We’ve all known horses that are better described as vacuums – they seem to inhale their food rather than chewing and savouring every bite. Usually, the only bad outcome from dealing with these types of horses is occasionally a stepped-on toe from the pushy exuberance for incoming feed or hay; however, sometimes the result can be choke.
Choke in horses is different than in humans. Horses experience an esophageal obstruction rather than an obstruction in the trachea. The obstruction is usually a bolus of dry hay or feed that gets stuck in the musculature of the tube bringing feed material from the horse’s mouth to its stomach. This results in the horse being unable to fully pass any saliva or feed stuffs into its stomach. It can be quite painful and often horses become agitated and anxious when it occurs. Clinical signs include excess salivation, green or brown nasal discharge that includes particles of feed, and coughing.
Because there is often a build-up of feed and saliva in the horse’s pharynx or throat, aspiration pneumonia is a fairly common complication after dealing with a choke. This is because as the horse is coughing and breathing in quickly, the feed particles and saliva present in the pharynx are likely to get inhaled into the lungs, bringing with it bacteria that can lead to a severe lung infection.