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Choking when feeding

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Sophie
01 Dec 2008 16:53
 I have a 5 year old TB mare who has a 6 month old filly at foot who I'm starting to wean. She has kept weight on brilliantly and has only needed grass and haylage. Now that it's got colder she's starting to drop weight, however everytime I have fed her she chokes and has needed the vet out, even when she only had chaff and a small amount of pasture mix. What can I do to put weight on her?
Nikki C
01 Dec 2008 17:02
 Once a horse has choked once it is going to be more prone to doing so again as there will be a damaged spot in its throat. If it were my horse I would feed her like a toothless veteran! Lots of sugar beet plus whatever feed you consider best for her but in NUT form. These should be soaked before feeding to give her a lovely soup to drink! There is a feed designed for soaking with alfalfa and sugar beet - I cannot remember the make or the name, but when soaked it looks just like cow poo - that is very good for putting on weight as well.
Fiona Price
01 Dec 2008 17:49
 I had a horse that was a lazy eater and had to find feeds that you could make soft and very moist. Various feed manufacturers do cubes (eg. Allen & Page) that are designed to be soaked for a few mintues before feeding. Worth a go!
Nikki C
01 Dec 2008 18:09
 Now I am home, I have looked up the name of the feed and it is Dengie Alfa Beet.
Sophie
03 Dec 2008 17:33
 thanks! ill give it a go :)
Francesca
01 Mar 2009 19:32
 I have a mare who practically inhales her food! She's so greedy. She has choked four or five times in the last couple of years. As I'm sure you can imagine, the sickening feeling you get when they plant their feet and stick their gullet out is just horrible. Luckily she's fine after I have rubbed her neck and syringed water into her stuffed mouth. She now has 'soup' for every single feed. I couldn't trust her to eat unsupervised.
letti
26 Apr 2009 20:23

Allen and Page Calm and Condition is great if you have a gannet, but you MUST soak it before you feed, it soaks up a lot of water and takes on the consistency of sloppy porridge, great for putting weight on my skinny tin ribs, people call him fat now!!

 

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