[EquusMagnificus]

Just musing, but with all the ulcer talk... Has anyone ever tought of adding baking soda to drinking water?

Not a huge amount of course, but enough to make it slightly basic?

If you did, how did it turn out?

Any reason not to?

[RiverBendPol]

It is an old remedy. You just have to make sure your horse will actually drink the water! I don't know if it helps with ulcers-I serve it as a paste with milk of magnesia by dose syringe if my horse is showing early colic signs...a cup of soda mixed with enough mom to make a squirtable paste. If symptoms haven't subsided in an hour then I know I need medical intervention.

[deltawave]

I'm pretty sure it quickly dissociates into salt, water, and CO2 and loses its buffering ability pretty fast. You have to add it right to the acid that you want to neutralize. But I'm chemistry-impaired. Where's Peggy?

[Janet]

I think that, if you use it, you put it in the feed, not the water.

[EquusMagnificus]

I'm pretty sure it quickly dissociates into salt, water, and CO2 and loses its buffering ability pretty fast. You have to add it right to the acid that you want to neutralize. But I'm chemistry-impaired. Where's Peggy?

It would do that if the water was acidic IMO, because it would react instantly.

However, the water being, in theory, neutral, I am not sure it will dissociate the same way?

Unless those pesky O and H molecules steal the Na, Cl and Ca molecules for themselves...

[sk_pacer]

People used to do that on the track years ago to make all water taste the same and still add to feed. Remember, baking soda is cheap and way back was a lot cheaper and it did work to a degree until you pulled into a place with treated water.

[Janet]

It would do that if the water was acidic IMO, because it would react instantly.

However, the water being, in theory, neutral, I am not sure it will dissociate the same way?

Unless those pesky O and H molecules steal the Na, Cl and Ca molecules for themselves...

If you put baking soda (aka sodium bicarb) in water, it DEFINITELY fizzes and releases a lot of gas, presumably CO2.

[katarine]

I would worry they wouldn't drink it, it tastes weird.

[CatOnLap]

PLop PLop fizz fizz?

[Peggy]

If the water was acidic enough it would react with the excess hydrogen ions in the water to make carbonic acid, which is unstable and decomposes to water and CO2 (fizz): HCO3- + H+ --> H2CO3 --> H2O + CO2

We have bottles of saturated bicarbonate sitting around in the lab (for acid spills!) and they aren't fizzing all over the place.

The process in the first paragraph would occur to some extent even in non-acidic water, but it would be pretty slow. Our bottles in the lab are capped which helps a bit.

Back to class.

[Peggy]

You could also add sodium carbonate to the water which would be a bit more efficient on a gram-to-gram basis since one carbonate takes out two hydrogen ions.

[PinkChampagnePony]

all chemistry aside. . . . . . (college flashbacks. . . unpleasant)

It won't do poody for ulcers. Even if you could effectively give enough bicarb to neutralize the acid produced by the stomach- the effect would be gone within 30 minutes. Unless you could rig-up a continuous bicarb-delivery system, well, that's what omeprazole is for.

[deltawave]

Unless you used the bicarb to neutralize the stomach acid in order to safely deliver inexpensive omeprazole . . .

*CRASH* *OUCH* *HEY!!* #()*%)(#*$#!

(The Merial helicopter just shot a missile through my front window)

[MintHillFarm]

I think that, if you use it, you put it in the feed, not the water.

I agree and that's what I was told. Two teaspoons in the feed. Not as a regular supplement, but for a tense horse, say to trailer somewhere etc.