Page 745 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

Immediate action

• Do not panic.
VetBooks.ir • Move the horse to a stable.

• Do not offer any food or water.

• Keep the horse under observation.

Many cases of choke clear spontaneously in 5–10 minutes. If the condition does not resolve

rapidly or if the horse is distressed, call your vet.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is made on the clinical signs and may be confirmed by passage of a nasogastric
(stomach) tube. The tube will not pass any further than the level of the obstruction. In more
long-standing cases or if oesophageal damage or a foreign body is suspected, an endoscope

may be passed to inspect the oesophageal mucosa and the impaction.

Treatment

The vet usually administers a sedative and muscle relaxant to reduce both the horse’s anxiety
and the spasm of the oesophageal wall. In many cases the obstruction will clear with no
further treatment. A stomach tube is sometimes passed into the oesophagus to try to relieve

the obstruction by gently pushing the food into the stomach. This is done with care as forcing
it may cause tissue damage.

MANAGEMENT OF HORSES WITH UNRELIEVED CHOKE

In some cases, the obstruction does not clear immediately. In these cases the horse should be:
• kept in with an inedible bed such as shavings, paper or peat

• deprived of food and water

• kept under observation but left as undisturbed as possible.

The vet may pass the stomach tube at regular intervals to see if the obstruction has been

relieved or can now be dislodged into the stomach. The vet may use an endoscope to see how
severe the obstruction is and the amount of damage in the area of the blockage.

Most horses recover within 24 hours.

If the impaction shows no sign of shifting or is suspected to have been present for some