Dehydration ??

Porkie

Porkie

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My horse seems to have let himself get a little deydrated by sulking yesterday in this humid heat cos he had his muzzle on and didn't drink(he's 26 and very used to wearing it so its not that he couldn't drink - think he was just protesting !)

Played apple bobbing and encouraged him to drink some last night and soaked some of his hay so he'd get a bit of moisture that way and his feeds are mixed with water anyway.

Bought him in from field little early today as had to turn out without muzzle & did the 'pinch' test - think he's still a little dehydrated ............... should I get some electrolytes of some sort to help ? If so what one - I have no experience of using them !!!
 
You can get some electrolytes that are literally in one use sachets so the amount is already measured out. It also saves you buying a massive box of them
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Most electrolytes can go into either the feed or the water and they'll explain that on the container. Theres one that comes in syringes also and can be shot straight into the back of the mouth. I always found the Equine America Apple Lytes quite popular.

Do you feed succulents also? Adding carrots or apples is a fab way to get some liquids back into them, particularly if they're protesting for a reason (not often they'll resist sweeties).

Also, when i moved my horse to denmark, he'd been 27 hours with no water and didnt seem to like the water here initially. We were advised to give him chamomile tea (cold of course) as they really like it and it will get them drinking
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Thx - I gave him a few carrots just before I had to come back to work ........ ur right he'll never say no to apples and carrots. I've got someone picking me up some apple juice so I can add a bit to his water tonight, remember someone saying once that was good to encourage them to drink !!

Is it ok to give him electrolytes even though he hasn't been doing heavy endurance type work? He's only in very light work ..... and everything I read says for competition horses ??
 
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Is it ok to give him electrolytes even though he hasn't been doing heavy endurance type work? He's only in very light work ..... and everything I read says for competition horses ??

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Yes, I fed them routinely when Amy was in work - through the summer.

And if you suspect your horse is dehydrated, then they are a must, as water alone won't do it. Salts need to be replaced as well as water.
 
Is there any other way of telling if / or how badly he is dehydrated other than the simple 'pinch' test ??
 
Oh - he was definitely lethargic ...... :-/ (but he generally is in the heat so I thought it was just that!) Guess I will be nipping to the shop on my way from work to yard to pick up some form of electrolytes! Thx !
 
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A note of caution - although I agree that salts need replacing as well as water, if you give him electrolytes in syringe form and he still doesn't drink he could be in trouble - doing endurance we don't give electrolytes that way until the horse is drinking well, otherwise they could end up even more dehydrated.

At least with the type of electrolyte that is fed in water, he'd be getting both at the same time.
 
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