If it's not one thing it's another

[AUEquine]

Ugh! I swear I keep fixing one problem with Cash and then another one pops up. Of course these are small issues that arn't affecting his usage much, but it's just starting to get annoying.

I bought him and he was in poor shape. Everyone really questioned why I bought him, but I'd known this horse for 2 years and knew what he truely was! It took a few months, lots of feed, good worming, and lots of love, but I got him fat happy and healthy! But he still had diarrhea. Finally cleared that up with psyllium.
His feet are another story. He has severly contracted heels, under run heels and then developed white line. I had had a young guy trimming him for me, but he was new to trimming and wasn't getting the job done right. So last week I took him to a great farrier on recomendation of another tech at work (her hubby is a pro cutting training). He did a awesome job! He took ALOT of foot off, and exposed alot of bruising to the sole, but Cash still walked off sound a happy. After only one foot he was licking his lips, I guess he just felt so much better to have his feet at the right angles. I packed his feet with Sole Pack and the bruises disappeard after only one treatment! And after the trim all his white line was gone too!
I was estatic today to go out and see how great his feet were doing and that he was still moving well. I brought him up just to worm him, treat his feet (trush and conditioner), and feed him (the diarrhea had come back a few weeks ago, so the vets figure he has an absorbtion issue and he's on psyllium for life now... it's already cleared up after only a few weeks). So I'm putting Sur Hoof on his feet while he's eating out of a bucket on the ground at the trailer. And he stops eating. Ok... what's up? He starts tucking his head and making gagging noises. Crap, you're choking arn't you? Yup! He's almost choked a few times before, but cleared it in about 10 seconds. So I watched and waited.... still choking, starting to get aggitated. I start to panic... not a big panic, just a mini one! Yes I am a vet tech, and deal with this alot, but when it's your own animal everything goes out of your brain.
Well I palpate him and think I've located the choke just under his throat latch area. I call my best friend who's also a tech with me and she doesn't answer... send a text. Then I call the clinic and tell them to patch me through to my boss. She transfers me twice and keeps getting the wrong number, so I just tell her to give me the number and I'll call her (my work phone was at the house). I call my boss and she tells me to sedate him with 2mL's of Xylazine... DUH! I knew that, stupid brain! So I run get the drugs and give him the shot. He's pretty agittated, and I'm shaking... thank goodness he has great veins! A minute later my friend pulls up at the barn, so she palpates and agrees with me. My brain is coming back now that I have someone to bounce ideas with. Right as he's drifting off under the sedation he swallows and makes this weird noise. I palpate him again and when I sqeeze his esophegus it makes a noise like squeezing a wet sponge. I kinda massage until the noise quits. My friend had to take her boys to football practice, so I just sit and watch him. After about 30 minutes he starts to wake up and starts nosing around on the ground looking for his grain. He finds a few pieces that he drops and eats them. Swallows... no head tucking, no noise... ok, good! I repalpate him and the lump is gone. So I give him a handful of grain... swallows, no problems! WHEW!!!! It has passed.
I call my boss back and she says he should be fine. Just don't feed him any more grain right now, and no hay for the night. No problem, he's on pasture without a round bale.

So I think it's an issue with the feed, and him taking huge amounts at a time. She recomended soaking it, which I will do. But I'm also thinking of changing feed. He currently is fed an All Grain type feed in the pasture by the BO, he has no issues eating that. I think because it's not a pelleted feed that will ball up when he chews it. So I was talking to a friend after it happened and she said her horse did a similar thing and she switched him to Omelene 500. Similar nutition, but in a sweet feed form. Does anyone feed this? What do you think about it?

Maybe one day in the future I'll have a 100% healthy horse. Guess he just likes being the squeeky wheel! Nothing too much that will take him out of work, because he loves his job, but just enough to get me to spend alot of extra time with him.

Cookies to those who actually read all of this! Apparently I can be long winded at 2am!

[Bessie13]

Hey,
It sounds as if you did everything right. Glad you were there for him. My mare is a choker. I learned it shortly after I got her. So, she eats on the ground, all food is soaked, and I try not to disturb her when she eats. I feed Equine Sr. it soaks in just a few minutes. I soak all my horses feed. Just a habit now. Glad he's OK.

