Choking Horse

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Laura Nielsen lsn@bellsouth.net
My Arab, Tez, choked today after eating some wet beet pulp.
I tried syringing water into his mouth to dislodge the blockage.
This didn't work and seemed to cause further distress. By this
time he was discharging salvia/mucus from his mouth & nose,
coughing, posturing, squealing & producing gurgling noises in 
the gutteral pouch area. A call to the vet gave to two options:  a $150-200 vet call or the generous suggestion to use a garden
hose to flood the blockage. The vet assured me that I would not
force water down his windpipe. After 3 sessions with the hose,
the blockage dislodged -- whew!!  Tez was very cooperative with
the hose, chewing and/or holding it with his back teeth. Again,
please note that the beet pulp was WET and he does not bolt his
feed. 
Laura & Tez