Water intake from soaked hay ?

[cheekywelshie]

So we are on week 4 from colic surgery. The incision is a bit infected so he’s on antibiotics. I feel I am on constant poo watch and the water intake is minimal, I have tried add warm water and apple juice which I thought worked but today barely any touched so I be am worrying !!. He is on a very sloppy watery feed twice a day (chaff balancer plus chopped apple) and 3 nets of soaked hay

 

[Surbie]

Mine is on soaked hay and out on wet grass. He's barely touching his water.

Not that I am at all an expert in these things, how is poo consistency?

 

[HashRouge]

Mine always drink less if they've got soaked hay. He'll be getting some moisture from the soaked feed too. A couple of things I would look out for - is he weeing in the stable or is he drier than normal? Do his gums look a normal colour? Is his urine darker than usual? If you're really worried ask for a blood test, but I suspect he will be getting quite a lot of water from his hay and his feed and simply isn't hugely thirsty.

 

[cheekywelshie]

When I mucked out this morning there was quite a lot of wet. I just worry after the colic.. as I soaked hay and gave wet feed then and he still got colic ?

 

[cheekywelshie]

I put about 3-4 litres in each feed morning and eve but apparently they should drink about 25l a day!

 

[cheekywelshie]

I would say the poo looked less mushy than normal more brown perhaps less soft but not rock solid. Overnight three ish poos then one poo after a 2kg breakfast soaked hay and another after another soaked 2kg

 

[HobleytheTB]

My horse has just switched from soak hay to haylage, gone from drinking almost nothing from her water bucket to pretty much the entire thing!

Are you giving salt in his feed? That is important for maintaining hydration.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My horse has just switched from soak hay to haylage, gone from drinking almost nothing from her water bucket to pretty much the entire thing!

Are you giving salt in his feed? That is important for maintaining hydration.

My boy did this after we got a bale if hay that was more like haylage. He then had a really bad tummy and runny poo. Very uncomfortable. Got another bale of hay and was normal for him again in a day.

 

[be positive]

I have just had one very slightly dehydrated, minor colic which resolved without a vet, and have also dealt with a horse recovering from colic surgery so know how you will be watching every sign, personally I would either swap the chaff for grassnuts which will really hold water or add some to his usual feed, I would probably also feed a few more times a day if you can so he is getting little and often, or even leave a trug in overnight full of very sloppy feed as well as plain water, that worked for one I had that couldn't drink after a mouth injury, he used it in the way he should going for a 'drink' as and when never trying to take more than a few mouthfulls.

 

[Red-1]

If you are worried, look at Lamigel or Equidgel. It makes a kind of soup, not a solid feed, and they slurp it down.

That said, Rigsby is on soaked hay and drinks very little. He wees a lot so he is hydrated. He also eats loads from his salt lick.

 

[cheekywelshie]

My horse has just switched from soak hay to haylage, gone from drinking almost nothing from her water bucket to pretty much the entire thing!

Are you giving salt in his feed? That is important for maintaining hydration.

he has a salt lick would you give salt in feed as well?

 

[HappyHollyDays]

One of mine colics during the winter and to encourage drinking I chop up pieces of apple and put them in half a trug of water. He loves fishing them out and takes water in while he is apple bobbing.

 

[HobleytheTB]

he has a salt lick would you give salt in feed as well?

I think a 500kg horse requires something like 2 tablespoons of salt per day, more if they're sweating during work or hot weather. The majority of horses don't get enough per day from salt licks, so I tend to just give it in feed so I know they're definitely getting what they need.

 

[irishdraft]

My horses have soaked hay and if they are on for the night very rarely drink any water. Yes I would add salt to his feed .