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Re: [RC] Questions - Barbara McCrary

It's not odd at all that horses either cough or choke.  It's just that they cannot breathe through their mouths like people can.
We've had horses with dust coughs, and we've seen horses that have choked on hay or carrots at endurance.
 
Barbara
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Tom Sites
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2009 4:07 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] Questions

So Angie wants to know why horses that don't breathe thru their mouths cough?  It has nothing to do with breathing but everything to do with discharging air from the lungs.
 
The defination of a cough is... to expell air from the lungs in a noisy or spasmodic manner.  I had horses cough that had pneumonia  which is an inflammation of the lung tissue. 
 
I know horses choke and that defination is....to stop the breathing of by obstructing or constricting the windpipe. Those horses usually ate too much too quick.
 
It sounds to me that a cough and a choke are first cousins, as a cough comes from the lungs and a choke is a constriction of the windpipe, which is one step from the lungs if i'm not mistaken.  But i don't know.
 
I guess i don't find it odd that horses cough.  But i'm not a Vet so what do i know?
 
 

Replies
[RC] Questions, Tom Sites
Re: [RC] Questions, Rae Callaway
Re: [RC] Questions, Tom Sites