worked. Not hot, not blowing - just calm. He choked on that too! He'd already had breakfast, and I'd taken him in from his field he wasn't hungry enough to even touch his net.

Only thing I can think of his teeth might need attention . They'd been done in the spring, but going to get them rechecked.

Anything else I should maybe look in to?
 
I'd be changing his feed, I'd probably go for something like Allen and page, which is given as a mash, I would not be giving mix or chaff if he has started choking.
 
Agree with above - feed wet or dampened food and feed from the ground if possible. Allen and Page Fast Fibre would be very suitable for a laminitic.
Also bear in mind that if he has choked recently there could be swelling (or even some scarring) which will make him even more prone. It would be worth ringing the vet for advice.
 
his feeds are wet and from the floor - but somewhat concerned that he's choked on HAY! Vet will be called, but in mean time just wondering what else I might be doing. He's not a laminitic, but has been tested as borderline Cushings, so is being maintained like a lami to be on the safe side. Re the swelling, that's a good point.

Ta for the allen and page suggestion. He's currently just on Hi Fi and leisure mix which he usually does well on. When his test results (cushings) came back vet was happy for him to stay on what he was on.
 
Puccinponi, I have had two horses do this to me. That is choke twice within a week or two and then never again. Mother and daughter - and of course they both "vacuum" feed.

The last time Diva (daughter) did it, we weren't able to clear the blockage, despite tubing and just had to leave it to clear itself. My vet said that because it was just chaff, it would eventually self clear and DON'T PANIC. Horse was very uncomfortable for quite awhile and of course it looks awful. But apparently it is a completely different story if it is a lump of something solid like carrot.

Neither horse has done it again, and in the end I didn't change anything. Go figure.

Just remembered - I have had a couple of friends have horses choke when traveling and that is a different story because they usually can't get their heads down. I never feed my horse whilst travelling for this reason. If it's a long trip, I would rather plan a break and a good pick of grass.
 
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My friend's horse choked on haylage once. He must have been hoovering it at the time...
Fast Fibre is very low in starch and sugar and can be used as a feed or as a hay replacer. It must be mixed with water (x2) as it contains a small amount of sugar beet, but only needs 30-60 seconds to be ready to feed. You can make it as sloppy as you like which I imagine would be a good thing if there was any swelling of the oesophagus from the last episode.
Also, because severe cases of choke can cause scarring, this makes a horse more likely to choke again. Hopefully that is not the case here, but forewarned is forearmed as the saying goes!
 
Thanks for the advice all. Have an EDT who also is a vet to come have a look - so hopefully she can if necessary also have a look down his throat if necessary. Very hard not to panic when you can see they're in obvious distress!
 
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