Horse burped???

[nag123]

Ok so today my horse did a really loud belch and it smelt , she has been out on new pasture for a few days.

Anything to worry about?

 

[tallyho!]

I'm not sure it's physically possible for a horse to belch... I would call the vet as the only way gas can build up and come out of the mouth if there was something stuck in the oesophagus? Perhaps some grass is lodged?

 

[Mrs B]

As far as I am aware (but happy to be corrected) one of the main design faults with the horse is that the valve en route to the stomach is one way. So they can't be sick. Anything nasty that goes in, stays in until is does its damage or passes through. Bad, bad mistake!

So, theoretically, a build up of gas strong enough to be forced the 'wrong way' from the stomach up is something to keep and ear and an eye on. Could well be new pasture, but I'd be having a vet's number close to hand.

 

[Sleipnir]

When a friend reported something similar in her horse, first thing the vet looked for was ulcers. After taking him off grain and providing ulcer medication, the burping stopped.

 

[Moomin1]

My horse burps excessively every spring. Nothing to worry about in the respect of them actually burping, but obviously it is a sign that their digestive system is gassier than usual so something to bear in mind.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My horse burps too. Or at least makes noises which sound very much like a burp.
He windsucks and I assumed it's to do with that, he generally does it after windsucking (phone wants desperately to state my horse wind SURFS!!!😅 I'd do a whole new thread if that was the case!)
Smell wise though I'd maybe get his teeth checked? A rotten tooth can give horses smelly mouths

 

[Orca]

Mine did it once, after her first full day at grass for a while. On being brought in, she stretched far forward and upward slightly, to sniff something of interest and there it was. An indisputable belch! I can only imagine that the stretch, on an unusual belly full of grass, caused some kind of brief physical anomaly which enabled a 'burp'. In thirty odd years I've never seen it before and it theoretically isn't possible - but it definitely can happen!

I wasn't worried at all, just completely taken aback

If it's a one off, as it was with mine, I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[planete]

Every spring when the grass starts growing, my horse burps. After the first few times I got over my astonishment. He seems very healthy and normal though he is the only one I have ever known do it.

 

[Dave's Mam]

Dave burps. Mainly just a little grunt.

 

[silv]

Horses can neither vomit nor breath through their mouths.

 

[Orca]

I remember when mine did it, thinking 'phew', because of she had so much gas built up that it managed to escape, then colic might have occurred if she hasn't dispelled it. Thank goodness for anomalies!

I wonder if burping is more common than it used to be and whether some horses are evolving to develop ways to cope with their diets? Wishful thinking, maybe but its got to be a possibility.

 

[Moomin1]

Horses can neither vomit nor breath through their mouths.

But they can burp though

 

[DD]

one of mine burped once. definitely. A short time later it developed acute EGS and was PTS. I dont think this was a coincidence.

 

[fatpiggy]

Mine used to do little quiet burps every so often when she was eating her hard feed. I never worried about it and she made it to rising 30 so it can't have been all that bad for her.

 

[Crackerz]

My old boy makes burp noises after eating his feed. Has done for the past 19 years with no issues! Definitely don't smell though....

 

[Moomin1]

one of mine burped once. definitely. A short time later it developed acute EGS and was PTS. I dont think this was a coincidence.

Blimey talk about scaremongering. Many horses burp, it doesn't mean they are about to drop dead or become seriously ill. My mare has always done it. She does it every spring when she gets gassy from the spring grass. She's alive and kicking and perfectly well still.

 

[fattylumpkin]

I always tend to be a little bit suspicious of changes in my horse when it's something she's never done before. I'm going to add another vote to the pile of just keeping an eye on her and putting it down to young grass ^ ^

 

[DiNozzo]

We have one that hiccoughs. Always at odd times, when ridden, at rest, in the field. Everywhere and with no apparent side effects.

 

[Orca]

one of mine burped once. definitely. A short time later it developed acute EGS and was PTS. I dont think this was a coincidence.

I doubt it was a coincidence either. Doesn't EGS cause paralysis of the digestive tract, including oesophagus? If fluid can make its way out of the nostrils in EGS, then gas probably could make its way out too. I'm sorry you lost your horse to it, it's a horrible illness.

 

[Moomin1]

I doubt it was a coincidence either. Doesn't EGS cause paralysis of the digestive tract, including oesophagus? If fluid can make its way out of the nostrils in EGS, then gas probably could make its way out too. I'm sorry you lost your horse to it, it's a horrible illness.

Gas can make it's way out, hence why horses can burp contrary to popular belief.

 

[fburton]

According to one book of veterinary wisdom...

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Alice-Says-Healthy-Horses/dp/0966012720

 

[Orca]

Gas can make it's way out, hence why horses can burp contrary to popular belief.

As I said upthread, mine has burped before now. I was commenting specifically on the link made between burping and a horse with EGS - which is why I quoted it.

 

[Orca]

According to one book of veterinary wisdom...

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Alice-Says-Healthy-Horses/dp/0966012720

... therefore they can occasionally ��

 

[puppystitch]

Thanks for a Wednesday afternoon giggle!

 

[fburton]

... therefore they can occasionally ��

That seems to be the implication, yes - healthy horses may burp occasionally, but if a horse burps a lot it is likely that something is wrong.

 

[tallyho!]

Again.. if worried, there are professionals that you can call to lend a knowledgable hand, usually have gadgets and potions at their disposal and for a small fee will consult the "elders" and let you know if your horse will, indeed, live or die.