VETERINARIAN
ACTHA Monthly | April 2015 |52
IS MY HORSE
CHOKED?
By Dr. Mary Beth Hamorski VMD
Mixed Animal Veterinarian/Co-Owner Califon Animal Hospital
Califon, New Jersey
Shortly after your horse has been fed, you hear a gurgling noise followed by a moist cough. Getting closer to observe what is happening, you see greenish discharge coming from both nostrils and your horse making odd postures, like sticking
his head and neck out and
coughing. Your horse is
most likely “Choked”. A
bolus (wad) of food is
lodged in the esophagus,
which is the tube that
carries the food from the
mouth into the stomach.
As a general rule, the esophagus is normally present on the horse's left
side of the neck and in some cases the lump can be felt on the left side. However, in most cases the bolus is located in the area right before the esophagus empties into the stomach.
What causes choke? There is not one specific cause but in many instances bolting food is usually the culprit. Diving into their food bowl, the horse grabs a big mouthful of feed and swallows the entire amount without letting saliva begin to break it down. In my many years of treating choke I have never had a horse choke on sweet feed; pellets are the most common in my practice.
Some clients place a large rock or brick in the food bowl, forcing the horse to eat around the brick and preventing them from grabbing huge mouthfuls. Wetting the feed can also help because it starts to breakdown before it has to be processed orally.
We commonly teach pony clubbers to feed hay first, waiting a bit before giving grain. If more than one episode of choke has occurred then a thorough oral exam by a veterinary dentist is necessary. Your dentist, using a bright light, a mirror and a full
mouth speculum will access the condition of all the teeth, especially the ones in the way back. Sharp points can lead to deep ulcers on the inside aspect of the gums as well as on the tongue. Pain may cause your horse to swallow the feed verses chewing, resulting in choke. If this is the cause of choke, having the points reduced and giving the ulcers a chance to heal should prevent future episodes.
Giving your horse or pony a huge piece of carrot, or a large firm apple can also lead to choke if not chewed properly. In parts of the country certain diseases such as Botulism can cause choke by
The