My horse is drinking alot of water compared to the rest of the horses in the barn whats wrong with him??

Answer 1

Winter Dehydration in Horses

It's a little known fact that horses can actually be thirstier in the winter than they are in the summer.

"During cold weather, especially if the humidity is high, a horse's thirst mechanism does not always function as efficiently as it does in the summer," said Ken Gallagher, a Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine Extension equine veterinarian.

Some water is lost from a horse's body every day through the urine, feces and moisture in breath exhaled from the lungs. If the horse is performing during cold weather, significant water can also be lost from sweating.

Dehydration occurs if a horse loses too much water from its body and does not replenish it, or if a horse just is not consuming enough water every day to meet its bodily needs. A three to four percent loss of body water will cause mild dehydration.

Some horses will only drink five to six gallons of water per day, eat normally and remain healthy. "These horses are the exception; their kidneys have the ability to concentrate urine and recycle more of the water back into the body," said Gallagher.

Most horses are not capable of this kind of kidney function and should be provided adequate, good quality water. Most adult horses weighing 1,000 lbs require a minimum of 10 to 12 gallons of water each day for their basic physiological needs.

Goodquality water must be free of harmful germs, foreign material, excessive minerals, environmental pollutants and unusual flavors.

Occasionally, horses will eat snow if it is available and cut back on drinking water somewhat. "Horseowners should not depend on snow as a water source and should provide an adequate water supply," he said.

Regardless of season and weather conditions, horses should have water every day in plentiful supply.

It is the most important nutrient, because it is needed for almost every bodily function: it helps to maintain appetite and proper moisture level in feed and feces, maintains normal blood volume and aids in the normal function of sweat glands.

There are two common complications resulting from inadequate water consumption during cold weather.

The first is decreased feed intake. "Even if goodquality feed is offered, the horse will cut back on consumption if it is not drinking sufficient water," said Gallagher.

One reason for this is the lack of saliva to mix with the feed as it is being chewed. A normal adult horse in a state of good hydration will secrete up to 10 gallons of saliva per day to help soften the food mass as it is chewed and swallowed.

If the appetite is affected and less feed is consumed, the horse might not receive enough energy to tolerate the cold weather, he said.

The second, and potentially more harmful complication, is impaction colic or constipation. Both the feed material during digestion and the fecal contents after digestion must maintain adequate moisture levels or they can cause a blockage in the intestinal tract.

A horse will not become impacted in one day from decreased water consumption. The process usually happens over several days to several weeks. "If the horse becomes chronically dehydrated over a period of time, the body reserves are lowered and a blockage can occur," said Gallagher.

The usual signs of an impending impaction colic are depression, decreased appetite and decreased production of manure that is drier than normal. If these signs are observed, a veterinarian should be called. Early detection usually means the colic can often be resolved without requiring surgery.

Always provide adequate, goodquality water, preferably on a freechoie basis. If horses are given access to a tank or automatic waterer, consumption cannot be determined accurately.

Owners should watch for signs that these horses are not eating well or becoming lethargic. If horses are watered from pails, either by hand or in a stall, be aware the stomach capacity of a 1,000pound adult horse is only five to six gallons, so it is difficult for them to drink more than that amount at one time.

Two waterings per day will provide only the minimum amount of water needed. Under those conditions, a horse should have an opportunity to drink more frequently, especially if the horse is performing.

Previously, it was thought the best water temperature for horses was from 45 to 65 degrees, and if the water got colder, many horses would decrease consumption. This was especially true of horses 12 years of age or older whose teeth are sometimes more sensitive to cold water.

A recent study of water consumption by ponies during cold weather indicated warming the water well above freezing temperature resulted in approximately 40 percent more water consumed per day.

It probably is not necessary to increase the water temperature a great deal for every horse, Gallagher said, but it would be worthwhile if consumption is below normal or if a horse has a tendency to get impacted.

Increasing salt intake might also stimulate a horse to drink more. The idle, adult 1,000pound horse should be consuming about two ounces of salt per day. If salt has been added in a commercial grain mix, an owner can offer the horse an additional handful of loose salt in the grain box or provide a salt block.

