Drenching

Golden Biscuit

I havent seen many threads on this so thought it might be a useful one to start up this time of year, as i know alot of people or new owners can be a bit unsure on when, how why to drench and its importancy. So everyone add your opionions and knowledge please!

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blitzen

IMO i prefer a vet do it - when i was a kid it was very common to have ur farrier do it.

i guess it depends on where you live & why you do it. i drenched my horse shortly after i got him - i had no idea about his diet or where he came from, so i was just covering my backside. plus, he's agisted in wanneroo which is basically sand & the horses hoover. i know ppl who drench every 6months in wanneroo because of the nature of the ground. the grass is on sand too & it gets into everything. he gets A LOT of hay now & i know ppl prefer ad lib hay - but horses can still colic even with that option.

some ppl only drench when the horse shows colicky symptoms. idk.

i don't REALLY make a habit of drenching on a regular basis tho.

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Juanita, Blitzen, Beejay, Tazzie and Yellow

Golden Biscuit

I totally agree with the vet doing it, thats interesting Blitzen, were in a similar situation to you, our paddocks go to black sand in summer and the boys always have a hay roll, but they still pick, as horses will lol, i have been told to drench annualy but arent too sure so any advice would be much appreciated! Thought id ask cos its summer now and we've owned Bickie for 10 months Yay

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feather feet

i have never drenched any of my horses and have never had an issue with colic,i feed phsyllum husks once a month,that picks up any sand or rocks in their gut,my neighbour religiously drenched her WB and clydie every six months(and used to frown on me for not doing it) for years,in the end both her horses died of sand colic a few months apart?so who knows what works?

jonty

ohhh thats not nice about the two horses dying...yuk!

I havent drenched my horse in over a year and a half.....What the? i hear you say....

He also gets fed husks...but the amount you are feeding should not be once a month. It should be approx 400gms over a three to four day period every three months...and thats from the vet!

Other than that, i dont let my horse eat his hay in the dirt (some people do I have seen it) and i feed heaps of hay, which cleans the tum tum out and after I have rinsed sweat off after every ride (yes every ride) he goes and rolls and that will also dis lodge any sand caught in the tum tum....

Noelle

I read somewhere that drenching can rob the stomach of the good bacteria so the horse should be given extra mineral supplements after . Could be a good question for Caroline

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Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours.

Jumping Bean

I get my vet to drench straight after coming off the paddock following a spell, otherwise after the spring flush. I don't feed psyllium husk or anything else, just ad lib oaten hay. I always get them drenched and wormed after a spell, religiously, and/or after the spring flush when the sand can be a problem with grazing. I tend to employ good preventative methods rather than rely on drenching, ie minimal sand in paddocks, ad lib hay, feeding on rubber mats so no accidental intake.

sss

Thanks for starting this thread - Originally from the Uk where sand colic is fairly rare and normally from drinking from streams and ingesting sand that way. I have wondered about the for and agaisnt arguments for drenching.

I read on with intrest- Thanks

Ps As well as flushing out "good bactrica " when drenching do the horses ever have problems with the tub scratching them internally?

citygirl

I've had it happen..but the tube only scratches in the nose area.

I drench my horses only when needed..eg;- when sick / dehydrated or a worming program is not working..and only by a Vet these days.

There is a few old timers..Horsemen.. around who really know what they're doing one lives in Hazelmere I think.

Cheers
Lee

izzy2512

I do the same with preventative methods, so far so good. For those who feed psyllium husks, how effective have you found it? All the case studies I've read on it show it's not proven to be effective as a colic prevention