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Not Colic - Choke

6K views 41 replies 17 participants last post by  Alwaysbehind 
#1 ·
I have the Colic thread below, but After calling a vet this is quite a distance away, since ours is MIA, and talking to them - we think she is actually choking. That explains the mucus and gagging.
She is still gagging every 5-10 minutes and acting depressed in general.

I am not sure rolling and sweat come with choking, but. . .

They said they can come out, but that is was best to get it a bit longer and see if it resolves its self, assuming it is choke, because it usually will. . .

So I'm going to call them to come out a 2:30 if she is no better


~ ~ ~

Any advice?

You can read her symptoms here:
Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/colic-right-now-help-58930/page2/#ixzz0speBFobU
 
#2 ·
Without the vet there, my best advice is to massage her throat and see it you can find the tighter spot where it might be. Perhaps give her mineral oil? I'm not sure if you WANT it to pass, or you want it to come back up, you'd have to ask. Keep her calm, make sure you get her teeth done/checked, and be aware of pnuemonia, I hear that can often follow choke.
 
#4 ·
She had her teeth done about 9 months ago, but she has a bit of an overbite, and so she doesn't chew as well as the others. That probably causes uneven wear, too.

The vet is on his way now. Not our usual vet, but anyone will do at this moment.
 
#6 ·
Oh, that sucks. I had a filly choke once, and sweating and frantic rolling were a part of it. Glad the vet is on the way and hope they can give your horse some comfort. Please keep us updated.
 
#9 ·
They can't get it un-lodged from the esophagus. . . he tried and tried.
He said unless it comes out by tomorrow, she MUST go on IV fluids - which are $360 a day and can only keep her alive for so long since she can't eat.
Surgery is up to $5k and in Lexington, Ky - I'm in WV.

We don't have it or anywhat to get it.

I don't know what to do :(
 
#12 ·
Could you call for a second opinion? Our vet used mineral oil to try to soften whatever was lodged and kept "flushing" the horse with mineral oil and water to try to break it up. Finally the water went in without coming back out, which indicated the clog was removed. He was "flushing" then siphoning, flushing, then siphoning - of course in between the horse would gag/cough and it was awful, but it worked. However, I suppose whatever the horse choked on would be a large variable in whether moisture would "break it up" or not :-/ It seems like the feed you have the horse on, however, would dissolve in liquid.
 
#13 ·
I have dealt with choke many many times. Waiting to see if it will pass is NOT a good idea. The problem with choke is that if the object isnt removed from the throat, the horse can die. It doesnt suffocate, its drowns in its own spit! its lungs will fill up with spit.
The longer the object stays in the horses throat for, the higher the risk of it causing scar tissue. If scar tissue forms then the horse will ALWAYS be at risk of choking again. It could even choke on grass!
PLease, I urge you to get a second vet. Or take your horse into a vet clinic to be scoped. (camera down throat)
 
#14 ·
I agree with MLP - I would definately get a second vet out, this isn't good!

As leonalee said, my vet did the same - my guy had a nasty choke that was a 2 day episode, it was horrible for me to go through, seeing him suffering like that. My 1st vet couldn't dislodge the blockage, no matter how hard she tried. She tried many hours, unable to dislodge it in the early A.M, she had to go home and come back after she got some sleep to try again, with no luck.

I had to haul him to another vet, to his clinic where he first scoped him to see where the blockage was, and then after seeing where it was and what it was, he was able to dislodge it. He got the tube down to where the blockage was, and drained it out - Nelson was heavily sedated and held up by the vets equipment that was in his clinic, where Nelson's head was drooped down, my vet stuck a funnel at his end of the tube, and poured warm mineral oil/water solution down, and the blockage flushed out of Nelson's mouth..or was it his nose?

Anyways, it was flushed out, and the blockage was free'd.

He went on heavy meds and pain killers for a few days, and then was able to go back to his normal self.

PLEASE get a 2nd opinion!!
 
#16 ·
Also - again, the longer it stays and the longer they have mucous spewing from nose/mouth, the more likely that the horse will get Aspiration Pnemonia, which is REALLLLLLLLYYYYY hard to treat (because it is caused by foreign objects actually IN the lungs and therefore there is no "bacteria" or pathological problem that can be removed by drugs - drugs only act on the immune response of the foreign object in the lungs and since the object can't be removed, you can only hope the body stops responding to it's presence or it dissolves). I hope I'm on the right track with that... that is my understanding from our vet :-/

I don't want to scare you - I just want to provide you with more information to help with your decision making.
 
#17 ·
The first vet said that it was probably already too late to avoid Aspiration Pneumonia, and I haven't even thought that far.

Taking her hours away to a vet that can do a scope isn't an option really because without her being able to hydrate herself. . .in this heat, I feel like she wouldn't make it.
Our vets don't have the scope capability, it seems.
My regular vet is going to come out tomorrow.

She really hadn't spewed mucus since early today, which concerned the vet, too. When she coughs, stuff comes up, but it isn't just coming out of her nose or mouth all the time.

I have no choice but to wait since it wouldn't come out when he was here this evening.

I believe my regular vet will try harder, even though the vet out today tried very, very hard.

I understand the potential issues from it laying there and the possible Pneumonia that can come out of it. . . but there is nothing I can do at this moment until my vet can come out tomorrow.

It is very sad.
 
#19 ·
According to a study by the National Center of Biotechnology, when horses which choked were treated with a course of gentamicin, pen g and metronidazole following tubing. .. prior to developing aspiration pneumonia, all recovered. .. but early treatment before the onset and with the right meds are vital - according to this study.

But I first hope to see the food dis-lodged. . .I can't even think beyond that.
 
#23 ·
So sorry to hear about this. :( I had a couple chokes last summer and it was NOT fun. Both times, however, the vet was able to pump and siphon out the blockage within a few hours. I can't imagine how anxious you must feel! Please make sure when this has all passed that the vet puts her on antibiotics for pneumonia; after this long with all that fluid she is at a VERY high risk.

Please update!!
 
#24 ·
Our vet is going to come this evening and see if he the tube can now pass through to her stomach, as he imagine it should since it appears she gas drank quite a bit of water overnight and urinated - her skin still snaps right back if pinched - but we met him on his way to the Ky horsefarms he usually is booked for on Tuesdays, and he gave us some very $$$ antibiotic shots, another buscopan injection, told us give her banamine this morning and watch her to be sure the water isn't coming back up. She is in a dry stall - with dirt only, and there aren't signs of it coming back out her mouth or nose, BUT
She already, this morning, has green mucus - which is scary that it is showing up so quick, Aspiration Pneumonia, and I know it is ideal for antibiotics to be started before it sets in. . .
 
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