I hate having to even THINK those words, but when you have livestock, it's a distinct possibility. These things never happen during regular business hours! So of course last night, Sunday night (!), was one of those nights!
One of our horses had "choke." That's when they eat too fast, or eat the wrong thing, or don't get enough water to wash something down, and it lodges in their throat. Symptoms can be heavy breathing as their airways are partially closed off, EXCESSIVE salivating out of their noses and mouths, head hanging. We had all of those going on.
This was my FIRST experience with choke, after owning horses for over 40 years. Hopefully it will be my last! But every new "adventure" helps me better understand what to do in such situations. In this case, just monitoring the horse, was the protocol. He did not need to have the food moved out of his esophagus. He moved it somehow, himself, either through coughing, or the saliva lubricated it enough to get it moved down his digestive tract.
Fortunately, this one had a happy ending, and as soon as I get off the computer, I need to go out and give him a smaller amount of food, and a hug!
