Treating Esophageal Obstruction - Ya, my horse choked!

I recently had to treat my horse with a CHOKE. It was kind of scary. I have had a few horses suffer from choke before but none were this severe.

If you have seen a horse choke it is a very uncomfortable sight. They try to wretch and stretch their necks out in hopes of dislodging what is obstructing their esophagus.

After a day of grazing I brought the horses in and 5 minutes DeL’Aire started choking. Probably from eating his grain too fast. He meets his grain with an open mouth and swallows without chewing.

He stood with his neck extended and gagging or retching as if he was trying to throw up. Soon after frothy foam and mucous came out of his mouth and nose. I walked and walked him and lead him around the sand ring and grass lawn. All to no-avail.

I have had horses with minor blockages before and they usually resolve themselves within a couple of hours. Not THIS TIME

One day later my poor horse was still standing with his neck stretched and retching. The local vet came and tubed him. The vet pushed a plastic tube slightly smaller diameter of a garden hose up his nose and into his esophagus. Unable to see an obstruction and not having a sufficiently long enough tube to investigate longer down his throat,we decided to keep a "wait and see" attitude. If it got worse call her on her private number.

The vet returned the following day. Grasping the end of what looked like a clear plastic garden hose, complete with mounted camera, she fed the end through DeL'Aire's nose yet again. After some searching a lump of darkened grain was found just at the end of his esophagus.

After we saw it, 'we' flushed the blockage by gently pumping water to remove the packed grain. Slowly one cup at a time was pumped down the horse's throat. Unable to swallow, the flowing water would flush up some of the obstruction and by keeping the horses head down, bit by excruciating bit, the blockage would pass back up through the tube and onto the stablefloor. By the end of the exercise there was a pool of partial digested grain pellets, green saliva and water swirling on the floor.

It may be easier to prevent choke by following these simple things:

• Wet the grain. Often pelleted grain swells and obstructs the esophagus. Prevent this from happening by watering the grain.
• To prevent horses bolting the grain, use a large flat bucket that grain is spread into. Don’t use a narrow bucket that will lump the grain and promote large mouthfuls.
• Get your horses teeth floated regularly.

He is fine now but was touch and go for awhile.