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Barnyard Buddies:  Choking horse  |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 09:31:44 AM
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We were up late last night with my sweet mare, Nevada. She snarfed down her dinner so quick she began choking. :( She was retching and straining, trying to get the lump out, green goop coming out her nose and all.
I tried everything I could think of to help her, but there's just only so much you can do without the proper equipment! Finally had to get the vet out to help her, and it only took 20 or so minutes to break up the blockage. Poor Nevada was all stumbling around from the sedation and had an awful bloody nose from it all. She's doing alright this morning, but does NOT like the antibiotics I'm giving her (in case she got any fluid in her lungs during the whole ordeal). I'm going to be soaking her food for a while and serve her 'alfalfa-sauce' until I trust her again. ;)
The Biz www.tvalahandmade.com
The Blog: http://blog.tvalahandmade.com/
The Bits www.happydalehobby.blogspot.com/
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Hosanna
True Blue Farmgirl
466 Posts
Hosanna
Alton
Virginia
466 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 09:57:42 AM
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Yeah, I had a horse choke on me, also. But for a second I thought it was colic, as she got down and was rolling, and groaning. She was my new Paint "halter" mare! I flipped out and called the vet but while I was on the phone with him she got up and it started coming out her nose. I was relieved. Oh! I told the vet. It's just choke..... he rushed over anyway and tubed her.
She was eating dry beet pulp and pellet feed when it happened. Now I soak everything. I like what you called it... "alfalfa sauce...." :) Check out my horse blog at thewindofheaven.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 11:00:32 AM
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That is so scary, Molly! I am glad that Nevada is doing better today. Is she on SMZ's? One trick that we have always used that gets horses to LOVE having antibiotics is to put in a couple of table spoons of brown sugar into the dosing syringe with the SMZs or whatever you are using, then put in hot water and let everything melt together until it is cool enough to give to the horse. Some SMZs will disolve easily and some have to be ground up. Good luck!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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ponypower
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Lily
Caspar
Ca
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 11:54:46 AM
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| Scary for sure Molly. An old timey trick worked real well for me with an old horse I had. Find an old smooth river rock about the size of your fist and put it in their dish so they have to work around it to get at the grain. Slows them down some. Course it has to be a dish or bucket they can't tip over. Good luck. Geesh that can be alarming! |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 12:04:26 PM
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Thanks for the good wishes and advice! Alee, that's a great trick; I'll remember that one. For now, I'm disolving it and putting it with her grain, but she might get wise and if she does I'll be sure to try the brown sugar!
Lily, I actually have about 5-6 huge river rocks in their troughs for just that reason! Sometimes you just end up being that one in a million...what piggies. You'd think they'd never seen food before, the way they gobble it down, and they are even in pasture all day.
Thank goodness the vet lives only 2 miles away and she could come right over....
The Biz www.tvalahandmade.com
The Blog: http://blog.tvalahandmade.com/
The Bits www.happydalehobby.blogspot.com/
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2009 : 08:21:46 AM
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Hmm, that river rock idea is great! Our old guy choked once, and it was so scary, just as you described. He started getting wobbly on me and I thought about snaking a tube in, but didn't know where the choke was and didn't want to impact it worse. Luckily he got it clear. Hopefully the rocks will stack the odds in our favor that we won't see it happen again. sigh. horses. :) gotta love them.
We make a difference. |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17161 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17161 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2009 : 08:31:37 AM
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Hey Molly,
Horse & Rider magazine did an article about this very thing,,,, called "Choking"...since horses don't really have gag reflexes it makes it very dangerous when a horse chokes/gets food lodged in their throat....sadly, juli, one of the editors lost her sweet horse just recently to Choking, even with proper verterinary care.
I wish I could remember which article it was in H&R mag, but I am sure you could go online to their web site & find it.
Lily, what a great idea, maybe you can share that idea with the editors of H&R mag. It certainly is worth a try.
Molly, hugz to you & Nevada...
>^..^< Happiness is being a katmom.
"I've never met a sewing machine I didn't like!"
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://www.graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
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julia hayes
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
julia
medical lake
wa
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 09:27:23 AM
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Ladies, this is just extraordinary. Not being a horse person I had NO IDEA! The things you learn....I'm delighted to hear Nevada is doing better. Poor sweet girl. Sending loads of love to you and your critters! ~julia
being simple to simply be
Farmgirl #30
www.julia42.etsy.com
www.about-aria.blogspot.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2009 : 10:58:03 AM
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Molly, I am so glad she had you there when that happened. But so scary for you to see, I bet. I hope she's better today.
I had a ewe that would do that. She's eat so fast she'd be gasping and gagging and frothing at the mouth. I thought she would just roll over and die. It's an awful feeling. And horrible to watch. So I quit feeding her grain just because she was a ewe pig.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Singing Tree Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Cari
Chase
Michigan
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2009 : 3:57:31 PM
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| I had this same thing-green goop out the nose- when my horse choked on an apple she was trying to eat. It turned out o.k. but it was scary to go through. |
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oldfashioned girl
True Blue Farmgirl
2391 Posts
monica
oatman
az
USA
2391 Posts |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2009 : 8:36:05 PM
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Glad to hear the Nevada is doing better. I work at a Horse Rescue and we get alot of choke, especially in the older horses and the ones that have starved because they eat so quickly. They seem afraid that if they don't eat it fast someone will take it. We have discovered that the rocks work really well but we have also learned that it is important not to put the feed dishes up high. The closer to the ground the better but best on the ground. Especially with the older ones. We never ever feed beet pulp without soaking it first. For older horses thirty minutes minimum. We have a few the eat soup with rocks in it every day. Also, we have learned that once they have choked they are more likely to do it again.
Farmgirl Sister 572
May the force of the horse be with you. |
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Barnyard Buddies: Choking horse |
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Choking horse
