What Happens When A Horse Chokes...

[@bellahuey8032]

Your vet is awesome!! I love to ask questions and get a answer and not be treated like I'm stupid... does that make sense 😅 Your videos are the best!!!!

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

I totally get it, I LOVE our vets. They are always happy to help and answer any questions

[@bridgetboudreaux9832]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this video! I’ve NEVER seen this, so now I know what to look & hear for!!! I’ve had a horse cough after eating but never for long & never saw the drooling of stomach contents, so now IF I do, I know to call the Vet ASAP! So glad it ended on a positive note too!!! Oh, & as for the Vet putting the tube in her mouth, that’s because she’s an incredible vet and I’d take her any day over others that would be squeamish to do such a thing!!! She’s AWESOME & that move actually demonstrates true CARE & compassion for animals! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

I'm so glad you found the video helpful. We are very thankful to have such a wonderful vet.

[@jessicagray3648]

I always learn so much from your videos, and it makes my day when I see you've posted :) I'm so glad she's better! I had no idea the esophagus of a horse ran down the left side of their neck. Thank you for sharing!

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you. Knowing that others find value in my videos makes it all worth while.

[@vikkineish5790]

One if the reasons I love your channel is because you show the good the bad and the ugly. I hope Rain is feeling better xx

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you. I definitely don't sugar coat anything around here 😊

[@-charlee-7091]

this will be very helpful for when/if any of my horses choke. i’m glad rain is healthy now!

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@BadHairdayKimmie]

Choke is so scary. We had a horse at our barn that would choke from gobbling food too. The vet suggested to put a few big rocks in the bucket to essentially make a puzzle feeder for him.

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Exactly! I have another one here who really likes to take big mouthfuls. I plan to put rocks in his food but they are all currently buried under several feet of snow. Will need to wait until spring for that 😂

[@BadHairdayKimmie]

@@VersatileHorsemanship We don't do snow in So Cal unless we deliberately go to the mountains.

[@Jessica-91]

My old horse Sheeta choked back in 2017. My stepdad told my step sister and she told him to walk her around and massage her neck. My stepdad called the vet and someone came with a horse trailer and we took her to the vet and the vet told us to soak her feed with water.

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Yes, adding water is very helpful for horses who are prone to choke. I'm glad your horse was ok!

[@tracyrain4941]

How fortunate you'd already posted a vid on choke so that it was spotted immediately! Bet you didn't imagine your own vids would help you out! Awesome! 😊 I watch so many different vet programmes and have seen choke being treated numerous times. It's always fascinating how a pump, water and a bit of tube can save a horse's life, but it does! Watching poor Rain's face throughout the ordeal was awful. Wee darling...my heart went out to her. The pain from having a blockage must be awful not just during but after too. Can't imagine how sore her throat must have been afterwards. So pleased she healed well and is fine now. It looked like you were keeping her from a snooze at the end there! 🤭😊 PS...are you able to get horses bowls the same as for dogs who eat too quick? I know you'll have thought of this already but I'm curious if that would work?! 🤔

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you. A good solution is to soak the horses feed, pelleted feed will swell when it gets wet so adding water helps prevent choke. Another helpful trick is to add a few good size rocks to their feed bucket so they cant take big bites. I've seen some feed pans designed for horses who eat too fast, but rocks are free and do the same thing 😁

[@betsydoylelevy8861]

Thank you I learned a lot! Didn’t know the esophagus ran down the left side. The vet was great and so was the helper 💗 possible future veterinarian in the making!

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

I totally agree!

[@martineinfrance]

Poor thing, I'm glad she is ok now. It was very impressive and must have been painful.. I remember when Miss Kitty was unwell. Thank you Brandi for this educational video and how vigilant people must be when a horse has a odd behaviour..

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you, I'm glad all is ok too.

[@annepipps6015]

Thanks, Brandi - I found this really informative and helpful - you never stop learning with horses 😀

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Glad you enjoyed it, thank you

[@fleetskipper1810]

Boy, this brought back bad memories. Thirty years ago, my friend and I were trailering her horse, a QH cross about five years of age, when the mare choked in the trailer. This was before trailer video cams existed. The first indication that we had that she was in trouble was when she started kicking the trailer, which was not like her. We were in the middle of nowhere. So we pulled into the driveway of the nearest farm around and unloaded her. She shot out of the trailer backwards with her head down with rivers of thick green saliva pouring out of her nose and mouth. The farmer, who was very understanding, called the vet for us- this was before the existence of cell phones. Eventually the vet arrived and tubed the horse. She had choked on alfalfa cubes. That’s why, since then, I have never fed a horse an alfalfa cube because they are small, hard, and have edges. Although this particular horse had never choked before, alfalfa cubes are more likely to cause choke than softer types of food. Luckily, the mare survived. But I still remember her vainly attempting to dislodge the obstruction in her throat. It was a deep choke, meaning it was located down near where her esophagus went into the stomach. Rubbing her neck was never going to help her clear that obstruction because it was so badly placed. As you said in your video, horses are incapable of peristalsis, which is the reverse movement of the swallowing muscles that allows humans to throw up. Horses can’t do that. The choke incident permanently damaged this mare’s esophagus, so the owner had to be extremely careful what that horse ate for the rest of her life. About 10 years later, she had another incident of choke, but not so serious. She eventually died of something else.

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Oh man, that's really scary. I see alfalfa cubes often given as treats and it makes me cringe. Thank you for sharing your story, it may help someone else!

[@caroldavis5877]

I've heard that you can put a good sized stone in their grain bucket, it forces them to eat slower.

