Choke in horses is an obstruction of the food pipe (oesophagus). It can be alarming for both horse and owner, and does require urgent attention should the horse or pony struggle to clear the blockage.Bear in mind that choke in horses is different to choking in humans. When a person chokes, it is due to an obstruction of the windpipe (trachea) and affects their breathing. The difference between the two means choke isnot quite as dangerous for horse health.Having said that, the severity of choke in horses depends on what is causing the obstruction. You should never walk away from a horse with choke and be ready to call your vet.What to do if a horse chokesIf you are presented with a horse with choke, the best thing you can do as an owner isnot panic.Take all food away from your horse but do allow them access to plenty of clean water.When to call a vetMost choke in horses will pass on its ownwithin about 10 minutes, but somehorses might need a little extra help.If it is the first time you have experienced choke or youre not sure what is happening, call your vet straight away.You should also call a vet immediately if you are concerned the horse is struggling to clear the choke or they are becoming distressed.Everyone should call a vet if the blockage has not cleared in 30 minutes. We aremore than happy to give advice over thephone for your horses individual issue and happy to attend if it is deemed necessary.What does choke look like in horses?A horse with choke often holds their head out away from their bodyHorses with choke can present in anumber of ways. They can seemdistressed, cough and have some green nasaldischarge.Nasal discharge is caused by the build-up of saliva in front of the obstruction in the oesophagus which is causing the choke.A horse with choke often holds their head out away from their body, slightly lowered, and they may cough and/or look concerned.You might be able to see and feel a lump on theleft side of their neck, but this depends onhow far down the oesophagus the obstruction is.The horse may keep trying to swallow to clear the blockage too.How to prevent choke in horsesChoke is usually caused by a horse or pony not chewing their food properly before swallowing, either because their teeth are poor or they have eaten too quickly, or it may be caused by them being given feed that hasnt been soaked correctly first.There are several things you can do to lower the risk of choke in horses:Keep up withyour horses regular dental examinations. Healthy teeth and a healthy mouth chew food better and so lower the risk of choke occurring.Always cut vegetables length ways ratherthan width ways (for example provide carrot sticks rather thancarrot cut into circular pieces)Make sure thatanything that expands with water issufficiently soaked. This should be a given, as feeding anything that is not soaked according to manufacturer guidelines (such as sugarbeet) can have serious and potentially catastrophic consequences for a horses health if instructions are not followed in full.Feeds should besafely stored and locked away so that no greedyhorses or ponies can get in and gorge should they become loose.Lastly, discourage strangers fromfeeding your horses. This is easier saidthan done, but us vets have seen a lot ofhorses who have had weird andwonderful things fed to them over thefence during the coronavirus pandemic, some of which canbe dangerous. Choke in horses is just one of the risks to their health; other potential problems include colic.PrognosisOne complication of choke in horses is aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when saliva and food material that is stuck in the oesophagus gets inhaled down the trachea and into the lungs.This causes an infection and can quickly turn into pneumonia, which is why urgent veterinary attention is required as your horse may require antibiotics.Sometimes, an episode of choke can cause scar tissue to form in the horses oesophagus.This is called an oesophageal stricture and essentially makes the food pipe narrower and increases the risk of the horse suffering with choke in the future.How is choke treated?If the choke does not correct itself and your vet visits, the first thing they will usually do is sedate the horse in order to help them relax.This will also encourage the head to lower and reduce inhalation of food and saliva.The key is to get the horse to relax its oesophagus so that the obstruction has a better chance of clearing, so your vet will administer an anti-spasmodic drug.A tube may be passed into your horses oesophagus through their nose so that your vet can work out where the blockage is.They may then try to flush it out with water or be able to dislodge the food so that it continues its journey down into the horses stomach.The University of Edinburgh has put together a really handy downloadable Choke Fact Sheet, which you can view here.Images: copyright ShutterstockRelated contentHow to keep horse teeth healthy and pain freeHow to provide the best possible diet for a horseHow to stop a horse eating so quicklyAn introduction to your horses digestive systemStrangles in horses: is your horse vaccinated?The post What is choke in horses? appeared first on Your Horse.