Suggestions for a horse that won't drink?

[Dreamer]

When it gets really cold for Texas my boy Dream does not like to drink. Last couple of nights it has been 19 and 24 for lows. Last winter I could get him to drink by adding warm water. This year that is not working. We have been colder than is normal so far this year and have had several big cold fronts move through so far. On advice from my vet I added Kool- Aid to his bucket of water( he has two buckets one that has plain water and one with Kool-Aid so he has a choice) when it gets cold as well as warm water. He really seemed to like black cherry flavor and it worked the last several times but it just isn't working this time. He is a stallion so is kept in a paddock by himself so I know exactly how much is drinking. The only water he has been geting in the last 24 hours is the couple of cups worth I have been adding to his food. He has a salt lick available to him 24/7 and he gets electrolyes with his grain. When it gets cold he gets extra in an attempt to get him drinking. I have taken him a carrot a couple of times today to try to help get moisture in him and he was on grass for a couple hours today as well. Does anyone have any suggestions besides what I am already doing to try to get him to drink when its cold out?

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Some things I've done in the past - add salt/powdered psyllium to his grain, feed moist beet pulp, or try Gatorade rather than kool aid. I'm sure others will have some suggestions. Good luck.

 

[SampleMM]

This is what I do to help my poor, winter water drinkers.I give mine Gatorade, add oil to their feed, give them beet pulp and soak their hay in water until it is fully saturated. If I could only do one thing, I'd soak their hay. Best of luck to you. I understand how stressful this can be.

 

[bevann]

I have several previously non drinkers here I tried everything and finally had my most difficult 1 conquered.Gave her molasses in a bowl - she loved it and gradually added more warm water to make molasses soup.I now have 4 reluctant drinkers who get their senior feed, beet pulp and powered electrolytes in water.If they want to eat they must drink all the juice,working so far-I also have heated buckets and tubs in all fields and stalls.Sure has cut down on my vet bills and impaction colics.Sometimes you just have to experiment to find what they like to drink.I tried apple juice, applesauce,gatorade(several flavors) and honey.Finally molasses worked.Keep us posted.Often there are some great ideas on this board.

 

I'm also a hay-soaker, and feed wet and warm alfalfa and soaked warm alfalfa pellets in the grain. Tried the beet pulp once, but no one would eat it wet, so fed it dry to use it up.

Best of luck -- keep trying.

 

[BeeBopMini]

Do you use electric hot water buckets? I found that those really helped me out. If your horses like watermellon, that is a sweet source of water for them. Mine love the stuff and never refuse watermellon.

 

[AnnaC]

If your grass is wet and not frozen, let him graze for as long as is possible during the day, otherwise I would feed everything as wet as he will allow. Good luck!

 

[appy2d]

water heaters in the tubs and buckets. Only thing that ever worked for me

 

[Hayley~Diaz]

I found a little bit of molasses in the water helps

 

[candycar]

Try the drink mix again, but use the kind from walmart that has sweetener in it. Mine like the citrus flavors best, especially the margarita one! They get a different flavor every day and I use it all year long. Just use one pack for a 5gal bucket and refill as they drink until the next morn then they get a new flavor. They have plain water also but don't drink it unless the flavored gets empty. Spoiled little beggers but at least I know they are drinking enough.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Heated bucket. Keeps water close to just room temp. My horse will not drink water warm but loves his heated bucket water just fine. Dr Taylor on here once posted ideal water temp for horses and I think he said something about them not liking it too warm. My goats on the other hand want very warm water in winter...Ps heated buckets run the electric like the Dickens.

 

[Dreamer]

Thank you everyone! He will definately be getting soaked hay today. Heated buckets are a great idea but our barn is old and was already here when we moved in and we don't have electricity in it. Too far from the house to run an extension cord to it or I would have tried this already. He does get alfalfa pellets soaked as part of his grain but lately they and his grain have been pretty soupy to get moisture in him so I am already doing that. I will also give the molasses in a small amount of water a try. For beet pulp, do you get that at a feed store? And how much do I give him? He is 36" and I have him a little pudge for winter but he is not fat.

 

[amysue]

I learned an old trick from the race track. Trainers used to feed their horses peppermint candies to make them drink. Ive tried it and it works great.

