DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 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 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. 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 
