Is dehydration the cause of my horse's overall hair loss?

Question

My mare recently got sick with some unknown illness which caused her to get a kidney infection. She hadn't been eating for almost 2 weeks so she lost alot of weight. She is gaining it back really quickly though but now I noticed her hair is coming out leaving her skin exposed on some parts. (Her face, chest, "armpits")

My mom is a nurse and says it's from starvation but a lady at my barn said it was from dehydration and that we need to add electrolytes to her feed. Does anyone have any personal experience with this kind of thing?

Thanks in advance and yes, she drinks alot of water thats why I'm confused about her supposedly being dehydrated.

Answer 1

I really don't think dehydration is causing your horse's hair loss. For one thing, the dehydration would have to be chronic over a long period, and it's usually a short term condition for the simple reason that it can be fatal if not treated quickly.

I think it's far more likely that her body is allocating it's energy to healing and weight gain rather than hair growth, so I think your mom is right. When my old horse was recovering from colic surgery, his summer coat did not grow in on time as it had previously, and it was just because his body did not have the resources for hair growth at the time. As he got better and put weight back on, his coat came it. It was just a little late.

If you are still concerned, you could call your vet before adding the electrolytes. I would hesitate to change a horse's diet that is in delicate condition without talking to the vet. That said, electrolytes probably would not hurt your horse, but if she doesn't need them, then its money wasted.  

Answer 2

It could be from a number of causes, some with inflammation or pruritus, and others without.  Stress, and the metabolic effects, can also cause it.  So, both your mom and the lady at the barn may be right.  Enzyme systems, hormone balances, and electrolyte distribution in body tissues and fluids are affected by starvation and dehydration.  You can check for dehydration by pinching a fold of skin in front of the shoulder and holding it for about 30 seconds, then releasing it.  If it returns flat rapidly, there is no dehydration.  If it takes some time to return to normal, that indicates dehydration.  Getting her back to good health will hopefully restore her hair coat.

Answer 3

Almost identical?

http://a434.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima...

Here she is now:

http://a572.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima...

http://a576.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima...

She's almost completely grown back.

I washed her with VIODINE every day for a week and then with Mane and Tail medicated shampoo. Worked wonders!

Answer 4

Do in the northern or southern hemisphere?

If northern then she is only experiencing accelerated hair loss due to shedding.  What happened is she did not shed while sick.  This conserves a little energy and resources to battle the illness.  Now that she is better and gaining weight she is shedding all her hair at once in order to prepare for winter.

If you live south of the equator same situation but it would be even more noticeable since early spring coats grow in even finer than early winter coats.

In either case it is perfectly normal now that she is recovering.

Answer 5

Dehydration is certainly the most obvious guess I would have.  However, I've done some research for a pony that a friend of mine has that had the opposite problem...he wouldn't shed out.  I found that some horses loose their hair (or don't shed out properly) due to stress.  Do you tink it could be that your mare is stressed from the whole illness episode?  Just another thought to research.

Wendy

Answer 6

It is probably not caused by dehydration.  If she is truly dehydrated you can test her skin for turgidity - reach on her neck and pinch together a big area of skin and pull outward.  If the skin does not return to the natural and normal condition (in other words, it stays stuck togeher when you let go), then you have a life threatening dehydration problem.  

Her hair loss is probably due to her illness and the lack of eating for so long.  Horses under stress can lose weight so quickly.  Without proper nutrition on a daily basis, he body would turn on itself and and utilize it's protein tissue for energy to run the body processes.  This type of deficit in nutrition can definitely cause hair loss.  As her condition improves, the hair should grow back.  If the weather is really hot where you are or you want to insure that she gets plenty of water, giving her electrolytes is a good idea.  Especially during recovery time from an illness, she may need a little push just to be safe.    Hope she gets better for you.