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marengo
Bronze Member
90 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Aug 2011 : 11:42:43 PM
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Anyone had experience of mild but recurrent symptoms of choke? Rubi's had choke twice before now, once in a big way requiring a vet out at 1am (bolted a meal that included cubes and got a huge bolus stuck) then another minor one where he just stood doing the flehman, a couple of cat stretches and some pawing and then it seemed to resolve. But that was about 18 months ago now.
Then I went out the other night to give them some hay in the field and he was restless, not wanting to eat, pawed once, cat stretched once and did the flehman's a few times. I listened to his gut, which seemed normal. I stuck the heart rate monitor on him and it was OK, even a bit low at 35 bpm. No sweating. No kicking at tummy or turning to look at it. I gave his skin a pinch and it was a tiny bit wrinkled still after 1 second. The water bucket in the field is cleaned every week, refilled every day and there wasn't any debris in it. So I brought him into the top paddock for a drink from the different water bucket, just in case something in the field bucket was putting him off (you never know...) He had a big drink from that bucket and then went back into the field and started eating his hay. HRM was still on and still about 35/36 bpm. So i figured it was a bit of dehydration as it had been a hot, humid afternoon..
All was well next day.
Yesterday, he ate a small feed of well dampened lucerne chaff with a handful of salt and some balancer in it.. had a short episode of flehman's again after eating, walking round and gave the ground a pawing.. but it resolved on its own.
Tonight, he came into the barn to wait for his girlfriend while I was picking out her feet and putting some anti-thrush stuff on them. He'd started munching on some stray hay in the barn and then went through the whole routine of flehmans, walking around and pawing. This time there was a lot of gulping going on at the top of the oesophagus. I gave it some gentle downward massage and it cleared after about 5 mins or so.
So he's banned from anything but grass for at least a week to let any swelling go down and I'll call the vet tomorrow morning to discuss but I'm just wondering whether anyone else has come across this kind of mild, recurring choke?
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Callisto
Platinum Member
6905 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2011 : 11:51:54 PM
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| Sounds like he might have a problem with his oesophagus which is causing an issue with his swallowing - I know of a case where a horse was diagnosed with grass sickness when actually it had a twig stuck in its throat - maybe he has a minor case of something similar (damage from a scratch in his throat which has swollen up?) which causes a blockage with feed. I would definitely get the vet to check him out since it is recurrent, |
  Zahkira (GR Amaretto x Taffetta)
Linda
East Sussex |
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marengo
Bronze Member
90 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2011 : 11:36:43 AM
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Thanks Callisto. Spoke to the vet this morning and he said first of all to check that his lymph nodes aren't up in his neck, as that can partially block the oesophagus. After that, give him his hay in a small holed net in the field to stop him pigging it down and then not give him any supplementary feed for the next week or so. He said, like you did above, that he might have got a bit of swelling after the initial bit of choke. So long as he doesn't keep irritating it, it should settle within a few days but if it carries on or seems worse, to let him know and he'll come out.
Checked the boy and his lymph nodes are fine.. left two messages with the equine dentist to get an appointment asap, just to be sure he CAN chew his food properly. |
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georgiauk
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
2605 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2011 : 7:52:47 PM
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| They can get a stricture(scaring)after a choke episode, might be worth asking your vet if some anti inflammatory treatment might help 8) |
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Choke?
