First experience with choke......

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Llanali

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...and I thought I was pretty good in a crisis usually! LOL

Honestly, my poor mare this evening. Brought her in, went to get the other in, came back 5 minutes later to find her heaving, eyes rolling, spewing streams of foam and mucus from her nose, all tinged pink.

Rang the vet, who came ASAP, but sadly still took half an hour, and during that time I got a bit wimpy because it's horrid.

I've read about it, had it drilled in at pony club as a kid, but thus far avoiding seeing it first hand- never again, it's quite terrifying.

Tubed, tubed again, sedated the lot, and the blockage is cleared, but mare is in shock.


Also, yesterday she had a little cut on her pastern- quite deep, but clean and not bleeding nor looking manky, with no joint fluid etc, so I thought I'd keep an eye over night, and get vet today or monday if needed. Not lame, not hot, no swelling.

So whilst vet was here, I pointed it out. Sadly it's worse than I had feared, adn all the plunging and panicing about choke had opened it right up, and she'd gotten sprays of snot and god knows all over it.

Vet has cleaned, stapled, AB-ed, and will be out first thing tommorrow. Depending on if there is any soreness at all, poor mare will be on route to horsepital first thing to have joint tapped.

We did discuss taking her tonight, but she's so weak and wobbly from the choke, we decided the minimal risk of waiting another 16 hours or so, was worth it. I hope I've made the right decision.


Gosh, I feel tired now! SOrry, think I just anted to tell someone. My family isn't horsey, the yard is my own and private, and I don't think family and OH realise how scary choke is- I am horsey, and even I didn't know!!
 
Thanks. I think she will, but I'm not sure I will!

It's always been a paranoia of mine- I never feed dry feeds, ever, and now I'm never feeding dry hay, ever....
 
Horrid isnt it? My mare choked last Sunday, didnt have to be tubed as she cleared it herself 2 mins before the vet arrived but it was pretty scary.......my mare had to have bute for 3 days after as she was sore and a jab of bute when the vet was there too, but other than that she seems fine...what did she choke on? my mare has choked 3 times this year all on haylege....
 
I had my first experience of choke a few weeks ago... mare scoffing hay! No where near as bad as yours as she cleared it herself but still scary!!
 
Bella has had mild choke 3 times and every time its been on hard feed. After the first time I made sure her feed was wet but still got caught a 2nd time. 3rd time was recently when I didn't put enough water in her feed and she started stretching her neck etc. Massaged her throat til it cleared and added a lot more water. She happily hoovered it up then


Each time its happened I think its upset me more than her :rolleyes: :eek:


Hope your mare will be ok and the wound heals well
 
Ive never experienced choke... And from reading these posts I really don't wish to either.

What triggers it? Just dry food? Also apart from calling the vet out asap, what actions do you take?

Hope your mare makes a full recovery - and you do too!
 
My horse has always choked on certain types of hard feed (has been fine since he minitored what he eats), but its a very scary experiance!
-I'm noticing an increase in the number of cases recently though....or is this just me? :/
 
My first experience of choke was when I was supervising the yard whilst YO was away! Was very scary, rang vet straight away and he came out and tubed the horse. Took a long time to shift though and we wern't sure if it was the hard feed or a carrot that had caused it. It just happened to be one of the best horses to! Experienced it a few times since and it's still as scary:eek:
Hope your mare is feeling better soon:)
 
Choke is very scary, hope your mare makes a full recovery!

May I just add that you may need to keep an eye on her as a horse that has had choke before is actually more likely to get choke again.
 
Thanks all- especially Kokopelli for that warning.

It was hay- as I said, my paranoia about choke means I feed slop, not hard feed LOL

My yard looks like a snail convention, with pink tinged mucus everywhere, up the walls, gates, all over the floor.....

Milesjess- I asked the vet when i rung first what to do till vet arrived, because the theory I learnt at PC was a while ago. However my instincts were correct.....remove hay/feed/water. Let them, and indeed encourage them if they need encouraging to keep head down wipe away mucus that is easily visible- you don't want it re swallowed/inhaled. I let mine wander around my yard- it's a private yard, so she could have her head down and gentle walk. It was quicker than removing hay- I feed from the floor, and she loves walking around in it LOL and I have auto drinkers.

She's looking okay thanks everyone, a bit wobbly still, adn her leg is bandaged to the hilt, but ok.
 
Glad all ended well, it's quiet scary. I had a choke episode last year and mine was through hayledge too. He also had to be sedated, things did'nt quiet go according to plan and ended up with an infection from the injection.
 
my horse had choke last week and another horse on the yard has had it twice recently, think there is a increase in cases because the ground is so wet and then they are coming in and eating dry hay...
 
Murph had 2 mild cases of choke on 2 consecutive days, and he was out at grass! It didn't develop into a full blown choke, I just noticed him standing not eating (very unusual) and just slight neck stretching. Vet came and gave him painkiller and releaxant and we kept him in overnight without food, seemed fine in the morning so was turned out as instructed, and within 10 minutes he was neck stretching again! He had another jab and was in for a further 24 hours and touch wood has been fine since. Its about right for one of our lot to get something without any of the normal causes being present.:(
 
One of my boys gets choke every now and then, usually at a time when he is tense or stressed about something. The last time was when I was at Burghley and my husband brought him in for the farrier. That was a vet job, tubing and would have ended up with him going in for flush & evac if he hadn't calmed down and sorted it out.

I find with him that if I stay very calm and just lead him out in hand, talking to him - and try to encourage him to lower his head to the floor, that he can clear it within about 10 minutes. Last time, I put him out with my youngster, as I knew that it would take his mind off the choke. It worked - and he was fine within 15 minutes.

We feed haylage from nets to try and slow down the rate of eating. Hard feed is mainly chaff, but we have yet to get the the point of putting large rocks in the dinner bowl to slow him down further. We do make sure that his teeth are as good as they can be and are seen regularly.

I hope that your mare is feeling better soon. Being tubed is not nice for them - or for you.
 
I really hope your mare is feeling better after the choke and that her leg is ok.

Choke is such a scary thing to witness, my old girl had an instance last October. She's not had it since (touching wood whilst typing). Fingers crossed its the same for your mare.
 
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