 

[Carolyn R]

Soaked hay cubes, soaked feed, salt and mineral blocks, heated water buckets all work to encourage drinking. there is a water mix called horse quencher, comes various flavors. You can make your own by using cane molasses in water, a bit of electrolites or salt, senior equine and a couple of alfalfa cubes and some veggie oil in a gallon or two of warm water. Works well.

 

[Lori W]

I have a biggie that wasn't drinking a few weeks ago and had mild colic-like pain (vet was out, tubed him in case of impaction; we're are thinking ulcers and he's being treated). He nibbled at his hay but would not eat his feed of Equine Senior pellets. Most importantly, he still wasn't drinking. We always have heated water buckets in the winter for everyone and always check to make sure there's no lingering current. We add salt to all our horses' feed and everyone has salt blocks in their stalls and outside in their run-in sheds.

I ended up syringing him with 2 tablespoons of salt dissolved in warm water twice a day and he started drinking by the second day. Since he's in a pasture by himself - though surrounded by other horses, including our minis and his best biggie girlfriend - I know when he's drinking and when he's not. After he started drinking, he began to eat is grain too.

For a mini, if you want to try this, I think a 2 or 3 teaspoons of salt dissolved in the water and slowly syringed in its mouth, similar to how you'd use a tube of dewormer. You could also add some molasses to make it more palatable, but all that salt still tastes nasty.

Best of luck to you and hope you get your issue resolved. Let us know!

 

[HGFarm]

I can feed mine wet beet pulp, however if the horses are not used to it, it will take them a few days before they will eat it. It's something new and of course they swear someone must be trying to poison them, lol I soak it (shredded with no molasses) and then rinse it good and then leave it pretty wet.

Like you, our winters are mild compared to the rest of the country so invest in electric water heaters or whatever would be silly, but we do get occasional freezing temps, even in the desert.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

I think forcing salt can do more harm then good in a lot of cases. My little cousins discovered the Pringles work well to get their pony to drink though, who'd of thought!

The magic recipe we always used was 3 to 4 packages of flavored instant oatmeal (maple brown sugar works well, as does the 'dinosaur eggs' version) put in about 3 gallons of warm water and mixed with a little bit of bran to make a soup. Never had a horse, even a colicky one, turn it down on a winter day!

I keep lactated ringers and an IV line on hand as well for emergencies. I am a HUGE supporter of forcing fluids if need be, and extremely competent at running IV's. Saved me from having to call a vet when my poor little guy got a nasty bout of diarrhea when he had an allergic reaction to a wormer. He started acting a touch dehydrated, it was oppressively hot, and I wasn't screwing around. A bit of 'magic juice' in the vein, and a touch more under the skin for a safety net, and all was well in a matter of minutes. He literally chewed on a redmond rock type salt brick shortly thereafter though (he must have had a REALLY low electrolyte) then drank a bunch on his own. Sometimes a little 'jumpstart' is all they need if they are acting 'off.'

I love ringers solution, I've saved everything from sick barn kitties to cattle with a toxic case of mastitis with it. I wouldn't use it daily, O gosh no, but If I ever have a horse acting a bit colicky in extreme weather conditions, in it goes.

For my little guy, he gets 1.5 cups of beet pulp pellets and 1/2 cup grain mixed in about 2 gallons of lukewarm to cold water every night. He LOVES it! Never had an issue getting him to eat it - but then again Cloudy isn't one to miss a meal.

 

[Marty]

If they don't drink they are going to colic. One they have tested the freezing cold water they realize that hurts to try to drink it they are going to steer clear of it so you have to find a way to keep warm water for him much more often. For 17 years I had to bucket warm water from my kitchen to the barn three times a day minimum for usually 18 horses and I was ready to die. It was horrible. But you do what you have to do. Keep it warm, no kool ade but use Gatorade. Do not dilute the Gatorade or it will serve no real purpose. I soak beet pulp in it straight and also will pour about a cup of it directly on the feed if someone is not drinking enough. And above all, be sure your little one is well sheltered and you are keeping plenty of hay in front of him out of the elements. Best wishes to you.A couple of hits of probios won't hurt either.

 

[user 3234]

Vet recommended sprinkling a mixture of salt/electrolite powder directly on their hay. The powder (apple) will be consumed as they eat the hay. This has been the simplist and easiest for us.