Choke is unmistakable. It looks like this.
Choke in horses, also known as esophageal obstruction, occurs when food or foreign objects block the oesophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. This condition can be caused by rapid ingestion of feed, eating dry feed that swells, improper chewing due to dental issues, swallowing foreign objects, or inadequate water intake. It's different from colic, which occurs after the food is in the gut.
It usually happens immediately after/during a feed, and typically after pellets or other dry feeds.
You know I'm not a fan of pellets, but this is another reason.
If you're not confident, call a vet, but if you are confident about managing your horse you can quickly resolve choke by syringing water over the tongue pretty much continuously until they start to goop out of their nose and they stop having the spasms. Or alternatively - do this while you're waiting for the vet, and you might find you can cancel the appointment before they arrive.
You can use a hose if you have nothing else, but I prefer to use a 20ml syringe. I usually measure out about 2 litres of water in a bucket so I know how much water I have administered.
It looks terrible! But you can usually resolve it very quickly. It should be rectified in about 15 -20 minutes. If it lasts longer than that, there might be an additional issue.
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