Re: RC: choke

[tallcarabs@juno.com]

I have had 2 horses choke.  The first was Scarlet.  I had just loaded her
into the trailer and was getting Kit in (they were going to the vet for a
health certificate for a show), when I heard some weird sounds coming
from Scarlet.  I ran back to her window and she had her mouth open,
heaving and tons of slimey green saliva was streaming out of her mouth
and nose.  We called the vet and he said to bring her in immediately, she
was choking.  (A friend had borrowed my trailer the week before and left
a flake of alfalfa in the manger.  I don't feed alfalfa hay - $11 -
$15/bale, sheesh, so to Scarlet it was like candy and she started wolfing
it down).  So, we get to the vets and rush her in where they tube her and
get the blockage out.  Worked on her about an hour, but they got it all
and she would be fine. (took me about an hour to get the manger clean. 
eeewwww)  The show was definately out, because due to the choking and the
tubing, her throat was sooooo sore.  It took her about 2 weeks acting
like My Old Man before she finally started to perk up.  We fed a soupy
mash to her - pelleted feed & water - and the 2nd week, she got hay that
was soaked in water.  
  The second time was last year.  My yearling colt, General,  came home
from the trainers and, I guess, forgot to chew his first meal home and he
choked on it.  It wasn't nearly as bad as Scarlet - no tubing needed -
but he also had a sore throat for about 5 days and had to get very wet
food.  Of course, by this time I knew about beet pulp, so he had a bucket
of that soaked a couple of times a day.
  So, your gelding is probably feeling bad due to his throat being all
inflamed from the choking and tubing.  When you say grain - oats? sweet
feed?  or a pellet?  If it's some type of oats, I would think that the
points on those things are irritating his throat more and that's why he
won't eat it.  If it's a pellet, maybe you need to add something to
entice him - like mashed carrots or apples, something tasty and soft.  Do
you have beet pulp?  That would also go a long way towards keeping soft
food for his poor throat and also keeping his belly full.  
Good luck and keep up updated.

Rae
Tall C Arabians 

On Wed, 11 Apr 2001 06:39:47 -0700 "guest@endurance.net"
<guest@endurance.net> writes:
> Barbara Marcius run2fast@neo.rr.com
> Hey Folks,
> Have dilligently tried to search the archives on this subject to no 
> avail.  Would any of you who have experienced this horror please 
> e-mail me privately in case this has already been covered?  
> Here's the sad story.  7 year old Arab gelding choked for the first 
> time last Thursday pm.  In 28 years of owning horses, I've never 
> seen this, and never want to again. Had the vet out for a 2 hour 
> visit.  Said it was the worst case he'd ever seen in his career.  
> Tubed him repeatedly till his nose was bleeding.  Said we'd pretty 
> much gotten it all, that he would be just fine.  Well, he's not.  
> This vet is VERY hard to get ahold of, and still hasn't returned my 
> calls, because "it's not an emergency". The gelding acts like he's 
> 80 years old, very lethargic, wants not a whole lot to do with wet 
> grain, only wants wet alfalfa, and not eating tons of that either. 
> This is normally a very busy alert horse.  Anyone have a clue if 
> this is just normal after such an event?  C'mon guys, the vet said 
> no big deal, start riding him as usual.  Gut feeling says no way.  
> Any comments from you ridecampers?  This is very scary stuff.
> Barbara
> 
> 
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