Choking, in its slighter form, is a very familiar occurrence, and results from a morsel of food or other solid, or even a drop of liquid, passing into the Larynx (q.v.) or upper opening of the windpipe, instead of the gullet, or in popular parlance 'going down the wrong way.' It is generally caused by a breath being suddenly drawn in coughing, laughing, &c. while food or fluid is in the mouth; and a violent fit of coughing follows till the offending substance is expelled from the windpipe. Sometimes, however, a larger mass—e.g. a half-chewed piece of meat—is drawn into the opening of the windpipe, completely blocking it, and arresting respiration altogether. This condition is one of extreme danger; the sufferer becomes purple in the face, and if not at once relieved will certainly and quickly die of suffocation. The obstructing substance is usually within reach, and may often be dislodged if a bystander promptly pushes his forefinger to the back of the throat and attempts to draw it forward. A child may sometimes be saved by holding it up by the heels and shaking it, or slapping its back. If these measures fail, a sharp-pointed knife, a penknife for instance, must be promptly pushed into the windpipe to admit air to it below the obstruction. See TRACHEOTOMY, ÆSOPHAGUS, PHARYNX.
In cattle, the causes fall under two heads: (1) those that depend on the material swallowed; and (2) those that depend on the animal swallowing. Under the first head we find sharp-pointed objects which become fixed into or entangled in the membrane lining the throat and gullet; solid masses too large to pass on to the stomach; dry farinaceous materials which clog in the passage. The second class of causes consists in inflammation of the throat, or irritation of the organs of deglutition; constrictions of the passage; ulceration of the œsophagus, which is apt to follow choking, and is the cause of a relapse; lastly, without any disease of the deglutitory organs, an animal may be choked by eating too greedily, and imperfectly masticating or salivating its food.
The symptoms vary according to the position of the obstruction. Many of the most alarming symptoms arise from the paunch becoming distended by gas. See HOVEN.
Remove the obstruction with the hand when you can. Cause the animal to swallow the substance, if possible, by giving it water, oil, or Belladonna solution. Carefully push the offending agent down by a probang, if it is possible to effect this, and if withdrawal by the mouth is impracticable. In some cases the gullet has to be cut into by a qualified surgeon. After a case of choking, keep the animal on soft food, and attend to its general health, in order to avoid a relapse, which is of frequent occurrence in cattle. Cattle are most frequently choked by sliced turnips and potatoes, and these should consequently be pulped or mashed.