# Horse Choke in the UK: Emergency Guide — Quick answer

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/horse-choke-uk): Horse Choke in the UK: Emergency Guide — Quick answer. Choke is a blockage of the horse's oesophagus — the horse can still breathe, but it is an emergency. According to World Horse Welfare, look for green, slimy discharge from the nostrils, drooling and retching. Call your vet immediately, remove all food and water, and keep the horse calm.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/horse-choke-uk): Horse Choke in the UK: Emergency Guide — What is choke?. Choke — oesophageal obstruction — happens when food or a foreign object lodges in the horse's oesophagus, the muscular tube carrying food from the mouth to the stomach. Unlike choking in humans, the blockage is not in the airway, so a horse with choke can still breathe. However, according to World Horse Welfare, it is still an emergency: delayed treatment increases the risk of oesophageal rupture, and food or saliva passing into the lungs can cause aspiration pneumonia. Horses cannot vomit, so material backs up and comes out through the nostrils and mouth instead.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/horse-choke-uk): Horse Choke in the UK: Emergency Guide — Signs of choke. | Sign | What you may see | |------|------------------| | Nasal discharge | Green, slimy material containing feed coming from one or both nostrils, often intermittent | | Drooling | Excessive saliva, sometimes frothy | | Coughing and retching | Repeated attempts to swallow, gagging | | Neck posture | Head and neck held outstretched; horse looks anxious | | Lump in the neck | A hard swelling on the left side of the neck where the oesophagus runs | | Colic-like discomfort | Restlessness, pawing or looking at the belly | Some horses initially keep trying to eat despite the blockage. According to UK equine vets, discomfort from choke can closely resemble colic — either way, the response is the same: call the vet.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/horse-choke-uk): Horse Choke in the UK: Emergency Guide — What to do while waiting for the vet. 1. Call your equine vet immediately — describe the signs and say when the horse last ate 2. Remove all food and water — nothing by mouth until the vet advises 3. Keep the horse calm — a quiet, settled horse is more likely to relax the oesophagus and clear the blockage 4. If turned out — bring the horse in, or walk and/or muzzle them to prevent further eating 5. Gentle massage — if you can feel a lump on the left side of the neck, World Horse Welfare says it can be gently massaged if the horse tolerates this 6. No oral medications — do not syringe anything into the mouth 7. Never insert a hose or tube down the horse's throat — this is very likely to do more harm than good

Source: https://pethealth.org.uk/health/horse-choke-uk