Supply
Cost: Under $50
These cost ranges are approximate and may vary from region to region.
Additional charges may also apply.
Electrolytes, Pastes & Powders
Cost: Under $50
These cost ranges are approximate and may vary from region to region.
Additional charges may also apply.
Summary
Summary
Equine electrolyte products replace the salts a horse loses in sweat — mainly sodium and chloride, with smaller amounts of potassium, calcium, and magnesium. They come as pastes in a dosing syringe and as powders you mix into feed or water. There is a great variety of these products on the market, and quality varies widely: many are mostly sugar and flavoring with little actual salt. I would recommend reading the ingredient list and choosing a product in which sodium chloride is the first ingredient.
These products are most useful when your horse is sweating heavily — hard work in hot weather, long trailer hauls, and endurance-type activity — and for stimulating thirst in a horse that is not drinking well, such as during travel or an abrupt change in weather. You give paste over the tongue with the dosing syringe, or mix powder into a wet feed or into water, following the label dose. Always provide free access to plain water alongside any electrolyte — a horse offered only electrolyte water may refuse to drink at all.
You do not need a commercial product to accomplish the same thing. You can use 1-2 teaspoons of plain table salt mixed in water in a syringe, once daily, to stimulate thirst. Add Karo syrup to sweeten.
Do keep the limitations in mind. Never dose concentrated electrolytes to a dehydrated horse that does not have water available — concentrated salts draw fluid into the gut and can make dehydration worse, and repeated concentrated paste doses can irritate the mouth and stomach. Electrolytes are not a treatment for significant dehydration or for a horse that is sick and not drinking; that horse needs veterinary attention and possibly fluids given by stomach tube or IV. If your horse has HYPP, talk to your vet before using any electrolyte product, because many contain potassium.
--- RELATIONSHIP CANDIDATES (link from the joining record; not part of the paste) ---
Supply 152 — Sodium Chloride, Table Salt (the DIY alternative referenced in the summary)
Supply 30 — Mineral & Salt Blocks (maintenance counterpart)
Supply 232 — Oral Supplements, Electrolytes (empty duplicate stub — retire or merge)
Skills to check for Supplies-Needed joins: dosing with syringe / assess hydration (skin tent) / take vital signs — pull real ids at link time
Equine electrolyte products replace the salts a horse loses in sweat — mainly sodium and chloride, with smaller amounts of potassium, calcium, and magnesium. They come as pastes in a dosing syringe and as powders you mix into feed or water. There is a great variety of these products on the market, and quality varies widely: many are mostly sugar and flavoring with little actual salt. I would recommend reading the ingredient list and choosing a product in which sodium chloride is the first ingredient.
These products are most useful when your horse is sweating heavily — hard work in hot weather, long trailer hauls, and endurance-type activity — and for stimulating thirst in a horse that is not drinking well, such as during travel or an abrupt change in weather. You give paste over the tongue with the dosing syringe, or mix powder into a wet feed or into water, following the label dose. Always provide free access to plain water alongside any electrolyte — a horse offered only electrolyte water may refuse to drink at all.
You do not need a commercial product to accomplish the same thing. You can use 1-2 teaspoons of plain table salt mixed in water in a syringe, once daily, to stimulate thirst. Add Karo syrup to sweeten.
Do keep the limitations in mind. Never dose concentrated electrolytes to a dehydrated horse that does not have water available — concentrated salts draw fluid into the gut and can make dehydration worse, and repeated concentrated paste doses can irritate the mouth and stomach. Electrolytes are not a treatment for significant dehydration or for a horse that is sick and not drinking; that horse needs veterinary attention and possibly fluids given by stomach tube or IV. If your horse has HYPP, talk to your vet before using any electrolyte product, because many contain potassium.
--- RELATIONSHIP CANDIDATES (link from the joining record; not part of the paste) ---
Supply 152 — Sodium Chloride, Table Salt (the DIY alternative referenced in the summary)
Supply 30 — Mineral & Salt Blocks (maintenance counterpart)
Supply 232 — Oral Supplements, Electrolytes (empty duplicate stub — retire or merge)
Skills to check for Supplies-Needed joins: dosing with syringe / assess hydration (skin tent) / take vital signs — pull real ids at link time