# My horse choked over an apple last night



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

My guess is while she was trying to chew it it rolled around & got caught in her throat. Luckily she cleared it herself without emergency vet intervention.
Lesson learned: Always cut apples.

You're right, it is one of the scariest things to watch.


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## Kay Armstrong (Jun 28, 2015)

I fed a carrot to a horse I used to own and he swallowed the chuck whole. I could see it moving VERY SLOWLY down his throat...it was so scary, I really felt like I should do something to help it down his throat more quickly. A vet told me later that as long as the horse is breathing, let the item move itself...do not aid.


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## greenhaven (Jun 7, 2014)

After an episode of choke a horse's esophagus can be swollen or irritated enough to cause another episode, so she bears watching for a few days. Glad she is alright.


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

My horse choked on a piece of carrot a few months ago. I didn't realize what was going on for several minutes. He just kept scrunching his throat up and having what looked like muscle spasms. I tried to get him to drink, he wouldn't drink. Eventually he started having big coughs and all kinds of slime and nasty goo started dripping from his nostrils. It was terrifying. In with all that slime and goo where little orange shreds from carrots. I have offered him carrots and apples since then and he won't take them. It's like he remembers. 

At the time of the choking my horse had a very enlarged lymph node and the vet suspects that it interfered with him being able to swallow larger pieces.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Fortunately, horses never breathe through their mouths. NO MATTER WHAT your horse will not stop breathing when choking, like WE would.


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## Rideabighorse (Jan 12, 2014)

Horses are not designed to eat either apples or carrots. Always cut them. Coin size slices of carrot are great, and I just slice apples like I would to eat them myself. Then we can share. Also the irregular shape won't catch in his throat.


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

Never feed small round things. Carrots we don't cut in small slices, rather give big ones or cut in length.. Apples - we never give small ones, we give bigger ones, and throw them around the pasture or feed them in a bucket on the ground..


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Actually, with three apple trees on my property, I have not ever had my horses choke on them. I just cleaned out my truck from vacation this morning, and threw a large, not-so-fresh apple out. Buster Brown ate it, no problem. Not a bad idea to cut them up, though. Some horses are just greedy and eat them too anxiously, thus a choke.
You might consider giving treats after a horse has eaten, too.


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## dappledreamer (Nov 12, 2014)

This wasn't her first apple whole but she got pretty greedy eating it:icon_rolleyes: I think thats a good idea to cut them up too,I had never had a horse choke on me over an apple before though.she had even had one smaller than this one, and she didn't choke.maybe this will teach her patience from now on!!!


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Corporal said:


> Actually, with three apple trees on my property, I have not ever had my horses choke on them. I just cleaned out my truck from vacation this morning, and threw a large, not-so-fresh apple out. Buster Brown ate it, no problem. Not a bad idea to cut them up, though. Some horses are just greedy and eat them too anxiously, thus a choke.
> You might consider giving treats after a horse has eaten, too.


Your apple trees probably will never cause a problem. When a horse eats an apple from the ground they bite off pieces. A horse can't bite a hanging apple because their lips push it away before their teeth can get to it. I used to ride through apple orchards I never saw a horse manage to get a hanging apple unless it could press it against something.

I sometimes put apples in a water trough & the only way they can get them is to press them against the sides & take a bite. Some horses never figure it out so can't get any.


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