Senior feed and choke

[enjoytheride]

I had a senior horse I took in after my best friend died leased out to someone but they are sending him back to me.

He’s grey, elderly (28?), and has choked twice on senior. Although he’s always been fine on hay. Teeth were just done in September, but when he was tubed during the choke the vet felt there was a restriction. Suspicion is possibly a tumor due to his being grey from the vet, so at his age we’ll monitor him and keep him happy.

I plan on soaking his feed and adding something to slow down his eating, but is there any difference between senior feeds regarding calories in and risk of choke? Anything softer?

He had no issues with choke when they were feeding him pasture grass and hay in a net, and I had no issues with choke when I had him previously on senior although another lease sent him back after he had a mild colic but they had him on 12 pounds of grain at that barn trying to keep weight on him (switched him to 6 pounds of senior and had no issues and he got really fat).

[Scribbler]

I would want to get a scope of his throat to know what you are dealing with. If it’s a tumor his days are numbered and you can have an end of life plan while you monitor his condition.

I always soak all my mashes, don’t see why you can’t soak a senior feed too.

[Simkie]

Yeah, I’d also want a look down there, and maybe some bloodwork. Know what you’re dealing with. I have a mare who did this as a youngster, and we found an internal abscess that we were able to treat with antibiotics. You want to know now if it’s a tumor or something treatable, and if not treatable, just how much room he has (and how much time he might have left.)

Soak whatever you do feed him to soup, all the seniors should break down well with that much water.

[enjoytheride]

Regardless of what a scope would find or what I’m planning on doing with my vet, I’m needing suggestions on feed for a senior who has a history of choke. I have access to Purina, Triple Crown, Tribute, and Nutrena. Someone also suggested McCauley’s Alum.

[Highflyer1]

Pretty much all pelleted senior feeds should be okay when soaked. If what you have been feeding works for him nutrition-wise and he will eat it when it’s soaked i would stay with it. I’d also feed him in a tub on the ground if you aren’t already. Sometimes putting a big flat rock in the tub so they eat slower can help too.

[bingbingbing]

@enjoytheride

is there any difference between senior feeds regarding calories in and risk of choke?

Definitely. I had horses who never choked, choke feeding Tribute and ProElites textured Senior. The pellets will soak down better and you won’t have the concern of large, hard pieces of beet pulp that never soften.

Tribute Senior Sport – choke issue - Horse Care - Chronicle Forums (chronofhorse.com)

[Simkie]

@enjoytheride

Regardless of what a scope would find or what I’m planning on doing with my vet, I’m needing suggestions on feed for a senior who has a history of choke. I have access to Purina, Triple Crown, Tribute, and Nutrena. Someone also suggested McCauley’s Alum.

Any of them, but soaked all the way to soup.

[JB]

I have soaked pelleted feeds, and Triple Crown Sr (textured with pellets). They all break down very well if you add enough water, especially tap-hot water.

Even when the beet pulp (a large part of the texture) in TC Sr is from the new crop, so pieces are larger, I never have a problem with them remaining hard with enough tap-hot water.

[NaturallyHappy]

Some of those feeds are so sticky…I agree w everyone else. Soaking is the answer.

[enjoytheride]

Are any of the seniors more calorie dense so I can feed less? Wondering if volume is part of what’s the issue with the choke.

Nobody has a brand preference?

[Highflyer1]

Triple Crown would be my preference (I’m not familiar with McCauley’s). I would try to do more smaller feedings if you are worried about volume. Six pounds/day is really not that much.

[LovieBird]

I know Triple Crown Senior Gold has more calories than regular Triple Crown Senior.

[Simkie]

@enjoytheride

Wondering if volume is part of what’s the issue with the choke.

My horse in a similar situation was getting very little grain. Volume doesn’t matter much when you’ve got a partial obstruction.

What keyed you into this choke? It’s possibly he’s been quietly choking leading up to this & resolving without much fanfare. That’s certainly what was going on in mine.

If he’s eating sufficient hay, a senior feed isn’t a necessity. You could go with Ultium (highest kcal/lb) or Legends Carbcare (Performance has the highest kcal/qt I’ve ever seen, it’s a very dense feed.) Both soak to soup just fine.

[Texarkana]

It’s a rare moment when I don’t have an elderly TB with compromised dentition and a history of choke on the farm, but mine did well with soaked Triple Crown Senior. When I say “soaked,” I mean I add cold water straight from the hose and it only sits however long it takes me to bring the horses inside. It softens quickly.

[JB]

@enjoytheride

Are any of the seniors more calorie dense so I can feed less?

Triple Crown Sr is 1540 cal/lb
TC Sr Gold is 1800

I’m not sure of the calories of the Tribute Sr feeds but I don’t think they’re that high.

Purina Ultium is around 1900

@enjoytheride

Wondering if volume is part of what’s the issue with the choke.

It probably depends on why the horse is choking. If it’s active chewing habits then it may be the longer he has to chew through a meal, the bigger the risk.

But if it’s something he can’t control - dental issue, esophagus restriction - then volume doesn’t matter, other than maybe the longer it takes to eat a meal, the more the risk just as a function of time.

[bingbingbing]

After my choking issues with texturized senior feeds, I switched to Buckeye Safe N Easy Performance. Low NSC and more fat than their comparable Senior. The pellets turn to mush easily and no fear of large, hard pieces of beet pulp.

SAFE 'N EASY™ Performance Pelleted Feed (buckeyenutrition.com)

[Amy3996]

I had a chronic choker. TC Senior (soaked to soup) worked best for him. When you think you’ve added enough water, add some more. I agree that a super high calorie option like Purina Ultium or TC Senior Gold may be a better option than a traditional senior feed.

If his dental condition hasn’t been evaluated yet, that may be something else to look into.

[Texarkana]

@bingbingbing

After my choking issues with texturized senior feeds, I switched to Buckeye Safe N Easy Performance. Low NSC and more fat than their comparable Senior. The pellets turn to mush easily and no fear of large, hard pieces of beet pulp.

SAFE 'N EASY™ Performance Pelleted Feed (buckeyenutrition.com)

I used the regular Safe n Easy (this was before the performance came out) for one of my horses with an esophageal stricture and it worked quite well for him.

[sascha]

@enjoytheride

Wondering if volume is part of what’s the issue with the choke.

FWIW, my choker managed to choke on a single handful of feed, more than once. She eats only soup now. Hay has never been a problem.

[enjoytheride]

It looks like he’s eating 4lbs of Safe Choice senior and 2 lbs of rice bran a day so I’ll compare that to the Triple crown and Purina. The vet said he needed more weight but was not surprised due to his age.