[@goldenyearsacres9163]

@Carol Davis I saw a video about putting large smooth stones, like river rocks in the feed. I also saw the food put in a honeycomb shaped pattern slowing down the eating & stimulating the brain to figure out how to get the food. I think it was actually a large plastic water tank turned upside down, not for sure, but I know mine has a bunch of squares underneath the tank section.

[@kimhollenbeck6954]

Hi Brandi,it is so sad and awefull and stressing when a horse is choking,I am pleased to hear that the vet quickly dealt with it

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you

[@kimhollenbeck6954]

Your welcome Brandi

[@georgiagonzales3769]

Thank you so much for this video. This is great and essential information every horse owner should see and know about. ❤️💯

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

[@kimhollenbeck6954]

She is a beautiful horse and I love the horse's coat color

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you, she was solid bay for the first 10 years of her life, she is changing a lot as she ages.

[@sleighmansleighrides4688]

Love Rain she was so calm. You also. Thank you for sharing. -Tonja

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thanks Tonja!

[@pippakay7234]

Brilliantly informative video. This should help so many people with signs,symptoms and protocols. Thanks Brandi.👍💛👍

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you!

[@lisag5085]

Thanks Brandi! That was scary to watch... but very educational!

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you, I'm so thankful to have such wonderful vets who allow me to video their work. I love knowing that it could help someone in the future.

[@caroldavis5877]

Poor girl, so scary. She's such a pretty girl.

[@janethein7740]

Thank you so much for sharing .

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@rubymetalcat18]

My Gypsy cross gelding, Théo, choked on his alfalfa mash once. Thank goodness I was near by when he started choking. I called the vet immediately and when the vet tubed him we found out that he was blocked up all the way to his stomach! 😰 He had zero signs of having a blockage before then. I’m so glad that Rain is okay! ❤️ Choke is so very scary!

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Choke can be so tricky and hard to recognize in some cases. Glad your guy did ok!

[@gretchen3823]

I always learn so much from you about the horses. Choke In horses it's very scary. How is manzer doing ? I really love that horse. I love your channel ❤️😍❤️❤️

[@balancingmidlife2022]

This was so informative. I had no idea how choke could affect them. Thanks for sharing

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kimhollenbeck6954]

I hope and pray the your horse gelding is healthy now after his bout with choke,the vet did an awesome job of treating your horse from his scary choking issue

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you, she's doing great now

[@karentatum2827]

Thanks for posting this. I feel like most horse owners are familiar with the signs of colic and, obviously lameness, but most aren't familiar with choke.

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you, I agree

[@heelingacres2346]

Great vidoe and glad to see ya back posting

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thanks!

[@kkdoc7864]

I bet you could do this Brandi in an emergency. Just have to make sure you go down the esophagus and not into the airway before you instill the water. But you can tell if that happens right away in which case you just take out the tube a bit and reinsert it. What if no vet was available? Scary.

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Absolutely, but I'd rather not unless it's my horse. This horse is owned by a little girl and that would be way too much pressure for me. We went a few years without having a local vet and I was thankful I didn't have any emergencies during that time.

[@MrHorsepro]

Excellent topic, well done.👍

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Glad you liked it!

[@8pinehorsemanship438]

One of our poines choked before it was super scary we'd never had a horse choke before

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Choke is so scary, especially the first time you see it. I'm glad there are so many kids in my barn, the things they get to see are so valuable to their horsemanship tool box.

[@joannewebber3920]

Great video

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thank you

[@jonesfamily9119]

Thank you for showing this! There have been times I have wondered if our horse is choking bc she too likes to stuff her face and sometimes stretches out. It is nice to see more signs and what else to look for. Thank you

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

You’re welcome! I have watched some horses stretch out, paw, or shake their head. All indications that they bit off a little more than they can chew 😉

[@MrSpecificity]

Thanks for this video! Plus one like for you

[@markrumfola9833]

This is really Scary to watch Brandy. Good luck Forever

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Thanks Mark!

[@leeangus1839]

Hey Brandy I am so glad that Rein's recovery went well for her. And I hope it won't happen again Brandy. She such sweat horse too. All my love to you Brandy.

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

I hope so too! Thank you

[@leeangus1839]

@@VersatileHorsemanship you are very welcome Brandy with Love.

[@mercedesfoster482]

I have seen a lot of hors s choke when they eat too fast, I have one that gobbles her food I put big wash smooth stones in her trough. So she slows down, also you might try a mash with her food and supplements, hope this helps is always a bad situation with our horses, GOD BLESS

[@brandyolsen3970]

I had a horse we had to make mash for because he would choke all the time. Never had anything come out like that.. many tubes and antibiotics for aspiration pneumonia. In his case he had a neurological disorder that prevented him from swallowing correctly. He eventually had to run I'm rainbow 🌈 pastures because it took out his awareness of his legs and would fall down all the time...poor girl. Hope she does better. Maybe a mash with her supplement.

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. I've been giving rain a handful of soaked feed and that works good for her.

[@CC-xn5xi]

Which horse is this?

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

Her name is Rain. I sold her to a student a few years ago.

[@virginiatozier9957]

I could not be a vet, I'm gagging just watching.

[@melissawalker3874]

"

[@VersatileHorsemanship]

😊

[@melissawalker3874]

@@VersatileHorsemanship glad Rain is doing better. Such a beautiful horse. How's Manzer? Seems like yesterday he was a wobbly newborn

[@sweetlydrc2052]

Tbh Even if it’s not barf-- it still looks like it just-- from the nose??? 😭

[@emilyschulz907]

Ewwww