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jeri l rutledge
Member
Username: Slytwink
Post Number: 6
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, Jul 27, 2003 - 4:26 pm: |   |
dr o, i am the owner of the horse that has the kidney problem. just last week she coliced for the first time in her life. she is 17. after many days on iv fluids, she is ok and home again. my questions is, since her kidneys have been bad, about a year, we have not been worming her as per our vets recommendation. do you think this is sound advice or would you worm her even with her bad kidneys and if so what type of wormer would your use. could this have caused her impaction? thanks, jeri |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 8839
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Monday, Jul 28, 2003 - 9:21 am: | |
The first step should be to run a fecal to see if you have a worm problem Jeri. I would also take the time to have a special evaluation done for tapes. Serolological evaluation might be best if this is availalble to your veterinarian (have him call the labs he uses). If not a relatively large amount of stool should be used in the float and this should be repeated frequently.
DrO |
jeri l rutledge
Member
Username: Slytwink
Post Number: 7
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jul 29, 2003 - 5:07 pm: | |
i will have these tests done. also, would you suggest soaked beet pulp to add extra water to her diet? or is there another way to get more water into her daily as she was dehydrated which could have caused the impaction and of course is bad for her kidney condition. is beet pulp ok for a horse with kidney problems? i have read conflicting things on this. also, would you add loose salt to her diet and if so how much and what kind? she always has access to a white salt block but does not get loose salt or electrolytes.
she is eating well but i dont think she is drinking enough which worries me. she also seems more tired than usual as she spends lots of time in her stall even though she has access to the pasture which is coastal bemuda. she goes out for a few hours and then is back in her stall. is this normal after such a hard time with colic? i love this mare and am trying to do all i can to keep her healthy and happy! thanks for your help. jeri |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 8852
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 30, 2003 - 9:00 am: | |
Beet pulp should not be added to the diet of a horse with chronic renal failure. It is a high calcium food and the kidneys are responsible for excretion. Neither should loose salt be added to the diet. Your best bet to prevent further impactions is to provide a very high quality grass or grass hay and to be sure there is always easily available fresh water. I am not sure if your horse is behaving normally or not, this would be pretty typical pattern of a lot of horses in the summer.
DrO |
jeri l rutledge
Member
Username: Slytwink
Post Number: 8
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 30, 2003 - 12:05 pm: | |
dr o, thanks for the advice. one last question. i have read that you can flavor a horses water with qatorade to encourage water consumption. what do you think about giving this to sly? and if so in what amts or can i give her straight gatorade? and/or any other water flavoring you might suggest. she gets a bit of carmel syrup on her food to encourage eating which was told to me by a vet at the hospital clinic she went to when she coliced. it works like a charm. thanks, jeri |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 8859
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, Jul 31, 2003 - 7:11 am: | |
Flavoring water is not to encourage drinking, per se, it is to help those horses who travel a lot and are suspicious of new water: it helps make all water smell and taste similar by hiding lighter odors and flavors.
If you would like to ADD a bucket of water with gatorade (a quart per 5 gallon bucket) that would be fine but be sure a regular bucket of water is available. Gatorade will also increase the salt load on the kidneys but the small amount here is not enough to cause problems. To avoid the salts you might try a little bit of cider vinegar or Kool Aid. Experimenting might find something the horse prefers but always be sure regular water is available.
DrO |
Shelia Kambic
Member
Username: Rockygrl
Post Number: 4
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004 - 2:16 pm: | |
Impaction: My 10yr old Appendix has a severe case of impaction today. The vet just suggests salt blocks (which I have in the stall already and fresh water at all times). Can anyone else give me suggestions of how to make my horse drink more water? I have good quality hay also on hand but just changed hay so am thinking maybe it was because of the change. This horse also foundered two years ago and seems like ever since then I have a new problem with him about every 6 months. Any advise on water intake will be greatly appreciated. |
Aileen
Member
Username: Sunny66
Post Number: 362
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004 - 2:29 pm: | |
Suggestions...discuss with vet first tho...every horse is different and ...well you know...
WET bran mashes
5 to 10 minutes grazing green grass every 3 hours.
Lunge at the trot for a bit to get things jiggling around if he feels comfortable enough.
Someone once suggested gatorade or koolaid in one bucket and plain fresh clean water in another.
