Foals and salt licks

My mare absolutely adores her salt. I keep a Himalayan salt lick in her stall. Recently her foal (today 10 days old) has started licking it. I wasn’t worried but someone at the barn said they had heard of a foal dying from licking a salt lick?

Should I remove the salt?

Yes - take it out !
As far as I know they get badly Diarrhea from it. And from that they can “dry out” and die. (I hope this is correct, I am not sure about the english words for that)

Agree, remove the salt! It can cause dehydration and loose stools

thanks Dehydration - that was - I was searching for :slight_smile:

My colt had mild diarrhea that would not go away despite treatment a few years ago. We finally caught him craning his neck and standing on his tippy toes to reach the himalayan salt lick that I would have sworn was way too high up for him to reach. Took it out and his manure was normal within hours.

We don’t use salt licks - the foals keep licking and as others have said they get loose poop.
We use a supplement in the feed for our horses/ponies that give them the salt and potassium they need.

Another get it out. We too had a foal getting to one and got diarrhea

Alexandra - you never have to apologise for your English! I always understand what you mean even if the words aren’t perfect:)

I also have had to remove salt licks from the foals. They just never seem to know when to stop!

Kerole - thanks and yes you understood my directly translated unused back :wink: