DISEASES OP THE DIGESTIVE OBGANS. 63 



Choking also arises from feeding oats in a deep, narrow manger to 

 such horses as eat very greedily or bolt their feed. Wheat chaff is 

 also a frequent cause of choke. This accident 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 upper 

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

 giving rise to the designations of pharyngeal, cervical, and thoracic 

 choke. In some cases where the original obstruction 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 body causing choke. In pharyngeal choke the object is 

 lodged in the upper portion of the esophagus. 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 upper part 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 windpipe, become distended 

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

 obstruction may be an angular body, in which case liquids 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 diiEcult. 



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 swallpws. There will be some symptoms of distress, fullness 

 of the abdomen, cough, and occasionally retching movements. Some- 

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

 always denotes great anxiety and the eyes are bloodshot. The 

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

 made for this purpose) , an obstruction is encountered. 



Treatment. — If the choke is at the beginning of the gullet (pharyn- 

 geal) an effort must be made to remove the obstacle through the 

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



