VERY VERY VERY wet gelding

[TheChestnutThing]

One of my liveries has a little 14hh cob gelding who is the wettest horse I have ever met.

She has spent a fair amount of money on tests to rule out issues.
He is 6 years old. Is on a diet (as on the porky side), in light work.

He is stabled in the evenings (live out in winter not an option). We have rubber mats with shavings.
Little dude drinks 2 40litre buckets of water at night almost every night and his stable the next morning is always soaking wet and disgusting and the smell of his wee is beginning to permeate the yard.
He is also going through a lot more shavings than any of the other horses including the biggest horse on the yard (17.2hh).

Any advise on how to keep his stable cleaner for me? The smell is dreadful. It has come to the point where he is almost on a bale a day just to soak up his wee at night and he is fully mucked every day and the stable left to air but despite this the mats never dry enough thanks to the dreadful weather.

 

[ROMANY 1959]

Think I would be seeking a vets opinion, doesn’t sound right.

 

[paddy555]

excessive weeing and excessive drinking are signs of cushings. Has he been tested? if positive and treated he will then wee and drink as a normal horse.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

Think I would be seeking a vets opinion, doesn’t sound right.

Owner says he had every test under the sun, including being starved of water, bloods, kidneys, diabetes, cushings.

He is 6.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

Think I would be seeking a vets opinion, doesn’t sound right.

Vet was out last week and specifically noted the terrible smell of his wee but as horse was tested last year for everything....

 

[AmyMay]

Vet was out last week and specifically noted the terrible smell of his wee but as horse was tested last year for everything....

Last year was ten months ago though.



Take the mats up for starters and then could you think about bedding hom on a base of shavings with a top of straw?

 

[TheChestnutThing]

Last year was ten months ago though.



Take the mats up for starters and then could you think about bedding hom on a base of shavings with a top of straw?

I won't take up the mats as our stables are concrete bases and I won't have horses on concrete.

 

[HashRouge]

I won't take up the mats as our stables are concrete bases and I won't have horses on concrete.

If you have a thick enough bed it shouldn't be an issue. If the wee is getting under the mats the smell will be worse. How thick is his bed?

 

[AmyMay]

I won't take up the mats as our stables are concrete bases and I won't have horses on concrete.

Well, no - which is why you put a good base layer of shavings down first. Whilst you have the rubber matting down you’ll continue to have a strong smelling, wet stable.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

If you have a thick enough bed it shouldn't be an issue. If the wee is getting under the mats the smell will be worse. How thick is his bed?

Wee is not getting under the mats....

 

[TheChestnutThing]

Well, no - which is why you put a good base layer of shavings down first. Whilst you have the rubber matting down you’ll continue to have a strong smelling, wet stable.

Taking up the mats is not an option.
Wee cannot get under them. They are sealed.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

excessive weeing and excessive drinking are signs of cushings. Has he been tested? if positive and treated he will then wee and drink as a normal horse.

I was informed by owner that he has.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Wood pellets unsoaked would mop the urine up. Does he have access to salt licks, some horses will munch them rather than lick, that would drive his thirst.

 

[L&M]

I know it sounds cruel, but as the pony is only stabled at night, I would be tempted to cut water by half, (40 litres does sound excessive for any horse), and allow him plenty in the field, in the hope he wees less in the stable and more in the field.

Another bedding option could be wood pellets - more absorbant than shavings and cheaper.....or put some sawdust down under the shavings.

 

[AmyMay]

deleted

 

[TheChestnutThing]

I know it sounds cruel, but as the pony is only stabled at night, I would be tempted to cut water by half and allow him plenty in the field, in the hope he wees less in the stable and more in the field.

A bedding option could be wood pellets - more absorbant than shavings and cheaper.....

Owner wasn't happy with me cutting water when I suggested this. And he definitely has plenty in the field.

I will look into the pellets. Thank you.

 

[TheChestnutThing]

Wood pellets unsoaked would mop the urine up. Does he have access to salt licks, some horses will munch them rather than lick, that would drive his thirst.

He does have a salt lick and tends to go through it like a fat kid in a candy store.

I will look into the pellets thank you.

 

[AmyMay]

How much bedding do you have on the mats? Do you take the lot out daily and put one bale of shavings back in?

 

[mariew]

Maybe add salt to the food if he needs extra rather than provide a salt lick, that can definitely increase amount of water he drinks.

 

[TPO]

Everything else aside I highly rate Nedz Pro bedding.

I have a couple of wet geldings (& thankfully one very clean and neat one!) although they dont drink excessively, and it has been the most absorbent bedding.

Pellets are absorbent but I found them really dusty when dry and the damp bedding never sat well with me.

Nedz Pro is scented too so that might help with the smell issue that you are experiencing. I only need to add, max, one bale a week.



All their details are on their website. I bought it from efeed.co.uk and it worked out much cheaper for me than buying locally and the bedding itself was even cheaper as I bulk bought 40 bales at a time.

 

[Fastasflames]

take the salt lick out, just for a week to see...
if he is a really greedy little man he is possibly indulging too much

 

[fabbydo]

Both of mine are wet. They have Nedz Bed Pro under their straw. It's very absorbent and has also cut down on the wee smell. (They have rubber mats too. )

 

[AdorableAlice]

The drive for salt is worthing speaking to a vet about. The body craves salt for a reason, as I found out when I had chemotherapy. I was eating salt from a teaspoon and nothing would have stopped me.

A horse eating salt rapidly and drinking that much water, for me, would warrant investigating again.

 

[Equi]

Take the salt out. If he is on a diet and is getting through all his hay he’s possibly licking it out of boredom and it’s making him thirsty.

I often find with wet horses they need stupid massive beds. When I was just sharing my lad his stable was always stinking because the person in charge of him didn’t want to buy more bales. I suggested I buy the bales and do the stable to his needs and I then stuck at least 4 on top of the bed he already had and there was less issues.

 

[Gloi]

Agree with all saying take the salt lick out. It can't be good for him eating that much.

 

[holeymoley]

He does have a salt lick and tends to go through it like a fat kid in a candy store.

I will look into the pellets thank you.

And here lies your problem. Take the salt lick out. If owner is concerned with salt intake, add it to the bucket feed. He’ll continue to flood the bed if he’s constantly drinking to balance licking a salt lick... ponies like that tend to find the salt lick a method of entertainment or if they’re the greedy ones they’ll keep at it all night purely to eat at something.

 

[Sandstone1]

Dont reduce his water, hes drinking a lot for a reason. As above remove salt lick but add salt to feed. I would speak to the vet again too as if hes eating that much salt there will be a reason.
Wood pellets will soak up a lot of pee.

 

[Steerpike]

I have one similar, he would eat a himalayan rock salt in a night and he drinks a lot, I had bloods taken and they were all normal, I took the salt block away and added salt to his feed and put him on a bedding of wood pellets, some I soaked but I put unsoaked in his wee spot. Edited for spelling!

 

[Trouper]

Miscanthus pellets are the most absorbent you can get so I would certainly be using some of those - maybe as a base layer.
But I would be concerned if his wee is smelling so bad after all that water which should be diluting it so much - agree it may be time for more vet tests.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would want a TRH Stim test for PPID, if he hasn't had one very recently. I would remove the salt lick and definitely wouldn't remove the water. The pony might be better with a proper big bed onto the mats, with wood pellets or similar as a base to soak up the wet. I have to say that one bag of shavings per week doesn't sound like much to me.