water issue

[andylover]

New issue, have a five year old mare with a reasonably good appetite that has decided, despite hot temps, drinking water is not an option. she had a mild case of colic last night that i was able to remedy with banamine and walking. checked on her last nite at one and she was still eating. this morning, appeared even better and was back to being bright. but after being on pasture for four hours found her in a stall and having rolled. she has gut sounds but still dehydrated. gave her bute and some oral salt to drink. any suggestions?

[Nanerpus]

I'm not a vet/expert by any means but I might make sure I soak everything, including hay, just for added water content. Make it really really mushy. Hay pellets, alfalfa cubes, beet pulp, etc. and you can also add in some electrolytes. Best of luck and I'm sure you will get some more awesome answers from others.

[nicbarker]

Any chance that her normal water source is polluted or contaminated - even something as basic as muck in a bucket or drinker?

Be careful of adding extra salt if she is already dehydrated as it can upset the electrolyte balance even more

N

[andylover]

this mare shares a water trough with another mare and that mare has not changed in her water/hay consumption. the ill mare had been stalled in a paddock at night with her own water buckets, but the water source is still the same i.e. hose. thanks for the advice on the watching the salt, and will do. having been soaking the hay and she does, as common sense would dictate, do better with water and the added bute. the mare is currently being stalled and out of the sun/heat. she is still dehydrated and has consumed maybe 3 gallons of water in close to 24 hours. that is not including the water being added to her hay supply. when the temps have been in the mid 90's, not near enough water. am open to any other suggestions and certainly appreciate all the ones that have come so far..!! thanks

[caribou]

I heard about this product from a friend who does endurance, and tried it on my TB who had a mild impaction colic last year. He turned his nose up at it, but my other horse loooves it. You can order it in sample sizes so there's not too much cost risk in trying ...

http://www.horsequencher.com/home.asp

(It's really not an electrolyte, though it does contain some salt. Mostly grains and flavoring, and it just encourages them to drink. Or least some of them :-)

Good luck - I know how frustrating this can be!

[deltawave]

You have to do what you have to do to control pain, but be mindful that the combination of dehydration and NSAIDs like banamine/bute can be very tough on the kidneys. I'd be getting an IV in the mare. Sometimes dehydration is a self-fulfilling thing--they WON'T drink until they're hydrated and feeling better, which creates a huge dilemma.

[cloudyandcallie]

Sometimes with high heat and humidity their electrolytes get unbalanced, so I recently added "summer games" designed for the hot and humid 96 atlanta olympics, to our smartpak.
Even horses who drink a lot, like mine, have not been feeling well.

Also, to encourage drinking, take a 2 gallon bucket, the little one, put in a handful of grain/pellets, add one gallon of water and let it dissolve. Swirl the grain around and let the horse drink it. Keep doing this over and over. I can get 5 or 7 gallons into my horse like this. (recommended by my vet to hydrate horses)

And do what the others say do,, soak everything, and hook up an IV line. hydrate hydrate hydrate anyway you can. And since she is colicking, maybe not feed hay but beet pulp and soaked cubes and make sure there is much more water than normal in her cubes or pulp, like "tea."