Horse I am babysitting choked, advice? He seems ok now...

[Minerva Louise]

OK- I am farmsitting for my BO and as I was turning out the horses this morning one of them reached over and snached a big mouthful of hay (not quite all the way cured hay, if it has any effect here; not supposed to be fed 'til the 15th) I didn't think too much of it, being one mouthful, and turned out the dominate horse at which point I guess the subordinate horse gulped the hay down and starting making truely horrible noises.

I ran over and massaged his throat while he gargled and hacked and worked his mouth. He got ok.

I stayed there extra time watching him. He went to cribbing as usual. Acres and acres of fabulous grassy turnout and he stands at a post all by himself and cribs nearly all day long. About 15 minutes later he did two or three more big hacking coughs. From that point on he has been normal for over two hours.

Aside from programing the vet's number into my cell phone and keeping it in my pocket in case this happens again, what do I need to know about choke in horses? Do I still need to call the vet now that the horse seems ok and is alternately cribbing and grazing?

[katarine]

handling a choke in the moment: keep them quiet, so they can work it loose. Banamine orally if you are comfortable doing that. Don't massage the throat or run water down their throat. They can breathe, it's just scary to watch.

avoiding it for this horse in particular? Hay piles spread far and wide and hope he'll not be stupid about the boss horse getting too close. If you can, separate him from the others for the next 2-3 days and avoid haying him- good grass and soupy feed is best if he scratched his throat up internally.

Doesn't sound like a bad choke at all, but if it's possible to house him separately and avoid hay and dry feed, great.

[Minerva Louise]

Thanks. I won't give him any hay. He stole that one mouthful. BO was SUPPOSED to put up some plywood to keep the horses from being able to reach the hay, but there is no wood... So they can reach it if they're quick as they go by. Not exactly my idea of a good setup, but it isn't my barn.

I will move his feeding tub well away from the other horses, currently it is rather close. He tends to be a nervous mouthy fellow and does tend to gulp stuff down. He was emaciated when BO got him. Guess he is worried he won't ever get anymore food, better eat this in a hurry...

I just hope it doesn't happen again... :(

[NorCalDressage]

Thanks. I won't give him any hay. He stole that one mouthful. BO was SUPPOSED to put up some plywood to keep the horses from being able to reach the hay, but there is no wood... So they can reach it if they're quick as they go by. Not exactly my idea of a good setup, but it isn't my barn.

I will move his feeding tub well away from the other horses, currently it is rather close. He tends to be a nervous mouthy fellow and does tend to gulp stuff down. He was emaciated when BO got him. Guess he is worried he won't ever get anymore food, better eat this in a hurry...

I just hope it doesn't happen again... :(

I would speak with their vet, just to be on the cautious side. I believe mosts vets like to put them on antiobiotics after a choke to ward off the chance of secondary pnemonia.

[AKB]

I would call the vet, just because the horse is not yours and you don't want any issues later. I would also call the BO and tell her what happened, and that the horse looks fine. The vet will probably recommend wet food for a few days to decrease the chance of the horse choking again.

[Laurierace]

handling a choke in the moment: keep them quiet, so they can work it loose. Banamine orally if you are comfortable doing that. Don't massage the throat or run water down their throat. They can breathe, it's just scary to watch.
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I am curious how the banamine given orally would make it past the obstruction, into the stomach to be absorbed into the bloodstream. How does that work?

[Equibrit]

Are you sure this horse actually choked ?

What are the signs of choke in horses?
The most obvious signs are discharge of saliva and feed material from the nostrils and/or mouth, depression and apparent difficulty in swallowing. When first ‘choked’ some horses will panic, make repeated unsuccessful efforts to swallow, cough and ‘gag’ as though trying to clear something from the back of the throat. If the condition has gone unnoticed, the horse may become dehydrated and severely depressed. If the oesophagus ruptures, death may follow due to shock and infection. Fortunately, this is not common. Although many cases clear on their own, if you think your horse has choke, call us immediately.

[Boomer]

I was horse-sitting for a friend and when the gelding choked on an alfalfa cube. It was obvious: saliva out the nostrils, head stretched out and you could feel the obstruction, gagging sounds. Called the vet out and she was able to get the cube softened enough to get it dislodged.

It was sure scary, I'd never seen a horse choke before until then. Even after living in Los Angeles where the barn fed 100+ horses dry alfalfa cubes daily.

[katarine]

I am curious how the banamine given orally would make it past the obstruction, into the stomach to be absorbed into the bloodstream. How does that work?

I won't give banamine IV (not skilled with IV) and don't trust it IM- it lessens the pain. So orally doesn't hurt anything ;) in our desire to 'do something' and can help the pain after it's resolved.