17 month old packed grain in throat

[ragrobin4]

Hello, I have a 17 month old gelding. He has been on grain since I bought him in April, no problems. This week (1st week Dec.) he stopped eating all his grain as it was packed in his throat and would have trouble breathing. My daughter put the water hose in his mouth and flushed out the grain and he was fine and started eating hay immediately. 2 days later, I tried grain again, feeding this time, in a tub, at ground level. Same thing, he at a couple minutes and the grain was stuck in his throat. We flushed him with water hose again and he immediately started eating hay.

Any ideas? At this point I don’t feel like it’s an emergency, but will make an appointment. He is active, eating , drinking. Poop and pee is normal. I’m baffled.

[2DogsFarm]

Can you serve his grain soupy?
Add enough water so it’s more mash, than solids.
Pls docall your vet, IIWM, I’d want the sudden onset of this symptom addressed by a DVM.

[Texarkana]

Choke sometimes happens for horses of this age due to losing their baby caps/dental changes.

After a choke, you want to feed soupy feed or avoid hard feed altogether for several days or weeks afterwards to allow the esophagus to heal. There is often damage or scarring to the esophagus that puts the horse at risk of continued choke episodes.

Also, I would not put the water hose down his throat again. This can increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia, which is a serious complication post-choke.

Horses can still breathe when choking, unlike humans, so you don’t need to worry about him suffocating. They do sometimes panic from the sensation, so it’s best to encourage them to relax. A lot of people give sedatives to remedy a choke.

I would recommend having his teeth checked and definitely getting the vet involved if this continues to be a problem.

[Larbear]

Just to add to Texarkana’s post, I would watch your horse very carefully and keep a close check on his temperature. If he starts to run a temp, it could be signs of aspiration pneumonia which would be very serious complication.

[beowulf]

To add onto Texarkana’s and Larbear’s very thoughtful posts, I had a gelding I was boarding out who choked and the hose method was used by barn staff. It resolved the issue but then a few days later he got very sick (aspiration pneumonia). He also choked again a few weeks later. He lived the rest of his life on soaked food. The likelihood of aspiration pneumonia after the hose method is apparently likely according to my vet.

Certain grains or pellets are more likely to produce choke, especially if they’re dry particulates. I feed alfalfa pellets soaked for that reason.

[ragrobin4]

Thank you for all the thoughtful posts. I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond. I will absolutely keep an eye on his temperature. No more grain for awhile. Also I would like to add the hose only went in his check, not directly down his throat. So Lord willing, he won’t develope any pneumonia or another episode.

[Ghazzu]

Whether or not you shoved the hose into the trachea, if the esophagus is obstructed, there is a definite risk of aspiration.
Do not use that technique.
I’d be feeding soupy food while waiting for a DVM appointment.

[quietann]

I’m not sure what you’re using for “grain” but most pelleted feeds make a really good soupy meal. But if you’re feeding sweet feed or oats, that won’t work.

[Fiesta01]

@Ghazzu

Whether or not you shoved the hose into the trachea, if the esophagus is obstructed, there is a definite risk of aspiration.
Do not use that technique.

@ragrobin4
In case you’re new or forgot, @Ghazzu is a DVM and knows of what she speaks.

[4horses]

Young horses tend to choke on grain. My youngster had 3 chokes on grain (fortunately easily passed). Add enough water and let it soak for a couple minutes before feeding. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again.

[Montanas_Girl]

In addition to the other good advice that you’ve been given in this thread (especially from Ghazzu), it is important to always feed horses that have a choke history at ground level. Eating from an elevated head position changes the angle of the jaw while chewing and makes horses more prone to choking.

[DiamondJubilee]

One of my young guys choked on his grain at 5 months old as he liked to bolt down his grain. I luckily saw it and massaged his throat a bit to help move the lump that I could feel and called my vet. It passed fairly quickly (less than 5 mins) and my vet said to remove grain for a bit and give a handful of hay for a few hours. He said his teeth of course are not the best at that age and to soak everything going forward. I’ve had many youngsters and never had them choke in my 20 years, but have had it happen at a boarding barn I worked at many years ago. It is scary!

I now always soak not only his grain, but all of my horses as well. My young food bolter is now almost 3 and hasn’t had an issue since I’ve been soaking his grain. He still gobbles up his grain standing on 3 legs ha ha! He’s a foodie.