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Physiological Basis for Intravenous fluids following travel in horses.
James Bryant DVM, Diplomate ACVS

(continued)

Lastly, how is it best to rehydrate a horse after travel. Consider  
three possibilities, 1) Let them drink and feed food that is as wet  
as possible with as much water as they will eat. In this scenario I  
would also recommend blood work to ascertain if the PCV and TP are  
back to normal and would not exercise the horse until they are  
normalized. 2) Use oral fluids given through an nasogastric tube.  
This is an appropriate way to administer fluids, however water  
absorption from the GI tract may be slowed in the first 24 hours due  
to ileus (slowing of gut motility) from travel and may require 1 to 2  
days of administration. 3) Intravenous fluids are a direct way to  
restore vascular volume. Typically volumes of 10 to 20 liters of  
physiologic fluid (saline) are recommended for horses that are 3 to  
5% dehydrated. The body is a very powerful tool and will eliminate  
the excessive fluid when appropriate and distribute what is needed to  
the body. Blood work is extremely helpful to assess the effects of  
the IV fluids and to decide how much is needed. In addition the color  
and volume of urine can assist in gauging the needed volumes.

In the horses traveling to Malaysia for the World Endurance  
Championships it was deemed of the utmost importance of the  
veterinary staff and Chef d’quipe that the horses be as metabolically  
stable as possible from the travel and as ready for training and  
acclimation to the hot and humid environment. We have been rewarded  
by our forward thinking with blood work upon arrival in Malaysia that  
indicated that 3 of the 6 horses were moderately dehydrated (33%  
elevation from there normal PCV) and 3 of the 6 were mildly  
dehydrated (10 to 12 %). The day after the second leg of there flight  
the horses clinically appear well hydrated and blood work revealed a  
return to normal ranges. The horses continue to walk at this point  
but they are physiologically prepared to train now rather than 1 week  
from now with limited time for preparation.

To assume that horses that travel over 24 hours in a plane plus 6  
hours of time in the pallet prior to loading and unloading are  
prepared to bounce back and perform at their best quickly does not  
consider what the effect of the same travel would be to us. In  
addition we are not here to just compete we are here to show how good  
our horses and riders are to the rest of the world. Not taking  
advantage of all the things we as professional veterinarian (or  
better yet sports medicine clinicians) have to offer in preparing for  
such an event at the peak performance of the athlete is like saying  
we are traveling to lose. Remember we are asking these wonderful  
equine athletes to perform at the very edge of maximum exercise, if  
we can why should we not help them be at their best physiologically.  
We owe that much to them.


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