Horse coughing when eating?

My Arabian lately (last week or so) has been coughing and spitting some of his food back out when he eats. It is usually within his first 1 or 2 bites he starts "heaving" (I know horses can't throw up) and spits out his food but then he walks over and starts eating again with no problem. He does this with his SafeChoice and his grass hay. His teeth were floated just 2 weeks ago and passed his vet check with no problems. Any ideas?


Please, please no "Go see your vet" answers, only answer if you have a real constructive answer or advice. No I am not cheap, my vet bill for 2 horses and my burrow this month is already over $2,000 (floatings, shots, check ups and a castration + meds) so before I rush back in there and add to it I wanted to see if it is something I should be concerned about.


Thanks!

Horse coughing when eating?
To me it sounds a little like choke.





It he gobbling his feed? If he is, throw some large rocks in his feed pan to help slow down his eating.





I would also wet the pellets.





addition::::::::





It can depending on the size of the rocks you want to use lol.





What I would do, is seperate these animals while feeding if possible, maybe even tie the pushy animal up with his food. I know time factors can be hard.





The one that is possibly choking, spread his hay all out in the tub you use. Seperate it really good. Then throw the larger rocks in it too. That way, the rocks help hold some hay back as he takes bites, he won't get as big of a chunk as he would prior. I have no clue if it will work, but it won't hurt to try it.





Not sure how prevalent alfalfa hay is in your area, but maybe having more leaves and less stems might help??





I would still wet the hay to make it more easiability of going down.





Good luck, hope it helps.
Reply:Have you tried wetting his food and hay with some water? It seems to help those horses who have a "choke" problem. We have an old mare who has had her teeth floated, checked,etc. and also has a tear duct problem and we think her nasal passages were blocked with allergy reactions to the fall pollens. She was choking a lot until we started soaking her grain and her hay. No problem any longer!
Reply:Since he is going back and eating just fine that means it's not his teeth. But the coughing can be caused be some dust in the hay. This won't hurt your horse...only if it is moldy. Check the hay carefully (even if you just bought it) and look for any mold. Otherwise just keep an eye on him.
Reply:You always need to be careful when you get your horses teeth floated by a vet. even though they may be a good vet, most of them have not been taught the correct way to float. I personally use an equine dentist, a peerson who specailizes in horses teeth. I got my horse 'power floated' its kind of like the idea of an electric toothbrush, but to float horses' teeth. This cost me $130, its alot, but its worth it.





I might also suggest adding some wasrm water to his grain so he does not have to chew it as much, it will be softened. But this is only a temporary fix. I know you said you dot want to spend anymore money on the vet, but maybe just call him and tell him about this. If he says he is coming to see him that means this is serious and he NEEDS to come.


Also try wetting your hay a little bit, it might be a little dry and thus his coughing.








Good Luck!♥♥♥
Reply:It almost sounds as if your problem (because of it's timing) might be a direct result of the floating. There may be something that was missed that is sticking out or keeping the rest of the teeth in that area from coming together and doing their job and your horse may just be trying to swaller unchewed or poorly chewed food. Then he returns to his food and compensates and chews with his other side..I dunno, it just seems as though the timing of the onset of his symptoms points to something like this. Of course, it NEVER hurts to dampen your hay, to settle the dust, etc. I'm sure you have already checked your hay for mold or stickers or stuff that doesn't belong, you sound like a knowledgible, responsible pet owner. Have you tried just feeding him his hay first, no grain? If he chokes, then you know it is the hay, not the grain...net time, just feed the grain, no hay...that should help narrow it down. I don't know what shots he got, but some shots cause temp symptoms of what ailment that the shots are designed to avoid...flu, etc. The shots themselves may cause some kind of drainage, sinus, that would cause the choking..have you changed hay? I'm just dropping ideas that might spark an idea in your mind. I know this sounds crazy, but is there anyway, while being floated, that a part of a tooth got away and got lodged in the throat or side or somewhere that could cause the initial choking? when the hay is put in for your horse, is it putting off a lot of dust, whatever that might set off the coughing/choking thing? I hope that some of these ideas might help you think of something that will help.


*************After posting my answer, I found something that I thought might be interesting to you regarding choke...here is the url: http://www.horsetackreview.com/article-d...
Reply:try wetting his food...my horse had the same problem...he was perfectly healthy, but i guess he just ate too fast and he choked about 6 times everytime he ate. The vet bill was very expensive for that you can imagine. but ever since his food is wet he hasnt had any choking problems.


Also if you dont already have it...i would recommend getting your horses insured it is well worth it.
Reply:sounds like the hay could contain more dust this time than what he is used too....or the stem quality could be different...


if he is doing it with his grain also than he could still be adjusting to having his teeth floated!!! just keep your eye on him and make sure he is eating and not spitting it or coughing it all away and make sure he is drinking im sure he will be fine if you say your vet was out and said he is ok and you trust his judgement than your fine!! like i said could be the dust or the adjustment with his teeth!! good luck!!
Reply:Hmm. If he didn't do this before his thorough floating, maybe his teeth feel better now and he is gobbled a bit too much because he can now. The rocks need to be big enough that he can't get one and swallow it...about the size of a large apple is good, or a bit larger. If he had a clean bill of health, I doubt this is a sign of worms or a sore throat...either of which can cause this type of coughing besides choke. We've also had good luck using large chunks of mineral blocks for the "rocks" in the feed bucket and making sure the hay piles are very, very far apart to discourage theft impulses, or just evenly strewing the hay out in an area so there are no piles, it's more like a graze situation. I sure hope you get this figured out... your arab is making your life a bit too interesting, isn't he?? This is one reason we like the guys, there's never a dull moment.


Edit: Horses that have choked will suffer injury to their esophagus that causes swelling and soreness, causing more coughing. The feed needs to be in a pelleted form and soaked well to make a slurry. Hay must be chopped fine and can be added to the slurry. It may take a couple weeks for the injury to heal. If left, strictures can form, which may respond to vet treatment [they dilate the esophagus at the scar tissue caused by prolonged irritation over a period of treatments to provide relief].
Reply:it could be the dust in all of it. try soaking your hay, your vet probably knows how and can show you.
Reply:I had a 6 yr old paint that use to do that...she was just sensitive to the dust. So I would throw her hay down and soak it with the hose...She didn't get grain though. Best wishes.
Reply:im thinking maybe the hay is tooo dusty
Reply:damp his food