chew | Horse Racing Free Tips

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.

Why Do Horses Chew More Wood In Winter?

Even horses that don't typically chew wood may start nibbling wooden surfaces in winter, when temperatures drop. Studies have shown that some horses may chew on trees and fences in cold wet weather, perhaps because of an instinctive urge to ingest more roughage as temperatures dip.

Horses that pick up this habit should be evaluated by a veterinarian to rule out any nutritional deficiencies. If nothing is found to be wrong, wood chewing is considered a behavioral issue and these steps can be considered to correct it:

Eliminate access to wood sources. Though replacing fences and cutting down trees usually isn't an option, stringing an electrified wire inside the top board of fencing can prevent horses from chewing on fence boards.
Offer more hay. Providing more forage is the most effective option to stop wood chewing. Using a slow feeder can make hay last longer.
Make wood taste bad. Coating wood surfaces with a product that makes it taste bad discourages horses from chewing.
Increase exercise. Encouraging horses to move more, whether in a planned exercise regimen or on more-casual rides, can burn up extra energy that may go toward chewing.

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.

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