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Dehydration/minor colic JINGLES needed

My ever so beloved teenaged Arab gelding is having issues with dehydration from the trip, & not being willing to drink the literally unfit for human consumptopn well water here.

Jerry the shipper was really terrific in being totally up front with me in telling me that the Arab had only drank a 1/2 bucket of water the entire trip. So needless to say he arrived somewhat dehydrated. But at least Jerry telling me what went on allows me to far better know exactly where I stand with the situation.

The well water here suffers from oil company pollution from where they inject salt water down the (oil well) hole in order to lift up every last possible drop of oil they can out of the hole. (Oil floats on water ya know. Floats even better on salt water.) Gee, as an ex oil company employee I more than understand exactly how the process works. In fact I’d bet money I even have a book on “Hydraulic Lifiting” in my possession that I packed & drug all the way to Texas with me from life in one of my different incarnations this lifetime. I now more than understand exactly how hydraulic lifting can & does contaminate far & wide. :mad: I was informed this afternoon the well water here literally is not certified for human consumption. Well, that sure explains a LOT! I had tasted the dire saltiness, though at least I know know I am not nuts for having thought there was a slight lingering oil taste to it. (If you have ever worked the oil fileds, you know exactly the taste I mean!) Then add the naturally occurring high iron to it all too, & we are talking some very messed up well water. :eek:

Little wonder my Arab has been refusing to drink the trough water!

I am now literally driving to hand haul in jugs clean water to him, but I still have to get through this dehydration/minor colic issue as he is not exactly gulping down the clean water either at this point. :no:

This horse has traveled thousands of miles with my hauling him, & he is also the horse that NEVER gets sick until he nearly died from anterior enteritus right about this time last year. banging my head against a wall

So, any Jingles you can send my Arab’s way would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
CHANTER

(Geezuz, I would say someone just shoot me, though with all the cr@p I have literally been through lately it just might happen. arghhh)

So sorry for your problems and major jingles. Can you warm the clean water and mix it with his feed to get him to drink. That’s what I do for my guy who also had major enteritus problems a few years ago. He actually has not had a non soaked meal since. Also gets alphafha when the temperatures change as they have recently in the south.

Are you in Texas ? Is it pretty cold there - am on the East coast, weather reports have said it’s cold there. Anyway here often the horses don’t like to drink the water if its real cold - you might try heating up the water some if you haven’t already. Many of the water troughs here have heating elements in them so the water (outside) doesn’t freeze in the troughs. Often the horses won’t drink in their stalls but will drink the warmer water outside that’s got the heater in it. If not agree w/ other poster try soaking his grain and/or hay.

Best of luck and jingles for your little Arab fellow

Oh wow, it just never ends for you, does it?

:frowning:

Well (no pun intended! LOL), the facts are a bit confused here. There are two wells. One well goes down to the aquafir (sp?). That well and the neighbor’s well that is also that deep went bad with saltwater from an oil company injecting the saltwater into some oil wells. The other well (the one we are using) is not that deep and does not have any saltwater in it (however, the water is very hard and we have put salt tablets in the water softener so perhaps that is what chanter is tasting…she hadn’t mentioned it to me:confused: ) The water here does have a lot of iron in it and because of that is not considered fit for human consumption. However, my 20 plus horses including broodmares and weanlings (and my 4 dogs) have been drinking the water just fine. Actually, I was surprised at how well the horses drank it during the extremely (for here) cold weather given that they were on city water before.

Unfortunately, the arab didn’t drink well on the 30 hour plus trailer ride and the horses were sent with alfalfa hay and not the hay they were used to being fed. Add in a new environment and colder temps than they are used to and voila! you have a mild colic.

Unfortunately, because we just moved here two days before Chanter arrived and the really crappy weather hit the DAY we moved, things here aren’t perfect…we’ve had electrical issues, well issues, not to mention just logistics issues have horses in a new place.

how about some beet pulp soaked in hot water?

or some IV fluids

Hopefully you and Helper can discuss these things together and figure out ways to settle everyone in. Helper seems to be settling in at the same time with her own boatload of horses and the same well issues. Although I’m sure Helper is enjoying having your help with the changes and move considering her amount of animals to settle in and the unusual weather.

