Dehydration in Horses
Since we have all been enjoying all the lovely sunshine in the UK in the last few weeks, your equine friend may easily become dehydrated; especially if you are out competing. Here's some helpful points to ensure your equine freind stays hydrated.
Signs to look out for if your horse is dehydrated:
- Poor performance
- Dull coat
- Dark urine
- Lethargy
- Sunken eyes
Horses can effectively and efficiently deal with sweat to enable their temperature to remain at a certain level. In order for the temperature to regulate, a horse will sweat and also have a higher respiratory rate which also allows the horse to lose water.
As your horse will sweat more, he will lose valuable electrolytes or “salts”. These are important as they are responsible for the correct function of nerves and muscles.
In order to maintain your horse’s performance, it is essential that you rehydrate your horse not only after exercise but also in the following days after heavy work or a competition. Although this is usually done by allowing him to drink plenty of water, he will also require electrolytes to replace the salts which were lost through sweating.
The main form of electrolytes is salt; either a salt lick or adding some salt into your horses feed. However, there are now many different electrolytes on the market, which can be in the form of granules, paste and other food supplements.
Care should be taken to ensure that your horse has a constant, fresh supply of water at all times to avoid him getting dehydrated at any time of the year.
Dehydration can unfortunately be severe and dangerous to your horse. If this occurs, you must call your vet who will then administer electrolyte fluid intravenously.
If this is not dealt with correctly, your horse may suffer complications such as Azorturia or colic, which will require emergency treatment. This can not only put your horse at an unnecessary risk, but will also generate high vet bills which could have been prevented easily in the first place.
Many horses don’t like to drink much, so to get those extra litres of water into your horse you can try the following:
- Soak hay: this will absorb plenty of water, so as your horse eats the wet hay, he will be getting plenty of water.
- Wet feed down: Mix his feed with some water, which will make it easier to digest, more palatable and also will prevent Choke.
- Ensure that all water buckets and containers are clean; a horse will not want to drink out of a contaminated bucket.
As a responsible owner, you should always be aware that your horse can become dehydrated, so it is beneficial to summarise yourself with the key signs of dehydration in your horse.
