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When Is Choke Not A One-And-Done Emergency For Horses?

Choke in horses is always an emergency. Though some horses may resolve a choking episode on their own, others may behave as if they're colicking, throwing themselves on the ground. Horses may hold their necks out and down, in odd positions. Often the only signs a horse has a blockage in his esophagus are a frequent cough or s a mix of feed and saliva dripping out through his mouth or nostrils. Sometimes the obstruction can actually be seen as a lump on the side of the neck.

Unlike a choking human, a choking horse is not at risk of imminent death because the organs used to swallow food and to deliver air to the lungs are not shared in the same way there are with people, so a food obstruction will not hinder a horse's breathing. Still, a choking horse should be kept quiet and away from food and water, either until he passes the obstruction or until a veterinarian can be called in to assist. A vet will pass a tube down the esophagus and try flush the blockage down with water.

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If a horse chokes repeatedly, it's worthwhile to investigate the cause, Dr. Melina Freckleton tells EQUUS. The first step is to check the horse's teeth, in case dental problems are inhibiting the horse from chewing and swallowing properly.

If that doesn't uncover a cause, it's time to dig a bit deeper and see if he has physical or behavioral issues that are causing him to choke. Look first at how the horse is fed — is he fed in a quiet stall with no neighbors harassing him, or is he fed on a fence line where he must bolt his food to get anything to eat? A horse that eats too quickly is more inclined to choke.

To determine if there is a physical issue that's causing a horse to choke, taking a closer look at the esophagus is key. The vet will snake a long endoscope down the horse's esophagus to see if any injuries have caused scar tissue that make the esophagus more narrow, causing food to get trapped. In other cases, the esophageal wall can weaken, allowing a pocket where feed can accumulate.

A horse that chokes repeatedly can cause and worsen damage to his esophagus, and potentially develop aspiration pneumonia, a serious health issue. It's imperative to find out why a horse is choking and to make management changes to prevent its recurrence.

Poor Manners In-Hand Lead To Poor Behavior While Ridden, Study Shows

Horses that are dangerous under saddle show several in-hand clues about how they will act when ridden. Horse owners and riders should be aware of these behaviors so they are prepared for what the horse might do with a rider astride, report Drs. Nicole Romness, Kate Fenner, Jessica McKenzie, Ashley Anzulewicz, Bibiana Burattini, Bethany Wilson and Paul McGreevy.

The research team used 1,584 responses by horse owners to the Equine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) to come to their conclusions. E-BARQ is a global database of horse behavior that allows riders to benchmark their horses against thousands of others in terms of welfare, training and behavior.

The scientists found that bolting, bucking and rearing are dangerously common; nearly 91 percent of pleasure horses in Britain had one or more of these tendencies, E-BARQ responders showed. These tendencies can reflect on a horse's experiences, health or history, the team said.

They found that:

Horses that have issues loading onto a trailer, spook at other animals or don't lead or tie well tend to bolt.
Horses that have issues loading, are intimidated by other horses and don't tie well tend to rear.
Horses that have issues loading, spook at other horses, don't lead or tie well and that don't like having their heads touched tend to buck.
Show jumpers had an increased tendency to rear, while show and companion horses had an increased risk of bucking compare to pleasure-riding horses.

They concluded that good ground manners translate to better behavior under saddle. Addressing issues before a rider is aboard could allow horse owners and handlers to fix them before training measures escalate to involve more force. This would improve the safety and welfare of both horses and riders.

Beet Pulp: Does Not Soaking Cause Choking?

Horse owners and farm managers who feed beet pulp have been taught to ensure that the feedstuff has been soaked thoroughly before offering it to equines. A common belief is that dry beet pulp can expand in a horse's stomach and cause colic or rupture; swelling while chewing is thought to cause choke, reports The Chronicle of the Horse.

Though the manufacturer's label recommends that beet pulp be soaked for a minimum of 30 minutes before feeding, many experts say that soaking isn't mandatory. Although soaking the beet pulp does provide benefits, mainly adding additional water to the diet, a horse's digestive tract ensures even large amounts of beet pulp won't pose a health hazard.

There are several key factors that prevent beet pulp from swelling in a horse's stomach the way it does in a bucket when water is added; the first is that there's simply not enough liquid in a horse's stomach to allow beet pulp to expand to the point it will pose an problem. Secondly, the shape of the equine stomach prevents it from overfilling with beet pulp: It can only hold between two and four gallons of food at a time.

A retrospective study out of the U.K. showed that a horse is no more likely to choke on beet pulp than he is on anything else. Horses can choke for a variety of reasons, but the main factors contributing to choke is if the horse has poor dentition or if he is eating too quickly. Horses that don't bolt their food and who have proper dental care can easily eat dry beet pulp, but there is no downside to soaking beet pulp.

Read more at The Chronicle of the Horse.

The post Beet Pulp: Does Not Soaking Cause Choking? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Slow Down A Speedy Eater By Adding Chaff

It has long been suggested that domestic horses be managed so they might live a life that closely mimics their wild ancestors—this includes the ability to eat nearly continuously in an effort to prevent issues like colic and choke, reports The Horse.

A recent study has found that adding chopped forage (also called chaff) to a horse' feed can prolong consumption time and reduce health risks. The scientists involved in the study report that blending at least 15 percent chaff with a horse's feed can limit the risk of gastrointestinal, metabolic and behavioral problems. Chaff requires less chewing than longer-stemmed hay, but when mixed with grain or pellets, it can slow down a horse that eats rapidly.

A series of studies out of Australia investigated factors that may affect the rate of ingestion, including the addition of chaff to meals. They used two different chaff lengths and considered each horse's breed, weight, gender, meal size, amount of exercise and palatability.

The scientists determined that adding 15 percent chaff to oats prolonged feeding time by up to 50 percent. They note that this addition is based on all-oat meals, so the amount of chaff needed to slow down a horse that is gobbling pelleted or textured feed maybe different.

No difference in feeding times between chaff length were denoted, but longer chaff may slow horses even more. The amount of exercise had no significant effect on feeding time, nor did meal size, age or gender.

The team suggests that horse owners and caretakers slow their horses rate of intake early in the meal, whether by adding chaff to grain meals, providing forage first, mixing feed with hay or extending mealtimes with things like a slow-feed hay net. Additionally, feeding fast eaters first or separating horses to feed them may prevent a horse from bolting his feed and improve equine welfare.