Fwd: Electrolytes by Mike Foss DVM

[heidi sowards <ribbitttreefrog@yahoo.com>]

Thanks Suzanne for retyping for me!!!!!!!!!!!!

> 
> 
> 	WHY DOES MY HORSE NEED ELECTROLYTES
> 	by Michael A. Foss, DVM
> 
> 	The muscular activity of a ride produces heat and heat
> needs to be
> dissipated for the horse to continue down the trail.  The
> main way for a
> horse to get rid of this heat is to sweat.  Sweating is
> done by "sweat
> glands" which secrete water and electrolytes.  An
> analysis of equine sweat
> shows that it contains sodium, potassium, chloride,
> calcium and magnesium.
> An important point is that these electrolytes are
> actually concentrated in
> sweat, compared to blood.  So as a horse sweats, it is
> losing more
> electrolyte than it is water.  It is easy for a horse to
> actually loose ½
> pound of electrolytes during a ride!
> 
> 	Where do electrolytes come from?  The horse normally has
> a small constant
> supply from the plants it eats.  These salts are absorbed
> from the small
> intestine, go into the blood where they are distributed
> to the various body
> cells.  The functions of the electrolytes are numerous
> and complex.  Let's
> just say they keep you alive.  Deficiencies of
> electrolytes are summarized
> as follows:
> 
> 	1.  Low Sodium causes decreased blood volume which you
> see as dehydration.
> 	2.  Low Chloride results in "alkalosis" or a change in
> blood pH which
> causes poor gut function or colic.
> 	3.  Low Potassium presents mainly as weak muscles.
> 	4.  Low Calcium appears as weak muscles and "Thumps."
> 	
> 	Combinations of these deficiencies contribute to tying
> up and exhausted
> horse syndrome. In milder forms all you may experience is
> decreased
> performance.
> 
> 	So why does my horse need electrolytes?  When God
> designed the horse the
> horse only needed to run long enough to escape a hungry
> predator.  These
> short bursts of speed would produce minimal sweat, and
> the electrolytes
> were readily replaced by natural feeds before the next
> "escape" was needed.
>  When we ask the horse to travel for 25 to 100 miles at
> once, we are
> certainly exceeding "design capacity."  The further and
> faster we go, the
> more we exceed this natural capacity.
> 
> 	Common sense suggests to us that if you are using
> something (electrolytes)
> at an unnaturally high rate, then you should supplement
> it to prevent
> problems.  Here is the "art" of electrolyte
> supplementation.  Many factors
> contribute to sweat production.  The most significant
> ones are temperature,
> humidity, speed of the horse, distance, amount of climb
> and conditioning.
> Other factors will be diet, footing of the trail and your
> mental attitude.
> It is not possible to accurately measure how much your
> horse is sweating,
> nor can we predict the specific weather conditions and
> work load along the
> trail.  In addition, each horse is an individual and some
> horses need more
> electrolytes than others.
> 
> 	How will you know if the electrolytes are working?  From
> a veterinary
> point we can take blood from your horse at the end of a
> ride and measure
> the blood level of electrolytes.  As a rider you need to
> look for changes
> in your horse's performance.  When did the horse start
> drinking? (Should be
> before the 25 mile point.)  How did the horse feel?  More
> energetic?
> Better pulse recoveries?  Better appetite?
> 
> 	How do you put all this information together?  First,
> there is no magic
> formula to fit all horses, but there is a "concept" to
> use.  Electrolyte
> usage should be a planned project and should begin before
> the ride starts.
> Remember, you are preventing problems, not treating
> problems.
> 
> 	Administration of electrolytes has a maximal effect > 6
to 10 hours
> after you give them.  So what you want to do is give a
> "loading dose" the
> night before the ride.  The next morning give a dose
> before the ride starts
> and then a dose every vet check.  One last dose after the
> ride helps the
> horse recover more quickly.  It is important to give the
> electrolytes at
> the end of the vet check so you do not disturb its eating
> and drinking
> pattern.  When you electrolyte on the trail do so after
> the horse has drunk.
> 
> 	The dose to give is going to vary tremendously.  If it
> is a slow cool
> ride, you will give very little.  If you hit a hot humid
> day, you should
> give lots! (And slow down too!!!!)  As a starting point
> at a hot day ride
> use 2 ounces of electrolytes for a dose.  For example, a
> 50 miler might do
> the following: 8 p.m. Friday night, 2 oz.; 4:30 a.m.
> Sat., 2 oz.; vet check
> 1, 2 oz; vet check 2, 2 oz; vet check 3, 2 oz, finish, 2
> oz.  Experience
> will teach you how to adjust dosage from here.  If it is
> cooler, you would
> keep the same frequency, just give a smaller dose.  If it
> is really hot and
> humid, you might give a bigger dose.  The 1999 World
> Championship Endurance
> Ride gave a good example of electrolyte usage.  Some of
> the front running
> horses were getting 6 ounces of electrolytes at each vet
> check!
> 
> 	What kind of electrolytes should you use?  There are
> many products out
> there.  Most are not appropriate for endurance use.  If
> they contain
> "Bicarbonate," they are contraindicated.  If they contain
> more than 50%
> sugar, they are not formulated for endurance use.  My
> personal choices are
> Enduralyte, Enduramax, and Perform N Win.
> 
> 	One final note: A dose of electrolytes the night before
> (or 8 hours
> before) a long warm trail ride is also beneficial.
> 
> 	Happy Trails.
> 
> 
> 							Michael A. Foss, DVM
> 


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