40 SPECIAL VETERINARY THERAPY 



Most of the chokes we meet in general practice 

 are sporadic cases, and never recur ; therefore the habit 

 of attributing all cases of choke to previously and 

 permanently existing dilatations not only is not borne 

 out by practical evidence, but is misleading. If this 

 fallacy be firmly grounded in the surgeon's mind, his 

 treatment will be in gross error. Just as soon as the 

 veterinarian treats his cases of choke with the under- 

 standing that they are almost without exception due 

 to a spasm only, a tonic spasm of the esophagus, he 

 begins to have prompt and very satisfactory results. 

 As long as he is possessed of the jabot or dilatation 

 theory as a factor in choke he has trouble with them, 

 because he undertakes to do too much, 



When called to a case of choke in the horse, the 

 veterinarian must keep himself well in hand and must 

 not allow himself to become biased by the owner's or 

 the attendant's perspective. Make up your mind 

 firmly that you are handling a very simple functional 

 disturbance and proceed to place your client in the 

 same frame of mind. When you succeed in doing 

 this you have your case fifty per cent cured. 



If a box stall is available, have the horse put there ; 

 if none is available, allow him to remain in the single 

 stall. But in either case, see to it that the floor, man- 

 ger and feed box is absolutely freed from feed of any 

 kind ; use a broom and sweep them clean. When this 

 has been done, a large pail or a tub of water should 

 be placed where the horse can reach it without any 

 special effort on his part. When this has been done 

 the veterinarian should administer from one to two 



