Mare suddenly drinking tons! Ideas please

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BethH

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Hi, some ideas please. One of my liveries has a 21yr old, 16.2hh TB Mare who over the last week or so has suddenly started completely draining all of her water when stabled at night despite being given plenty of extra.

She seems quite well in herself, has a very good appetite, her hay is soaked and she is grazing and mixing quite happily with the herd in the field. No obvious signs of ill health.

She is a very straightforward, quiet and gentle mare and not really given to complaining, but her stable bed is absolutely soaking evey day. We are thinking of asking the vet to do a blood test, but what for we have no idea. She had picked up a viral infection in the Summer from her previous yard and was treated by the vet and we are wondering if she maybe hasn't recovered from that as well as we thought but some ideas would be appreciated so at least we have somewhere to start.

Anyone else have experience of this?
 
It could be an early sign of Cushings? xxx
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My mum's 25yo TB mare is going throught the exact same thing BethH.
She looks great and is very happy in herself but has been drinking gallons apparently (I am in London theyare all up in Scotland
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They have taken a urine sample and bloods and are testing for cushings as we speak.
Cushings also lowers the immune system (I think!) so might explain the viral infection taking a stronger hold.

They also found a heart murmer in ours but bloods came back completely normal so nothing to worry about there thank god.

I hope you get to the bottom of it. PM if you need to talk to someone going through the exact same thing. xx
 
Has she changed fields recently? i seem to remember a previous post on here said it could be related to new pasture.
Also a long shot but has she any treatment by the vet recently, in particular steriod injections? In my horse this trigured the same thing but after talks with the vet he recovered in a week or so.
 
It could be the virus, it could be (as nailed said) too hot. However I have to agree with the first few post on possible early Cushing's disease, I am currently doing a research project on it, and the average age of horses getting cushings is between 20-25 yo. Polyuria, polydipsia, (weeing and drinking lots) Hirsutism (long curly hair coat, failure to shed, or coat colour changes in some) Recurrent laminitis, or just a BAD case of laminitis, succeptibility to 2ndry infections are all common symptoms of the disease.
So I guess you have to think, if she has any other of these symptoms maybe thats what you need to check.
Cushing's horses are also often very docile/chilled out due to the hormone release, so has she ALWAYS been such a lovely, chilled out mare? or has it just developed with old age?
It is treatable, to minimise symptoms etc with pergolide but it is not reversable I am afraid
please let us know if you test! PM me if you want!
 
Lucy if our old TB is diagnosed with it I may PM you if that's ok
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She has been drinking loads; no coat changes; recurrent lice infestation this year which took ages to clear.

No laminitis but she is on a good hi-fi, low protein pellet diet anyway.
She was a hot TB but is very mellow now - am on the phone to mum right now and we just laughed at that bit bless her.

vet has ruled out kidney failure, she has a heart murmer but that is unrelated apparently.
 
lol my mum is now reading this thread but I can't convince her to register and post!!!

I agree HHO is scary sometimes but we are all nice on this thread
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Also melody, yes a heart mumur is unrelated to cushing's, and being a thoroughbred......... I (personally) am not suprised, they are so high spirited normally, can't be that suprised... depending on how serious it is obviously!
But ye pm me about it, before and after if you would like! not a prob! I am only a vet STUDENT though, so feel free to ignore me!
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Well I think suggesting Cushing's isn't scare-mongering at all! It's a helpful and quite likely possibility. I could say kidney failure or diabetes - which are far more panic inducing IMO!

OP - I am NOT suggesting either, as I'd far rather Cushing's than anything other than drier haylage as the cause!

<font color="blue"> heart murmurs are a well known breed defect unfortunatly </font>

Hmm I'm quite scared by that as unfortunately (?) I have a TBx. Do I get him checked just in case....
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Oh my goodness, so many replies with great ideas and advice, thank you all so much for taking the time and trouble to post.

This little mare is just like her name, a complete Diamond and according to her owner has always been a quiet, calm type so no particular personality change or anything dramatic, she is just a lovely, lovely Mare.

I think deep down we have a sneaking suspicion that it could be the start maybe of cushings and I feel so sorry for the owner as she lost her old mare to this a while back and would be devastated to have to deal with it again especially having owned the mare for so long, she is extremely attached to her, but hopefully if it is cushings and caught early she can get the right help.

I am going to print her off the ideas on this forum as I think she will get vets advice now and she now has a number of ideas and questions to ask. Lots of possibilities by the sounds of it. I will let you know if we find any definitve answer but thank you all again for your help. If anyone knows how to source the pergolide cheaply if it needed, please let me know - I understand it isn't the cheapest drug in the world!

Oh and Medley, am thinking of your ned and hope you also get to the bottom of it, fingers crossed not serious or that if it is, it is treatable. I just love golden oldies, there is something very special about the time we get to spend with them isn't there, much more rewarding than youngsters (like mine who doesn't know how lucky he is!)
 
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i think saying its a possible early cushings disease is also slightly fear mongering

Get your vet if your cnoncerned

Lou x

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Fear mongering
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... I think you should look back on the Peritonitis post
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BethH - I know you'll think I'm stupid but are you sure she IS drinking a lot? Does she have a bucket or automatic waterer? If it's a bucket, she could be knocking it over every night. Is the wet you see every day pee or water? She could send it flying but still leave it upright if you see what I mean? If she has started knocking her bucket over then that might be a totally different problem eg it's in a different place that gets in her way or itchy feet and she's scratching them on the bucket or lying down differently or something.

Just a long shot coz my last ned seemed to be a messy little bleeder, peeing gallons every night but the yard staff said they'd seen him chucking his bucket around like a football. There was already an automatic watering system in his stable but I hate them coz you don't know what your ned is drinking but I stopped giving him a bucket of water and the "peeing" stopped immediately!
 
Box_of_frogs......... could be right! but if she is a quiet horse, who knows, expect you and people who see her every day!
Pergolide........ One vets practice I am working with atm send clients to a human pharmacy as it is actually a human drug not approved for equine cushings (no drugs are!) so they are (possibly) the cheapest. However some vets will prefer to supply it themselves. It comes as tables, solution or capsules..... can also get funky treat things online (from what I have seen) but I wouldn't be confident in using those. Tablets are the most common!
And if you have caught cushing's early and can begin treatment, then tell the lady she has probably reduced the heart ache and problems for this horse dramatically!
 
Asda pharmacy is the cheapest place I found to get pergolide if your vet will write a perscription.

My gelding drinks an entire tub trug of water over night if he has been eating his bed (straw at the moment as shavings too expensive) but my mare who does have Cushings does not touch her water.

Im not sure if this is because her feeds are soaked but she hardly seems to wee either.
 
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