I also keep them warm and toasty...blankets...also makes them drink a bit more.
|
Debbie E
Member
Username: Deggert
Post Number: 18
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004 - 3:07 pm: | |
Shelia
this worked for one of my horses. He had a bout with impaction a few months after colic surgery.
Put 2 or 3 handfulls of bran in a bucket (1.5 gallon size?) I added iodized white salt then add water at pressure to make a bran malt. I added at least a gallon of water. Make the temperature appealing
My horse colicked in the summer and it was 90 degrees out so water was cool. At first he couldn't figure out how to get the bran at the bottom so he dunked, then he just started drinking down to the bran. now all the horses love this bran shake, if they see me making one they are all excited. I gave these to him 4 times a day during the heat to ward off any problems. Hope it works, Debbie |
Katrina Turner
Member
Username: Kthorse
Post Number: 176
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004 - 9:23 pm: | |
My horse doesnt drink enough in the cold weather so I warm his water. I also give him beet pulp with 1/4 bran and soup his grain. In endurance alot of people add water to grain to make soup as they often dont drink enough to make up for sweating. This works for my horse. Also the more hay he has the thirstier he gets. So he has unlimited in winter.
all ideas above are great.
Katrina |
Alicia Kost
Member
Username: Aannk
Post Number: 303
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004 - 8:48 am: | |
All,
Try TractGard. It is a gut hydrator and anti acid. Made by Foxden Equine.
Works very well. My young horse had several bouts with impaction until I started this.
http://www.foxdenequine.com/
Alicia |
Wendy Parker
Member
Username: Nightwin
Post Number: 6
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2004 - 12:20 pm: | |
When I visited the Parelli School in Ocala they recommended flavoring the water with molasses; this works for their horses who are transported a lot; maybe just to make all water taste the same. Also, I just moved my horses from a barn where the water was often like slush; at my place we have a heater in the bucket and the horses are drinking a lot more. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 9969
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, Feb 19, 2004 - 7:04 am: | |
I went and looked at the TractGard and the only thing in it that is likely to aid in keeping water in the gut is the calcium carbonate. It is poorly absorbed so acts as a osmotic agent pulling water out of the body and into the bowel. The idea of paying 5$ a lb for something that cost pennies a ton somehow rubs me wrong. The article on Care for Horses » Nutrition » Water, Water Quality, and Watering Horses covers many of the management factors that effect consumption and most of the recommendations are free!
DrO |
Shelia Kambic
Member
Username: Rockygrl
Post Number: 6
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, Feb 19, 2004 - 12:38 pm: | |
thanks for all the advise. He is having bowel movements but they are on the semi hard side but still stretching and looking back at his stomach, vet said this morn to add bran - if he doesnt change soon to bring him in for fluids (financially right at the moment I cant do that)so Im trying everything I can think of. He is at least up and about now versus buckling at the knees after one minute of standing 2 days ago. But he isnt drinking much. I live in the mountains and its winter up here so I have no green grass just hay. If anyone else has more suggestions Im up for them. Thanks everyone for your help. My dad told me in the old days they used epsom salts in the feed so I asked my vet and she said epsom salts should not be used unless the horse is well hydrated - if you use epsom salts (or other aids) in the feed it will draw water from the body into the stomach but if the horse is dehydrated you will cause even more harm. |
Donald W. Goddard
Member
Username: Gafarm
Post Number: 37
Registered: 1-2000
| | Posted on Thursday, Feb 19, 2004 - 1:22 pm: | |
Have you tried Buchu leaves. They are a little expensive but they are supposed to help the kidney filter out toxins and you don't need to use very much. They have it in bulk at Herbalcom.com I used it with the powdered Milk Thistle and saw a big difference in how much my old guy ate and drank. He made it another 6 years after his diagnosis and we just had to put him down in Oct. at the age of 34 due to his arthritis. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 9979
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Friday, Feb 20, 2004 - 6:42 am: | |
Hello Shelia,
One of the real problems with large bowel impactions is that horses do quit drinking well. The result is they should be having regular nasogastric tubing with water until the impaction passes. The procedure we use to correct impactions, including the role of Epsoms, is explained in the article, Equine Diseases » Colic and GI Diseases » Colic in Horses » An Overview of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Colic.
DrO |
