[RC] Question regarding impactions, cause there of - Carol Suggs
After a work out one of my mares will not
drink water, especially at an event. (I even bring water from home and she
turns her nose up at it) She will, however eat hay. Although she
doesn't seem to be in distress and I have never had her colic or tie up, I
always am worried that without having a lot of water in her system that she will
someday end up getting an impaction. During the summer months I did add
some powdered electrolye to her pellets (I feed
wheat hay in the night and alfalfa in the am and Purina's Natures Choice: Mare
Maintenance pellets). That seemed to help encourage her to drink
water. Now that the weather has cooled I quit the electrolytes, but she
has fallen back into the routine of not drinking after a work out. She
does eat her salt block (which I know doesn't give all the stuff they need that
is why I feed the MM), should I continue giving the electolyes thru the
cooler months to encourage her to drink more?
I don't endurance ride, but I do cattle working
events and a lot of arena and trail work. We normally spend 3
hours in our work outs about 4 times a week, which I know doesn't seem, very
long to a lot of you folks, but for what I do it is considered
hard.
She just started this not drinking thing about a
year ago. She is 9 year old paint mare (more TB looking than QH looking)
about 1100 pounds and in excellant health.
