Choke

[rhapsody]

I had my first experience with choke on Friday. The boys and I were getting ready to head out to a picnic with some friends from church when my oldest came in and said, "either someone is beating a chicken or one of the horses is coughing." I said, "WHAT?!" He went back out, came back in and said, "yes, one of the horses is coughing." So I went out just as Taz came barreling out of the stall. He didn't do his normal after supper drink but barreled straight out into the main part of the pasture. And he coughed. And he coughed again. I went out to check on him and he ran up to the fence to meet me. He was not acting normal at all. His cough started getting worse so I called the vet. She said it sounded like early choke and she would come out or I could try to get fluids down him and try to "massage" the blockage down. I thought I'd try the latter first but Taz did NOT cooperate. He continued to act very anxious, would not drink (even from a plastic bottle) and the coughing did not improve. He did have quiet spells but when a coughing spell hit it was pretty bad and he made some horrible noises afterward. So I called the vet again. She had just arrived at another emergency call but was going to come see Taz as soon as she finished there. It seemed to take forever and she finally called back. She apologized and said it would take her a bit longer to get there because the transmission in her truck had gone out and she couldn't go over 25mph. I told her to park it and my DH would come get her. (She was about 10 miles away)

When she finally arrived, it was dark. She gave Taz a cocktail to send him to his "happy place." My youngest brought her some warm water in a bucket and when Taz was sufficiently woozy, she lubricated a tube and tubed him with warm water. She had to adjust the tube several times but finally got the blockage cleared. Taz had a horribly bloody nose for a bit and the vet looked like she had just axed somebody before she was done. But the blockage got cleared and he's fine now! He's getting a slurry for several days to avoid any issues and is getting antibiotics as well, as a preventive.

I may need to think about switching their feed from a pelleted feed. I really do like the Seminole Wellness feed but dang, those pellets can be scary if they bolt their food!

Oh, and we took the vet back to her truck and her hubby was there waiting on her. They left the truck there and were going to have it towed the next day to the shop.

[DorothyB]

Scary!! I wonder if there is a way you can slow the pace of eating? Maybe feed in the oval black "water tubs" so the food is spread out a lot??

[rhapsody]

I used to but then he started dumping the feed in the dirt. So he's been getting fed in a bucket tied in the stall. Since Saturday morning, though, he's been getting fed in the round black rubber feed tub and it's been a slurry/mash/porridge type meal. I also stay out with him while he eats so Revere won't gobble it up (BTDT; had to chase him away Saturday morning after he helped himself to some of Taz's "soup" and dribbled it all over Taz's head).

Both horses have been eating this feed for YEARS with no trouble. One person has suggested we consider switching to feed with absolutely no pellets in it.

[Trailpal]

The other traditional remedy for horses who bolt their food is to put round large rocks in the feed bucket. They have to move the rocks around to get feed and tend to get smaller mouthfuls. Many horses, once they choke, are predisposed to choking again, so they always get their feed soupy.

I don't know if eliminating pellets will remove the possibility - I've seen horses choke on carrots.

Glad the vet was able to move that blockage!

[snelson]

Yikes that is scary. I have never personally had to deal with choke ( knock on wood) but it sounds very very scary.

They do make the black feed tubs attached to a black rubber mat. The horse has his front feet on them at so when he tries to pick the tub up to dump, it doesn't work.

I had a stinker of a horse who would gather up all the horse tubs and put them in the water tank. At least he put them in the same place each time. and he waited until they were empty.

[rhapsody]

ROFLOL! That's funny! He's trying to help you "wash the dishes!"

I haven't seen any tubs like that locally but I haven't really been looking either. I'll have to keep an eye out. I can also check Jeffers website; if they have one, I can get my sister to pick one up for me. She drives to Dothan every couple months.

[snelson]

I just did a quick search and ValleyVet has them on their website. They are a bit speedy so you may want to look around a little. They had them listed at 69.00.

[Jenni]

I've never had one choke either but I've seen it and it is scary. I quit feeding pellets after my mare aspirated them. She was spooked by a cat when she had her head in the feed bucket and took a big breath in and sucked in some of the pellet dust. She ended up with pneumonia from it.

You can probably make your own tub attached to something. Just drill through the bottom of the tub and the mat and attach them together with a bolt. I've also seen them attached to big chunks of plywood in a similar fashion.

[rhapsody]

I'm not sure what is going on now. Taz has been getting wet food only since his choke episode and he is now coughing again. Not constantly but when he does, it sounds pretty bad. I called the vet yesterday and she said to monitor and call if needed. He's coughing again today and I tried to call her and it went to voicemail and said to leave a message if it's an emergency. Unfortunately, the voice mail box is full.

There's a vet about a 45-minute drive away but my trailer is not road-worthy. I know it needs new tires; it's been sitting in the barn for 5 years and sat in the open for 3 years before that. It needs new lights, the bearings probably need to be repacked and the dressing room floor is rotted away (the horse compartment is okay; it's rumber). So hauling to the vet is not an option unless I get someone to haul him (the question there is who and without a Coggins I can't haul him anyway).