[Tatesgram]

Scary stuff huh? I have one that choked, almost. She cleared it about the same time the vet answered the phone. For a while I feed her soup, then gradually it got thicker, now she is on safechoice, feed in a flat pan on the ground.

Sounds like you did everything right to me, after the intial panic anyway. :)

[wundahoss]

Hi,

Wow, glad you knew what do do in that situation(despite the panic!). To slow down feeding, a few big rocks in his bucket, or a feeder with some heavy weldmesh sitting on top of the feed is helpful. For hay, putting it in a doubled or small holed hay net, or in a feeder made from weldmesh.

I would not advise giving the horse grain, especially not sweetfeed, as horse's systems don't cope well with high starch/sugar feeds, and it can lead to a number of health issues, including laminitis. Stick to something healthy, such as a grain free ration balancer & alfalfa or such if he needs extra.

[IrisGreen]

Wow, glad to here he's doing good and you cleared the obstruction. I've never had a horse choke before but I can imagine it's horrible to watch and would put you in a panic. Even the best of us lose our ability to think rationally when faced with a life or death situation involving one we love. I'm glad you got it figured out and had the drugs to give him to get him relaxed before it got worse.

I'm sure your friend was a blessing when she showed up to help. I'm by myself all the time so when one of the horses gets sick or injured I'm the only one here and it's a blessing when you have someone show up if only for moral support in a time of need. I seem to calm down if I have someone else to help even if I have to run the show and figure out what to do next. It's comforting that you have another person to bounce ideas off or help handle the horse while to fix the problem. Being alone when your horse is in trouble is the worst feeling even if you know what to do it's like a blessing when someone shows up to lend a hand. It helps calm you now that your not alone in this.

I'm glad everything turned out okay. What a stressful day that turned out to be but you handled it well and learned he has to have his grain soaked. You did a wonderful job gathering yourself and getting the situation under control.

[vicklynn]

Im sorry you've gone through this, it is scary.
City choked on Safechoice, and honestly, I dont think it matters what brand or type of feed it is, if a horse is gonna choke its gonna choke.
My issue was height of feed, and had to drop his feed to ground level, eventually he quit eating like a pig.

My advice to you is to feed soaked always, beings its a continued problem.

I feed ration balancers now, it is pelleted form.
I dont like sweet feed. To me it has to much junk in it.
JMHO.

[AUEquine]

He was actually eating off the ground when it happened. Scary! I fianlly got my hands on some Omelene 500... don't think it's gonna work. Has more pellets than I thought, I mushed some in my hand and it still clumped. Luckly he likes the Senior Soup! He eats it all up without a problem. Guess that's what we will do for now on, and pray he doesn't choke in the pasture on the all grain.

Wundahoss... you need to talk to a vet and redo your research. Grain is highly recomended for horses. My horse is 18 years old and a barrel horse, he will not keep on grass/hay/rationbalancer alone. And FYI alfalfa can cause lamanitis just as fast as grain. Oh and btw since you're new here, you probably don't know me. I'm a vet tech and have 15 vets I work for that give me my info.

[vicklynn]

There is grain in the pasture? Im confused(ya I know, dont go there..LOL).

I think feeding soupy is a good idea!!!

Oh and beings I read this twice, can I have a brownie instead :)

[AUEquine]

There is grain in the pasture? Im confused(ya I know, dont go there..LOL).

I think feeding soupy is a good idea!!!

Oh and beings I read this twice, can I have a brownie instead :)

The BO feeds an 8% All Grain to them once a day out in the field. I'm not sure if she's still feeding our pasture or not. I'd be fine if she wasn't. Fiddler is always fat, and I feed Cash his senior. But she does have a brood mare in that pasture too so she might still be feeding because of her (we don't usually feed grain to most of the horses in the summer because the land is very good here).

I think you deserve a cheese cake brownie for reading it twice!!!!

[shiver]

Well what do I get. I've read it three times now just haven't posted. Your the expert.... What more can I add?

[miatapony]

Hey AUE im really glad to hear your horse is much better. im sorry about the chokeing thing it is scarry... omg is it.. all smarts go out the window.. good job on the way you handled it tho.