Choke/colic?

Question

Colic???????

My horse isnt eating his grain and is holding his head low... I can give him a hand full and he eats it slowly and then goes to his bucket and starts eating slowly but then he stops and holds his head low... He wont eat the hay I put out for the horses... I saw him earlier this week eating some grain out of muddy water... Is there a chance he might has colic? Maybe sand colic from eating out of the muddy water? PLEASE HELP!

Details:

OK...this is weird.... is it possible that it was choke but he got rid of it by himself???

Answer 1

Strangles/Sore Throat:

They hold their heads low, don't like to really eat, especially not hay but are willing to swallow down some wet grain.

They are very dull and just not feeling good.  Snotty noses and fever.

Banamine and soaked warm pellets plus soaked hay/alfalfa.

Choke:

A horse with Choke will have alot of phlegm/discharge pouring from the nose and the horse will be coughing alot and shaking his head.  If they do not have it worked out within 24 hours a vet needs to be called to help dislodge it.  Normally they get it dislodged on their own.

One way to find out if it is choke is if they eat and it causes them to cough and drool.  The bad thing is if they eat it could actually back up into the nasal and bronchial causing pneumonia.  My vet suggested trying a small wet handful of pellets and see if she coughed and drooled (from her nose).

Some Colics:

Some colics will cause them to hold their heads low and they have no love for life.  No spark and could care less what happens around them.  They just drag themselves along and mope.  No rolling either.

We had a filly do this and after testing, she was discovered to have a colic that was inoperative.  She was actually born with it.  Sadly we had her euthanized.  

I'd call the vet and get their over the phone opinion.

Let us know what transpires.

Answer 2

aaaaaand again.... call the vet.

Answer 3

Hi,

Is he rolling a lot? Don't let him if he is, as this could cause more damage.  

How old is he?  

Has he done this before?  

How long have the symptoms been noticeable?  

Does your horse have enough water readily available to it? Meaning it can drink however much and whenever he wants?

Its not choke.  If he were chocking thick foamy fluid would be coming from his nose! Its interestingly gross! My little sisters horse choked twice and then had to eat mushy pellets the rest of her life.(guessing she is still living we sold her.)  *if they choke once they WILL choke again! The first time Misty(the horse) choked she cleared it herself.  The second time the vet had to come out and clear it.  SHe told us that scar tissue develops in the throat causing choking to happen again and again.  Your horse will NOT die from it because it can still breath.  HOWEVER if the throat is closed off water and food will not be able to be swallowed causing the horse to die from thirst or starvation.

So it sounds more like colic to me.

Here is a website that has symptoms and so forth for colic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_colic

http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/asc/asc12...

Hope I Helped! :-)

I recommend calling a vet out.  If it is choke or colic your horse needs medical attention ASAP!

"Choking: A horse is choking if he coughs and salivates with his head down while watery food exits his nose and mouth, backs away from his food, acts anxious, and/or swallows repeatedly. A horse chokes when food is trapped in the esophagus. The food doesn't block the airway, so the horse can still breathe, but you still must call the vet right away. The trapped food can cause damage that will result in scarring and subsequent narrowing of the diameter of the esophagus. This narrowing causes the horse to be more prone to choking in the future."

From:  http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesA...

"Colic: If your horse is sweating profusely, lying down and getting up, pawing the ground, standing with his legs outstretched, rolling, and/or biting at his abdomen, the animal is suffering from colic. Remove the horse's food and lead the horse around at a walk until the vet arrives.

Not all colic symptoms are severe. If you see your horse behaving in any way that indicates he may be having even slight stomach pain, you should still call a veterinarian.

If you see some signs of colic but aren't sure whether your horse is actually sick, a good way to tell is to offer him a carrot. No healthy horse ever turns down a carrot. If your horse refuses it, he is suffering from abdominal distress or some other health problem and needs to see a vet right away."

From: http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesA...

After reading these I almost am leaning more towards choking.  But you need a licensed vet to come out and help you, we can only do so much over the internet.

Try giving him a cookie that you know he loves and see if he refuses as the paragraph above states.  Maybe then you can get a better idea what you are dealing with.

Although I am uncertain if he would take a cookie even if he is choking...

I would also(agreeing with you the other answers not stealing your idea) walk him or at least keep him standing up until the vet arrives. Hopefully you already called the vet out...

Answer 4

makes sure you call a vet first. if he starts rolling, dont let him, put a halter on him and walk him around until the vet gets there, keep a close watch on him and DONT LET HIM ROLL, if he does, his organs will get twisted or squeezed which can and will be fatal.CALL THE VET, PLEASE!!

Answer 5

I've heard of choke getting rid of itself if it was a small choke, but my horse had a big choke and that wasn't gonna happen!

Answer 6

Have you ever gotten food lodged in your esophagus, then drank water to get it to go down?  Your horse may have done the same thing..did he have access to water?  The food may have been able to pass into the stomach if it was washed down with water.

You should still keep an eye on him over the next 24 hours.

Answer 7

Time to call a Vet!

Answer 8

I'm not sure it's either, but he sounds bad to me and I think you should call a vet with this.

Answer 9

Keep him walking and call the vet