The last vet bill was a stretch for us. Farm call alone is $95, plus there's an exam fee and treatment fee and any meds and then if it's an emergency call it's another $95. I have no idea how much the other vet practice would charge to do a farm call here but they're 2x as far away as the vet I have been using so I'm guessing it'll be more than $95. And I have no idea how much it would cost to have him scoped.

I miss my old vet. I really, really miss my old vet. He was local and he lived maybe 10 miles away and his practice was probably about 8 miles away.

I'm starting to think that maybe owning horses right now is just not something we need to be doing. However, we've had both since they were weanlings and the thought of them ending up in a bad situation terrifies me. :-(

[Jenni]

Scoping around here costs $250+

I wonder if he aspirated some of what he choked on and has a little pneumonia or other infection thing going on? Does he have any nasal discharge? Did he get antibiotics after his choke? Did you (or can you) take his temp? Do you have any antibiotics on hand? Do you have any farm stores nearby that you could go to and buy some penicillin? If it was my horse I would probably hit him with some antibiotics for a few days and see if it helped. Maybe also some bute in case he has some inflammation that needs to clear up. Sounds like it could definitely wait til tomorrow - I wouldn't call the vet out on an emergency call unless he really seems like he is in distress. I also wouldn't worry about not having a coggins if I needed to haul in an emergency. Very unlikely anyone will ever ask you for one.

I know what you mean on the vet thing. I have one about 10 miles away but she's pretty worthless. The good one who does farm calls is 45 minutes away and the good one I haul to is a little over an hour. I am blessed in that both those good vets are very reachable and will help me out a lot over the phone, even after hours. It's like one of those nurse advisor lines but for horses, lol. I had the one that does farm calls on his way to treat a colic but was on the phone with the one I haul to and his suggestions helped the vet who came out treat my horse - gave me a suggestion over the phone that the farm call vet said he would have never thought of - and that saved me a trip to the horsepital and my horse too. I would guess the farm call vet used that tip on other colics he's treated since. It's so nice when everyone can work together.

[rhapsody]

He was on antibiotics for 5 days after his choke to ward off infection. When I checked yesterday (while on the phone with the vet) he had only a very small amount of nasal discharge and if it hadn't been black from dust it would have been clear. He doesn't cough continuously but when he does get a "spell" it lasts for several minutes. He's not off his feed and he's not acting "panicky" like he did during his choke.

Paying a farm call and probably $200+ for scoping will be difficult but I really need to find out what is going on.

[rhapsody]

So much for that. The vet practice that is 45 minutes away does not have a scope. My options for getting him scoped are hauling to Tallahassee (2 hour drive) or UF (4 hour drive) or Auburn (4 hour drive) . . . Except I have no way to haul him there.

I think I'll go cry now.

[Jenni]

Oh that's too bad - between a rock and a hard place and not being able to get help is the worst. Is his breathing labored otherwise? Obviously I can't see him or his coughing fits but if he's not off his feed and he seems otherwise fine other than these "spells" I would lean toward inflammation somewhere in his airway. Maybe ask about treating him with a steroid like dexamethasone or at least some antihistamines?

[rhapsody]

I had written a lengthy reply this morning at work and then the work server or firewall decided this site was not safe. *headdesk*

The local vet has a scope; however, she prefers her clients haul to one of the vet schools. That way, if it is something needing surgical intervention, he's not getting scoped twice and also at the vet school they can often do the procedure via the scope.

She recommends a regular exam where she'll check his lungs and such and she'll also go ahead and pull a Coggins. She also said she'd help us find a trailer to borrow or rent if needed.

I was chatting with a friend of mine on FB tonight via PM to update her and she offered her trailer. It's in good repair but needs the tag renewed; I have no problem whatsoever paying to renew their tag in exchange for the loan of the trailer.

I'm hoping it's not necessary but it's good to know it's available.

Anyway, the earliest we could schedule a non-emergency appt was Jun 22 but the receptionist left a note for the vet to see if she could work us in sooner; if so, she'll call and let me know.

I did ask the vet about Dex and she said that Dex introduces a risk of founder (which I knew) and indicated that unless she knew exactly what she was treating she'd be hesitant to prescribe it. She did mention Benadryl and said it was 1 pill per 100 lbs but I forgot to ask her if I should go ahead and give it to him (I did buy some tonight, BTW).

All 4 of us (hubby, boys and I) went out the pasture this morning and gathered around Taz and prayed for him. The boys didn't hear him cough all day so we'll see what happens.

Do y'all think I should start him on the Benadryl tomorrow?

I'm also thinking that we might want to soak their hay for awhile just in case.

Thoughts?

[cathie]

I keep Benadryl on hand for my boys, it won't hurt. I keep them because one of mine gets hives from the flies. Have you tried Dr. Jorth? He was out of town, but I heard he MIGHT be in town. I can hunt down his number if you want it. I believe he has a scope, but not %100 sure since I didn't want to do it on my rescue mare. How much dust is around your property? I know mine is bad and 3 of mine are coughing. Even with the rain we are having, I have mud in places, and dust in others.