Choking 257 
obstruction is located in the horse’s chest-cavity there 
are few symptoms except inability to swallow food. 
Dogs and cats often attempt to vomit. In eattle there 
is a tendency to bloat in an hour or so after choking. 
The proper treatment is to remove the obstruction 
by getting it up, if possible; if not, by pushing it 
down. When neither effort is successful, one should 
remove the object by a surgical operation. If the 
obstacle is in the throat outside of the body cavity it 
ean usually be seen or felt as a swelling on the left 
side of the neck. In such cases it should be worked 
up to the throat, and while an assistant holds it firmly 
to prevent it from slipping back, the operator should 
reach down the animal’s throat and remove the object. 
In the cow and dog this is not difficult; but in the 
horse it is necessary to use a speculum, or other instru- 
ment, to keep the mouth open and to prevent the 
operator from being bitten. If the obstacle cannot 
be removed in this way, it should be pushed down to 
the stomach; frequently, if started slightly from the 
outside, it will pass down without any other assistance. 
Sterilized (boiled) water can often be injected into the 
mass near its lower border by inserting a hypodermic 
syringe through the tissues from the outside, and thus 
soften and assist in breaking up the mass. 
Where the lump can not be felt in the throat it is 
necessary to push it down with a “probang,” a smooth, 
flexible tube or rod, about six feet long. This is in- 
serted through the mouth, and the obstruction gently 
pushed down to the stomach. In the horse, precaution 
should be taken to prevent his biting the probang in 
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