I’m sure with time your two equines will get used to the water.

Good luck with the new home.

If he’s eating at all, then everything you feed him should be wet wet wet.

He can eat a lot of soaked beet pulp as a replacement for hay until you get him hydrated again.

Jingles from VA!

Or she never stops complaining about anything and everything she can think of :eek:

If my horse had stopped drinking and was mildly colicing I think I would call the vet to get him hydrated and checked for an impaction and possibly tubed, not whine about it on a BB.

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I would have to agree with Perfect Pony… and the water issue is something that Chanter and chantershelper need to discuss personally instead of having it aired all over the BB. JMHO, YMMV etc.

Hope the Arab gets feeling better soon.

But, it is terrible after EVERYTHING that chantershelper has done to help the OP out, that she has to come on to this BB and defend (or at least explain) herself and her farm. Where is the gratitude for all the help to get out of a dreadful situation?

Jingles for the horse and hope all is well.

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:yes: Agreed :yes:
This thread and others just seem to come across very bitter towards the one who’s gone above and beyond to help out. And to all of those who spent so much time and I’m sure some income trying to help with the move and communications, etc.
The helper is also new to the property moving a boatload of animals there too. I can’t even imagine the stress this could entail. :no:

I second this comment.

[QUOTE=inca;2164394]
Hope the Arab gets feeling better soon.

But, it is terrible after EVERYTHING that chantershelper has done to help the OP out, that she has to come on to this BB and defend (or at least explain) herself and her farm. Where is the gratitude for all the help to get out of a dreadful situation? [/QUOTE]

Third!

I read through most of these threads, but I must have missed the “Gee, thanks for all everyone did.” post.

Cinder

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Chanter, you’re not coming across as very grateful for the assistance you’ve received, for example, the wazzing out because your horses got picked up a day early out of what you claimed was a dangerous situation. I’m guessing some of us are thinking that you need to take a step back and try to make the best of your new situation, “beggars and choosers” and all that, especially if you end up leaving it to this BB to rescue you again. Jes sayin’.

(Edited because I apparently type slow and intended to be next after vanjumper): Obviously I fourth the above comment as well.

As far as the dehydration issue, I agree with the idea to get more of the water that he is going to have to drink there into him with the beet pulp idea or a flavored electrolyte that you know he enjoys. If you can’t help him adapt to the water there he’ll obviously have to move again. Best to get the vet out ASAP if he is still having trouble rehydrating.

Good luck getting all your issues settled, chantershelper! Electricity problems suck. :frowning:

Agreed, 100 times over.

Many people have been in similiar, or worse, situations than you and have had to dig themselves out because there was no one else around to help…

You should appreciate what you DO HAVE and what others have done for you.

Hope the Arab gets through this ok. I’m sure hes just as stressed about the changes as you are.

The horse, frankly, sounds dehydrated from travel. Has anyone tried gatorade or any other powder to add to the water, to help the horse along? Having shown in many states, my horse one weekend would step off the trailer and drink brown water, the next time we show he won’t drink water that tastes just fine to me! Horses do stuff like this…

And chantershelper, you’re a saint for helping. :wink:

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Prescription-

For horse- Wet hay.

For Chantershelper- Something wet containing Rum, Vodka, or anything 80 proof and above…:wink:

Ya’ll are turnign this into another train wreck when you do not even begin to know ALL of the facts. At least this time it shall not all purely be my word alone. Thank God for that!

For those that missed my thank yous, you obviously did not read MY posts on the original thread since I have been allowed to be able to post again.

BTW, I have done EVERYTHING entirely upom my own dime, $2,400 worth it has cost me to move here in my back wages recieved. I am now down to $200 & having no choice but to accept blankets. ANd this last $200 to my name shall be spent upon the vet if need be! I have been trying to find a close cow vet but keeping missing him. No one is dying at this point. (tahnk god) Though I am seriously considering running ringers. And OF COURSE clean fresh WARM water has been presented multiple times to my horses! Teh Arab drank 1/2 a bucket last night, though the Tb did not drink at all. Full buckets of warm water when I left the farm today to find a vet to use.