How Do I Check My Horse For Dehydration?
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How Do I Check My Horse For Dehydration?
by Guest Mon Apr 11, 2011 4:40 am
My horse has to share his water source with quite a few others, and during these hot days I am worried he is getting dehydrated. I want to know how to find this out so I can persuade the stable manager to provide more water. 
Guest- Guest
Re: How Do I Check My Horse For Dehydration?
by Guest Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:01 pm
A few was to tell if your horse is dehydrated is...
1. The pinch test: Pull out a pinch of skin on your horse’s neck or shoulder. Notice how quickly it springs back. If it springs right back into place, he’s not very dehydrated. If he is moderately dehydrated, the skin will stay elevated a few seconds after you pull it out. The more dehydrated your horse is, the longer the skin will stay elevated.
2. Check his gums and mucous membranes inside the nose and mouth. Dry, red mucous membranes in the nose and mouth are a sign of dehydration. Also look for dark red gums
3. Check your horse's eyes. Are they dull and glazed? Are the eyelids wrinkled?
4. Perform a capillary refill test: Press your finger into your horse's gum just above his front teeth. The spot will turn white. Normal color should return within one to four seconds. In a stressed and dehydrated horse, the spot will stay pale and bloodless longer. The more dehydrated the horse, the slower the capillary refill time.
5. Other signs include thick, lathered sweat, shallow panting and an increased temperature (over 102F) that doesn't decrease after exertion.
Some tips to keep your hydrated are...
1. Make your horses water is a full at all times. An idle horse needs a minimum of ten gallons of water a day and an active horse in hot weather can suck up 25 gallons.
2. Make sure the water is fresh and clean or your horse wont drink it. Dump the water or make sure the water is dumped at least once a week.
3. Keep a salt block in the the horse's pen, somewhere elevated, and be sure that is one specially designed for horses.
1. The pinch test: Pull out a pinch of skin on your horse’s neck or shoulder. Notice how quickly it springs back. If it springs right back into place, he’s not very dehydrated. If he is moderately dehydrated, the skin will stay elevated a few seconds after you pull it out. The more dehydrated your horse is, the longer the skin will stay elevated.
2. Check his gums and mucous membranes inside the nose and mouth. Dry, red mucous membranes in the nose and mouth are a sign of dehydration. Also look for dark red gums
3. Check your horse's eyes. Are they dull and glazed? Are the eyelids wrinkled?
4. Perform a capillary refill test: Press your finger into your horse's gum just above his front teeth. The spot will turn white. Normal color should return within one to four seconds. In a stressed and dehydrated horse, the spot will stay pale and bloodless longer. The more dehydrated the horse, the slower the capillary refill time.
5. Other signs include thick, lathered sweat, shallow panting and an increased temperature (over 102F) that doesn't decrease after exertion.
Some tips to keep your hydrated are...
1. Make your horses water is a full at all times. An idle horse needs a minimum of ten gallons of water a day and an active horse in hot weather can suck up 25 gallons.
2. Make sure the water is fresh and clean or your horse wont drink it. Dump the water or make sure the water is dumped at least once a week.
3. Keep a salt block in the the horse's pen, somewhere elevated, and be sure that is one specially designed for horses.
Guest- Guest
Re: How Do I Check My Horse For Dehydration?
by Guest Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:57 pm
All u have to do is give the horse some water secretly then kill it! 
Guest- Guest
Re: How Do I Check My Horse For Dehydration?
by • Echo Wed Apr 20, 2011 9:59 pm
Seriously? What kind of comment is that?
And yeah, like Gold Horse said, those are all easy ways to make sure your horse is hydrated. On hotter days, a horse can just be standing in the sun (or even shade) and just be doing nothing and still sweat, so if that's the only symptom you see, don't get freaked, but do the other tests, as well.
And yeah, like Gold Horse said, those are all easy ways to make sure your horse is hydrated. On hotter days, a horse can just be standing in the sun (or even shade) and just be doing nothing and still sweat, so if that's the only symptom you see, don't get freaked, but do the other tests, as well.
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