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Re: [RC] RC: RE Electrolytes/dehydration - darste3"Just be aware that the pinch test is not the best way to tell how dehydrated your horse is at that moment. It's that last thing to show evidence of dehydration and the last thing to recover and show hydration. There are much better ways to check hydration, like jug refill, cap refill, gut sounds, etc. " OK, I'm asking and asking for some advise. I've had another March harrowing trailering experience. Left Equine Affaire with two trailers, one horse in each. We left in 8- deg weather. At the first stop the 19 YO mare was agitated about traveling but OK. She broke a sweat and she still had a pretty good winter coat. By south of Erie, the temp dropped 35 deg in the space of 1/2 hour. We were now at 45 deg with wind whipping off Lake Erie. Luckily, I had an outside temp gauge and stopped to check on the horses. The mare was shivering like crazy and her butt muscles felt like rocks. My gelding was OK. But, he didn't feel warm. I blanketed him and we put three blankets on the mare. We pulled to the back of the truck stop and waited for her to feel warm. Took about 1 hour and she warmed up but would not eat or drink. Skin pinch tented at 1 - 1.5 seconds. We called the vet and he said it would be ok to go on. I e-lyted all three days we were at EA. The mare only got elytes the evening before and morning of travel. We went on for about 1 hour and stopped and checked her. She seemed OK to me. But, still not eating. The mare's owner broke down in tears and stress. So, we stayed at that truck stop for about 7 hours while she tried to sleep. My horse was fine in a lite blanket. Next morning, the heavy blanket was damp and she was still warm. So, I took the heavy blanket off of her and put it on my gelding. It was still cold. 32 deg by then. We traveled on. My gelding dried the blanket. The mare would still not eat or drink. At the next stop, I too about 1 gallon of warm water and syringed her mouth with it. I did this at every stop with 1 gallon of warm water. The temp rose so I put the sheet back on my gelding. We left her blanketed with a fleece cooler. We had the vet waiting for us at the barn when we got in about 6 hours later. Her vitals checked out well except for a minor decrease in gut sounds on one side. By blood volume, she was hydrated enough and began eating and drinking about 1 hour after getting home. This was a very scary trip. What should I have done differently. Or did I do OK. What else could I have checked. Just tell me your thoughts. Dolores ============================================================ Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough ~ Theodore Roosevelt ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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