Quick Question about Choke!

oscarwild

oscarwild

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My horse a few months ago had a expisode of mild choke. Was more like the food was going down slow. followed vet adivce and got it to pass. My mare did this twice that night and was closely observed for the night on vet instructions and was fine.
She came in the other week to be ridden and get her tea etc and she went through the food going down slow thing but no lip curiling associated this time. She does this most times she comes in last couple weeks. She isnt being greedy with her haylage and taking nice small bites from a small holed net.
Tonight she got her hard feed outside the field( when I say hardfeed I mean a handful of chaff to get vits and mins and biotin in) She ate this fine had some grass and went back inti field. She went off and stood in her normal sleeping spot and went all dopey. Thought nothing off it and just stood and watched the field. She started curling her lip like the first time she has this and I immediately went over to see her. My mare had the food going down slow and we did all advice vet gave last time and again it passed around 15 mins and she was fine. Around 5 mins later she sneezed and had a nose full of a very very pale yellowy/green colour. She wondered off in the field and went off to graze. I watched her for a little while and she was fine.
I am awaiting a phonecall from my vet to see what he says about this.
So what would you guys do?
She worried the c*** out of me again.
 
I have been around horses for a very long time and have only had four cases of choke - every time it was because the horse was fed dry feed or was very dry and snatched some straw bedding before she drank.

I always wet my horses feed. One who I was warned had choked, gets his really sloppy and, touch wood has always been fine. He only gets some chaff and a few nuts and has half a bale scoop of water with it.
 
If she has gone off to graze then she is probably ok. If it was stuck a wee bit then it had probably cleared itself.
Mine choked a few weeks ago and it was due to a loose tooth, she hadn't chewed a piece of carrot or apple properly and caused a choke. If it becomes a problem I would ask the vet to check his teeth.
 
My lad choked very regularly when he lived out through the summer,would bring him in and tie him up with a net,he would choke on it....since he has been living in at night through the summer it hasnt happened...however have had the odd episode through the winter...bloody horses...as my vet says "Chances are they choke quite regular overnight,but you are not here and are none the wiser,and it has no adverse effects" :) x
 
advice from my vet to me was to let them be for 30 minutes and if they're unable to sort themselves out, then get a vet out.

Ensure feed is damp -less chance of choke.
Once they start grazing, chances are they've sorted themselves out and will be okay.

even knowing what it is, it is still scary though. mine had about 3 episodes of choke last year on chaff and sugar beet.

Do you give it dry or do you dampen it?
 
Oliver my youngster-has repeated episodes of choke if food isnt wet enough for him:rolleyes:
during the winter he had haylage and small amount of speedibeet with his vit and mins in as any mixes no matter how wet seem to set him off!
We also found he didnt make enough saliva to chew food which didnt help him chewing and swallowing.
If he gets a feed now its probably half water half food:o
 
Her feed she gets is always wet. Always have a tendency to give her a soup like meal.
Phoned my vet and said he will come see my mare on Friday unless she gets a worse case by then and he gets called out.

I just find it strange that she seems to have a episode almost every day for the last couple weeks. Never came across choke until I got this mare. She does make a change from my last one tho. He had every illness going bar choke so I think I must have covered everything by now. haha.

Will let you know what my vet says once he comes out.
 
Just to echo what others have said.... I give my boy a soup for tea. My vet recommended chaff in the feed to encourage him to chew - my horse gulps his feed.

Also my vet said that pony nuts can be a cause, however, since feeding chaff I have not had another choke. When it happened last I was terrified and it was the most horrendous thing that has ever happened - it lasted 30 mins and I was convinced that he was going to die! I was hysterical on the phone to the vet who said get a clean sponge and some water and soak the sponge and put it in my horses mouth and ring out - this was to encourage some water down to dislodge the blockage - it worked!

What was a little bit funny is the speed that they recover.... Literally minuets after he had cleared the blockage he was stood in his stable looking at me with an expression that said 'what you crying about!? What have I missed? and where's my food woman!?'
 
My boy suffered from choke a few years ago, never experianced it before, it scared the life out of me, i went into panik mode and ran around like somthing pocessed, called the vet and he told me to calm down, have a cup of tea then when youve drank it check on him and im sure he will be fine, he was right, he was hapily grazing :-)
It happend 3 times in one week needless to say i stayed calm and kept a close eye on him JUST IN CASE and sure enough he was fine... touch wood never had it happen again......
 
Well vet came out and observed my mare yesterday and before she chokes she gags on the food first. He checked her teeth, mouth and muscles in throat and they are fine.

So he sending out a colleague on Monday who works in a local vet hospital who specialises in airways, throat and stuff and he will scope her and see what he can find.
 
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