Equine Choke

Choke in the horse is a blockage of the esophagus, unlike humans where the blockage is in the larynx or trachea.    

Signs

Signs of choke are saliva and feedstuff coming out of the nose, coughing saliva and feed out, and gurgle noises coming from the throat.  The horse may even throw itself down to the ground in distress.

Causes

A horse can choke on any feed when it does not chew it slowly and thoroughly.  Teeth that need dental work/bite alignment, and feeding insufficiently soaked alfalfa or beet pulp are also common causes of choke.  I have seen 8 chokes in April, all due to alfalfa pellets not being soaked.  These horses choked because they did not chew the hard pellets correctly, which did not allow the saliva to moisten them before swallowing.  This resulted in the pellets becoming stuck in the esophagus and blocking it.  (Imagine yourself swallowing dry crackers and them lodging in your throat!)  If you are going to feed alfalfa pellets, I recommend that you soak the pellets for 30 minutes until they are a mash.  If available, timothy hay pellets dissolve faster, often in about 5 minutes.  

Treatment

Some horses may cough and resolve the choke themselves.  It is recommended to soak the horse’s feed for days even after a mild choke.     

Most chokes require you to bring the horse to the vet so we can dislodge the blockage and prevent aspiration pneumonia.

For the vet, clearing a choke is often a 20 minute plus procedure.  After tranquilizing the horse to lower its head, a nasogastric tube is passed through the nose, down the esophagus, to the blockage.  Water is then pumped in to dissolve the blockage and drained out.   Antibiotics and Bute are given if the horse was only blocked for a short time.  I use long term antibiotics if the horse was blocked for hours.  If blocked all night, aspiration pneumonia often occurs from the saliva and feed getting in the trachea and lungs.  Aspiration pneumonia is life threatening and difficult to cure.

My motto on alfalfa pellets:  Don’t feed them unless you soak them first!!  If your horse is on adequate pasture, you probably don’t need to feed alfalfa pellets now that the grass is green.  If feeding an older horse, senior feeds are 50% alfalfa.  Feed 2 scoops of senior feed am and pm for maintenance which is equivalent to a scoop of alfalfa and a scoop of grain products twice a day.

Worming

It is time to worm for the spring worm hatch if you have not done so.  Use Ivermectin or Quest.

Foaling Facts

An easy way to remember this after foaling 1,2,3:

In 1 HOUR the foal should stand.

In 2 HOURS the foal should nurse.

In 3 HOURS the mare should pass her placenta/afterbirth.

ANY deviation from this warrants a call to the vet.

Summer Itch

The gnats are back so start treatment now!  Horses are beginning to itch and rub out their mane and tail.  The Culicoides gnats and Simulian black flies bite at dust and dawn, so put the insect repellant on at these times.  Fly spray does not work on repelling the gnats.  Deep Woods Off, which contains Deet, works well.  For a natural repellent, use Avon’s Skin So Soft.  Mix ¼ Skin So Soft with ¾ water and spray the mane and top of the tail.  Hydroxazine, an anti-itch powder, is available to put in the feed daily.  NutriFlax oral supplement also helps the skin and gnat sensitivity.  Remember, it is essential to treat pasture horses that have insect allergies.  The first frost, generally in October, will kill the insects.  Plan on a long summer of treatment.

Castration Signs are May 16-23.

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday May 7^th on NBC starting at 3:30 pm.  Post time is 5:57 pm.  My pick is Taiba. He is owned by Zedan and trained by six time Derby winner Bob Baffert.  These are the same connections of the ill-fated Medina Spirt, last year’s Kentucky Derby winner, who had a bad test for betamethasone steroid.  It was proven the steroid was in the ointment used for his skin rash.  Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Racing Commission disqualified Medina Spirit and crucified Bob Baffert anyway.   I also like Epicenter, who has been 1^st or 2^nd in all of his races.  He is trained by Texan Steve Assmussen.

f