Answer 2

Along as he is acting , pooping, and peeing fine, you have nothing to worry. Some horses just drink more. For example, we have two horses at the barn I work at- both stocky 16h that will drink 4-5 5 gallon buckets a day. A similar horse there drinks less than a bucket a day. The one drinking less actually has more bouts of colic which the owner thinks is due to drinking less water since her poop is always rock hard.

Answer 3

Gatorade is good, as it replaces some fluid and electrolytes lost in the illness. Doctors recommend a bit of Gatorade during the flu for humans - but that can't be the only thing we or the horses drink. Drinking too much sugary/electrolyte drinks can imbalance the body's osmotic processes. It is much better for them to have as much water as we can get into them, any way we can (barring a massive overload of water, of course, which is really hard to induce anyway ;). You can try soaking hay, but many horses don't like it. Bran mashes are alright for immediate liquid, but due to certain medical complications caused by the immense amount of phosphorus (10:1 P:Ca!!!! BAD!), and harmful phytic acid ("Big-Head Disease"), reccomendation is you MUST NOT feed bran mashes more than 2 or so times a week. Well-soaked beet pulp might help, but their systems need much more water than soaked hay or bran mashes or beet pulp can really provide. All of the above is why, in the past, when people I know have had their horses come down with influenza or other upper tract infections, the vets prescribed IV fluids, just to make sure. The problem is it's time-consuming. It isn't necessarily expensive, if you're able to be there to do it yourself, but if you are in the position to need to send the horses to a clinic then the bill runs up. Bottom line is yes, they need water - a lot of water - when ill. Sometimes you have to get around their not wanting to drink (as it's truly impossible to make them; we have to FORCE ourselves to drink when we have colds, because we know we have to ... horses don't know) by using IV fluids. If they really resist drinking water on their own, I'm not sure what you can do but give them IV fluids. If their refusal to drink much has been going on for a couple days, I would ask the vet about starting them on IV fluid. P.S. Sorry, I'm not trying to say everyone else's ways won't work. This is how I'd do things, personally, based on what I know... and I like to be very sure my horse is getting what she needs. IV fluids are one of the best ways to know for sure their system has the water it requires during a serious illness. If you're going on two or more days of 90+ degree heat (like here in GA right now) and the horses not drinking, you don't want to play around with maybes.

Answer 4

Sometimes Diabetes will make a horse drink more than he or she is used to But so will a change in feed, climate and yes...boredom. The next time your Vet comes out, ask him / her about this.I wouldn't loose any sleep over this but If your worried or your horse is showing signs of trouble, make the call of corse. Good luck. Oh yea, a simple blood test is what you would need.

Answer 5

My horse drinks more than the others in his barn too. Some just drink more than others, especially in the winter when dehydration can be a problem. If you think it is a serious problem, give your vet a call.

Answer 6

He might have a metabolic problem (usually kidneys) if he's also urinating a lot. But it may just be the winter--horses usually drink more in the winter, since they need water to heat their bodies in the cold. Keep an eye on him for any signs of lethargy, etc, or you may want to have the vet run a blood panel on him to check his vital functions, just in case. Lots of times if an organ is starting to fail,and you catch it early, you can stave off a lot of the damage.

Answer 7

unsure, if you can, measure and keep an eye on how much he's drinking, if it's excessive and you have diary proof go to a vet as figures like that could help him discover what's wrong with your horse. If it's not a lot more than the others, try putting electrolytes in his feed to stop becoming so dehydrated.

Answer 8

well im no reall expert but i do own a horse and have some nowledge, just not on this, it does sound odd that he is drinking more than other horses which could be a problem, dont wait or delay my only realy good advice which most will agree with me is phone your local vet and get him to have a look, hope it helps, e-mail me .... please wanna no more tnx

Answer 9

maybe hes dihydrated just call the vet and ask him maybe he can tell you over the phone good luck!

Answer 10

hes thirsty