Discussion on Is it possible to get a horse to drink too much water?
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| Author |
Message |
    
CherylA
Member
Username: Canderso
Post Number: 256
Registered: 3-2000
| | Posted on Friday, Apr 1, 2005 - 10:09 pm: |   |
We have a horse at the barn who is post-impaction colic surgery. He is doing extremely well, but still tends to be very inconsistent in his drinking (of course his drinking is now being watched very closely).
Many steps are being taken to ensure he drinks his water, and this is working well... but is it working too well?
On 'good' days he will easily drink 40L or more of water. On not good days, it is an effort to get him to drink 30L. (post-operative instructions say he should drink 32L/day). Bad days happen about once a week.
The barn manager wonders if she should be worried that she is causing him to drink too much on his good days. So the question is: Is it possible to cause a horse to drink too much water? |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 12457
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, Apr 2, 2005 - 11:04 am: | |
Hello Cheryl,
I see no problem with 40L a day as long as the horse has a source of trace mineral salt.
DrO |
Lisa F.
Member
Username: Othello1
Post Number: 4
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, Apr 3, 2005 - 7:45 pm: | |
After an impaction colic, my emergency vet said that it would be a good idea to keep my horse drinking by offering gatorade in a small (3rd bucket) in his stall....he drinks it all and I have been giving him this gatorade approx every other day (small gallon bucket using 2 scoops of the powder). Dr O - how do you feel about this...is this small of sugar okay for him...it really hasn't stopped him from drinkging his fresh water and I have seen him drink fresh water even when the gatorade is available. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 12467
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Monday, Apr 4, 2005 - 6:43 am: | |
To answer your question I would have to know how much sugar is in the Gatorade and how much do the scoops weigh? One gallon of water every other day is really not worth all this trouble though. What happens if you put one small scoop in 5 gallons daily, will this increase his consumption significantly?
DrO |
