Hydrating a foal

["Maryanne Stroud Gabbani" <maryanne@ratbusters.net>]

I have a friend in the middle of nowhere Australia who has a filly a couple
of months old. The filly's mother was found dead in the pasture....they
think maybe snakebite...and Janie's trying to take care of the foal. The
filly is eating and has been doing relatively well, but she's concerned that
with the move to a pen by her house so they can keep a close eye on her,
she's dehydrating. This is not a location with a great vet clinic nearby so
she's pretty much on her own. I suggested that since the filly is eating,
trying very wet foods like grated carrots and apples might help, as would
salt. When we have a dehydrated horse, we usually put them on IV Ringers,
but I think this may be a bit tough for her to handle. Can you hydrate a
foal subcutaneously the way you can dogs and cats? She might end up feeling
like a pin cushion but that beats a blood clot.

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo, Egypt
maryanne@ratbusters.net
www.ratbusters.net