⭐️ Health Tip of the Day ⭐️
Good hydration is one of the most important factors in colic prevention, especially when the weather fluctuates drastically day to day. To encourage your horse to drink more water, consider the following tips:
💧Clean Water: Always provide clean, fresh water. Regularly scrub water buckets and troughs to remove algae and debris.
🌡️ Temperature: Offer water at a comfortable temperature. Some horses prefer slightly warmer water in cold weather and cooler water in hot weather.
🍭 Flavored Water: Add a small amount of apple juice, Gatorade, or molasses to the water to make it more appealing. If your horse is metabolically stable, try making hay tea.
🧂 Salt and Electrolytes: Provide salt licks, loose salt, or mix electrolytes into their feed to stimulate thirst.
💡 Products: Try using products such as Purina RepleniMash, Equine Elixirs Chug, Gallagher’s Water, or Horse Quencher.
🪣 Multiple Sources: Ensure water is available in multiple locations, especially in larger pastures or during travel.
🥣 Wet Feed: Soak hay or mix water into their grain to increase overall water intake.
Implementing these strategies can help ensure your horse stays hydrated and healthy.
#hydrationiskey #colicprevention #drinkwater
Thanks to all of your generous donations and the coordination efforts of Dr. Jen Safford, her husband, Adam, and their trucker friends, we were able to send three trucks full of supplies down to North Carolina to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. Thank you to our amazing community of friends, clients, and staff! #hurricanehelene2024 #hurricanerelief #community
Luckily tropical storm Debby eased up just enough for the Orleton Driving Show in Stockbridge, MA to go off without a hitch. We were proud to be the on-call veterinarians for this annual event.
#driving #marathon #equinevetmed
🥵 Did you know that a horse working in hot and humid weather can lose 2-4 gallons of sweat PER HOUR. At rest, an adult horse in a cool climate will drink about 6 to 10 gallons of water daily depending on their feed type. So, to avoid dehydration and secondary impaction colics, it’s crucial to provide your horse with adequate clean, free-choice water, but especially even more during this heat wave.
💦 Ensure that your horse has free access to either loose salt or a salt block at all times. Finally, if you’re mixing electrolytes with their water, make sure you offer a second, plain bucket of water, as some horses dislike the taste of electrolytes in their water.
#drinkwater #stayhydrated #horsehealth
Who else is sick of wet, muddy feet? We have seen an over abundance of foot abscesses recently. Check out Dr. Suzanne Jaynes demonstrating how to apply a foot wrap.
#footwrap #hoofwrap #nomoremudplease
🤔 Did you know that horse medications are most effective when given by mouth versus wearing them on your clothing or sprayed on the stall walls? Watch our pros demonstrate how to administer oral medications with a dosing syringe.
🍎 Some horses will eat medications that are directly mixed into their grain. If they’re not finishing the entire dose, you should syringe the medication directly into the horse’s mouth.
🍎 A lot of oral medications dissolve in water. If they don’t, you can use a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to crush tablets.
🍎 The outter casing of a capsule is inert so you can open it and dump the powder directly into a dosing syringe.
🍎 Your horse might appreciate you mixing medications with something tastey (eg. apple sauce, sugar-free banana pudding mix, or molasses).
#equineoralmeds #horsemeds #horsehowto
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