Page 95 - May_2023

VETERINARY VIEWS
T T H H E E R R O O L L E E O O F F B B O O D DY Y W WA AT T E E R R
It is important to offer clean water at all
times to your horses. Digestion of the large amounts of fiber that herbivores eat each day requires large volumes of water to fuel normal metabolic processes and maintain body fluid levels. Drinking ample water ensures that the horse has sufficient saliva to lubricate chewed food and prevent choke while also providing sufficient intestinal amounts for digestion.
Water consumption depends on many
factors, such as the animal’s physical size and state, activity level, environmental temperature, dry matter intake, and the quality and temperature of the water.
For every pound of food consumed, a horse needs 2-4 pints of water. Horses fed a straight forage diet drink twice the amount of water
as horses on a grain-supplemented diet. The more hay and roughage provided, the greater the water requirements. A high fiber diet is instrumental in holding water within the large intestines where it can be drawn upon during protracted exercise.
H H O O W W C C L L E E A A N N I I S S T T H H E E W WA AT T E E R R ? ? Would you drink the water that is
accessible to your horses? This caveat can serve as a guideline as to what to offer. Access to clean, palatable water is all- important. Horses tend to drink when they eat; some like to dunk their hay in water. Also, check water tanks for sand that settles out in the bottom of the tank
For every pound of food, a horse needs 2-4 pints of water. A horse fed a forage diet will drink twice the amount of water than those on a grain-supplemented diet.
Clean palatable water is vital to a horse since digestion of fiber requires large amounts of water to maintain body fluid levels and to provide sufficient saliva to lubricate food and prevent choke.
– this can signal that the horses’ mouths
are full of sand, which is irritating to the bowel and can lead to other colic events. Clean drinking containers regularly to
avoid accumulation of debris. Stagnant or contaminated water deters drinking, and any water condition that limits a horse’s willingness to drink can result in significant health problems.
A resting horse normally consumes 5 15 gallons of water each day in temperate
or cold weather, and up to 20 gallons
a day in hot weather. Water demands increase, particularly with rigorous exercise. Excessively hot weather, sweating, and dehydration remove water from the bowels, effectively “drying” out the ingesta with the potential to develop impaction colic. Limited access to clean or ice-free water contributes to dehydration. The optimal preventive strategy to avoid dehydration is to provide clean, cool water at all times.
Frozen water or excessively cold water discourages drinking. In wintertime, a horse requires plenty of fresh, clean, and ice-free water available at all times. A horse that stops drinking may decrease feed consumption and is at more risk of developing an impaction colic. In cold climates, water tank heaters keep water at an acceptable temperature – 45-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Check that the heater doesn’t short out and shock the horse with each drinking attempt. Even a slight “buzz” in the water stops a horse from partaking.
Clean, fresh water encourages
drinking, which promotes intestinal
health and normal peristaltic movement of intestines. Water quality can be affected
by contaminants like blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), bacteria, viruses, parasites, sulphates, nitrates, manure, and salinity
or alkalinity. Water systems that filter out and avoid these kinds of contaminants
are essential to provide clean water that encourages drinking. Ample intake of water promotes the overall health and body condition of the horse.
SPEEDHORSE May 2023 93