Joomla! site syndication http://www.melanierettlerdvm.com Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:09:00 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.melanierettlerdvm.com/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.melanierettlerdvm.com Joomla! site syndication http://www.melanierettlerdvm.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=53 THE OFTEN OVER-LOOKED NUTRIENT The body of an animal is made up of approximately 90% water. Water is needed in the body for temperature regulation, growth, reproduction and lactation, digestion of food, protection and lubrication of the organs and tissues and to perform cleansing of the body. The water requirements of an animal are determined by several factors. Environmental temperature, level of activity, rate of gain expected and type of feed intake all affect the amount of water an individual animal will need. An animal’s performance will be negatively impacted more quickly and drastically by a decrease in water intake than by an imbalance of any other nutrient. An average animal can survive up to 60 days without food but less than seven days without water. It can lose essentially all of its body fat and nearly one half of the protein in its body, but a loss of 12 to 14 percent of its body water is fatal Dehydration is an excessive loss of body fluids. Dehydration can be caused by lack of adequate intake of water as well as by an excessive loss of water from the body through illnesses such as diarrhea, septicemia, high fever and heat stroke. Signs of dehydration include loss of skin elasticity, mucous membrane dryness, sunken eyeballs and muscle weakness. Skin elasticity is evaluated by holding a fold if skin in the neck region between your fingers. In an animal with normal hydration the skin will spring back into place quickly. If instead of returning to its normal place the pinched skin stands for a few seconds that is a good indication that the animal is somewhat dehydrated. Mucous membranes are evaluated in the mouth and eyes. Severe dehydration leads to circulatory collapse, shock and death. Once you’ve noticed that an animal is dehydrated, it is important to re-hydrate the animal carefully and slowly over a period of a few hours. Horses that become dehydrated from strenuous exercise should be given small amounts of water every 10-15 minutes until their desire for water is gone. Giving a hot horse unlimited water may result in colic. Swine on high energy show diets deprived of water can get very dehydrated. If, in this condition, they are allowed sudden, free access to water, they can get salt poisoning and die. Dehydrated swine, like horses and all other animals, should be given access to water sparingly until they are fully re-hydrated. Your goal to optimize the performance of your animal is enhanced by providing it with adequate and good quality water. The temperature of water should be between 40 and 65 degrees. Avoid hot and freezing cold water. Hot water is a real problem in Arizona when outside temperatures exceed 100 degrees in the summer. Place the water trough or automatic waterer in the shade out of the direct sunshine. Check the temperature often. The size of the water container is also a consideration. Small containers heat up more quickly than large containers. Use a large container when possible and add water to cool it down. Check also for water cleanliness. Livestock should never be forced to drink contaminated, dirty or stale water. Under these conditions, they will decrease their water intake. All waterers and troughs should be cleaned and disinfected frequently. The water troughs may look clean on top but the bottoms can be a host for disease organisms to thrive. Disease can spread among your flock or herd if they are drinking from a community trough. If an animal becomes ill it should be isolated from the rest of the population and the water trough or source should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. This will help to reduce the spread of disease to your other animals. Water is so important to maintaining healthy, vigorous animals. Don’t overlook the water pail or trough at you next feeding. Incorporate the cleaning of your animals’ water supply in your over all care and maintenance plan. News and Articles - Veterinary Articles Wed, 01 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0100