Excesive drinking?!?! please help........

[Hannah123]

My pony is a rising 10yo Welsh D X Exmoor and recently she has been drinking alot more than usual. She is given a full 20 litre bucket of water at about 6pm every night and only usually drinks 3/4 of it til 6pm the next day but recently her normal bucket has only been lasting her till about lunchtime (1pm) the next day and then i give her another full bucket and she drinks about half of it till i sort her out at night again. I know it has been warmer recently but she has never drunk this much before even in summer.
Any ideas of what it could be?
Thanks for reading chocolate cake and hot chocolate for everyone who has read this xxx

 

[orionstar]

Could be symptoms of both cushings or diabetes, i would ring your vet and have a chat if it continues.

 

[Hannah123]

Really hope it isnt. Are there any other signs for both of these that i can look out for?xxx

 

[Toast]

Orionstar, is it likely that cushings could occur at that age though?
x

 

[orionstar]

symptoms include
Sudden and extreme thirst (polydipsia). An affected horse may drink as much as 80 litres of water a day (as opposed to an average 20 – 30 litres). This condition is usually accompanied by excessive urination (polyuria).
Abnormal hair growth and shedding. Affected horses may develop a growth of heavy, coarse, often curly hair, which does not shed in the summer. This may be accompanied by sweating and seborrhea (flaking of the skin).
Development of a swayback stance and a pot belly.
Filling above the eyes caused by the deposition of fat. (Normally, you can see a depression above the horse’s eye, particularly when the horse is chewing.)
A depressed, sick-looking appearance with dull eyes and drab coat.
Increased appetite (usually with no accompanying weight gain).
Chronic laminitis.
Loss of muscle over the topline.
Compromised immune system. This gives rise to a host of conditions/diseases which are often passed off as old age. These include respiratory disease, skin infections, abscesses of the foot, mouth (buccal) ulcers, and periodontal disease.

 

[orionstar]

Its normally associated with older horses but it has been diagnosed in younger ones, but as mentioned it could be due to the fact that the temperature has gone from -5 to 10c in a couple of days and they're all hairy, but it does sound like exessive amounts of water.

 

[Hannah123]

I'd say she has none of these other than the excesive drinking. But thanks for posting them for me .xxx

 

[cm2581]

I think your horse was maybe under drinking before - not over drinking now!

 

[Spudlet]

Water needs vary from horse to horse, for consumption to change you'd think there must be some cause though. Has she got to something to make her thirsty - can she reach a saltlick, for example? Is she exercising harder - either through running about in her field or through being ridden? Did she have access to another water source before that has now gone? Or is she just a sweaty betty in her hairy winter jimjams? Is she clipped at all? Rugged?

 

[Hannah123]

Yes but what she was drinking before was normal for her she has only ever drunk 3/4 of a bucket per day since i bought her. so it is unusual for her to be drinking this amount. and she is only 13.2xxx

 

[Hannah123]

she did have mineral lick in her stable for the previous horse ( she had only recently moved stables) but i took it out bout a week ago because it was all broken up. She only really gets worked about 3 times a week. I wouldnt say she has an overly wooly coat she has a lightweight stable and fleece on at night just a fleece in the day. She has an automatic water drinker in her stable and she had one in her old one but she doesnt use them as she is scared of the noise they make when refilling (silly pony).xxx

 

[Spudlet]

I think I'd consider taking some of the rugs away in your position. She's a native type so she should be ok without a rug in the daytime so long as she is out and has some shelter so she can get out of the wind, especially now it is warmer. She may even need a bib clip to make her comfortable. I don't know what it is like where you are but here it has gone from being utterly baltic last month to positively springlike, so horses that have grown polar bear style coats are now getting steamed!

 

[Hannah123]

Yes thats what me and my sister (Toast) thought so we are going to try it and see if it improves. Unfortunatly it isnt possible to clip her as i would have liked because she is scared of clippers! but i will see how it goes and keep you updated thanks for all your help guys xxx

 

[Pearlsasinger]

If she is not clipped she is unlikely to need a stable rug, so I would take that off. Our pony has drunk more than usual in the last few days. I think it is as a result of the warmer weather and her full coat.

 

[Cazza525]

I'd say she may be warm, and haylage can make them thirstier...

 

[ladyt25]

It could be due to a number of things but I would start with maybe thinking about the rugging situation - maybe just a cotton sheet to keep her clean. Have you changed any feed at all recently?

Is she not turned out at all? You say she has a fleece on in the day so that sounds like she's in throughout the day as well? I would certainly consider taking that off. If she is out then I would say she wouldn't need a rug on at all if she is native and well covered.

See my horse drinks a lot and always has done so I wouldn't really notice any change in his drinking (unless he stopped drinking!).

 

[Luci07]

I would just get a blood test done to rule out cushings. Its not a big deal and the vet will also be able to generally check bloods at that time too. My mare has cushings but you would not know it to look at her at all - and most of the signs that we are familiar with (long curly coat) only show in horses when cushings is very advanced.

 

[Toast]

Hi, Thanks for replies.
Pony is in during the day and has a designated turnout spot with other ponies as she is kept on a busy commercial stud. She is now just in a fleece during the day and a very lw stable at night. Im loathe to leave her without as although she is a native type she isnt the best at cold weather, she also hasnt grown a massively thick coat this winter. Clipping sadly isnt an option at the moment due to her being a previously beaten rescue pony. We cant even get miniclippers near her! Shes not in a massive amount of work and doesnt at the moment really require a clip, though next winter she will be in more work and we will have her sedated for clipping. I'll have a word with the vet next time he is down re the cushings and see what he has to say. Thanks guys!!
x

 

[oscarwild]

My last horse who was recently PTS had a excessive drinking issue in the summer last year.
Does your horse have normal poo's or peeing less even though drinking more etc (sorry if I missed them if already posted)
My horse had inflammation in his guts and after 3 months was put down to IBS. And that was the sympton that I noticed first.