DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 63 



Choking also arises Iroiii I'otHling oats in a deei), narrow nian«:;c'r to 

 such horses as eat very greedily or bolt their feed. '\\Tieat chaff is 

 also a fre<iuent cause of choke. This accidcMit may result from the 

 attempts to force eggs down without breaking or from giving balls 

 that are too large or not of the proper shape. 



Whatever object causes the choking, it may lodge in the uiii)ep 

 part of the esophagus, at its middle portion, or close to the stomach, 

 giving rise to the designations of ])haryngeal, cervical, and thoracic 

 choke. In some cases wheie the original obstiuction is low we find 

 all that part of the gullet above it to be distended with feed. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms vary somewhat according to the posi- 

 tion of the IxmIv causing choke. In pharyngeal choke the object is 

 lodgetl in the ui)})er portion of the esoi)hagus. The horse will pre- 

 sent symptoms of great distress, hurried breathing, frequent cough, 

 excessive flow of saliva, sweating, trembling, or stamping with the 

 fore feet. The abdomen rapidly distends with gas. The diagnosis 

 is completed by manipulating the ujjper pai-t of the throat from 

 without and by the introduction of the hand into the back part of 

 the mouth, finding the body lodged here. In cervical choke (where 

 the obstruction is situated at any point between the throatlatch and 

 the shoulder) the protrusion caused by the object can be seen and the 

 object can be felt. The symptoms here are not so severe; the horse 

 will be seen occasionally to draw himself up, arch his neck, and 

 make retching movements as though he wished to vomit. The ab- 

 domen may be tympanitic. Should there be any question as to the 

 trouble, a conclusion may be reached by pouring water into the throat 

 from a bottle. If the obstruction is complete, by standing on the 

 left side of the horse and watching the course of the esophagus, 

 you can see the gullet, just above the windpii)e, become distended 

 with each bottle of water. This is not always a sure test, as the 

 obslruction may be an angular body, in which case licpiids would pass 

 it. Solids taken would show in these cases; solids should not, how- 

 ever, be given, as they serve to increase the trouble by rendering the 

 removal of the body more difficult. 



In thoracic choke the symptoms are less severe. Feed or water 

 may be ejected through the nose or mouth after the animal has taken 

 a few swallows. Theie will be some syiui)touis of distress, fullness 

 of the abdomen, cough, and occasionally retching uio\ements. Some- 

 times a choking horse is heard to emit groans. The facial expression 

 always denotes great anxiety and the eyes are blcMKlshot. The 

 diagnosis is complete if, upon passing the probang (a flexible tube 

 made for this purpose), an obstruction is encountered. 



l^rcatuu'ihf. — If the choke is at the beginning of the gullet (|)harvn- 

 geiil) an etfoit must be made to renioxc the obstacle through the 

 mouth. A mouthgag. or speculum, is to be introduced into the 



