Overdosing Potassium (was Susan Garlinghouse at Convention)

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

K S SWIGART   katswig@earthlink.net


Arthur, DVM said:

> the daily ration for a horse contains several hundred times the needs of 
> potassium for a horse. It is very difficult to get a horse to absorb more
> potassium form its gut than it would require and even if the blood level
> does get too high the kidney will excrete the excess.

I must confess to being thoroughly confused.  If a horse's daily ration contains
several hundred times the needs of potassium for a horse, then why would anybody 
need to ever supplement potassium.

Do a horse's potassium needs increase a hundred fold during intense competition?
Does potassium need to be "balanced" in some way with the other electrolytes?
Is there a difference between the potassium found in food and potassium chloride (KCl)
which is generally found in "electrolytes"?

Otherwise, it seems to me that as long as the horse is eating, that there shouldn't
be any need for potassium supplementation.

And if this is the case, then why do electrolyte supplement mixtures include potassium?
It is my understanding that electrolyte formulas are scientifically arrived at.  Can
somebody explain the science of this to me?

kat
Orange County, Calif.