Does My Horse Drink or Urinate Too Much?

The possibility that a horse is drinking and/or urinating excessively (termed polydipsia and polyuria, respectively) is a frequent concern among horse owners.
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By Warwick M. Bayly, BVSc, MS, PhD, WEVA President’s Advisor


The possibility that a horse drinks and/or urinates excessively (termed polydipsia and polyuria, respectively) is a frequent concern among horse owners.

The first step in such situations is to determine whether the concern is justified. The easiest way to do this is by restricting the horse’s movement and measuring his water consumption and urination patterns over a 24-hour period. Depending on their usage and the weather, horses typically drink anywhere from 5 to 30 liters (about 1.3 to nearly 8 gallons) in a 24-hour period.

Polyuria can result from kidney disease, excessive drinking, or eating too much salt or a similar substance; the latter is often a reflection of the animal’s diet or management. These conditions result in increased kidney excretion of nonreabsorbed solute (such as glucose or sodium), either because the kidneys can’t function normally (the more common occurrence) or are overwhelmed by the amount of solute passing through them. In such situations, the kidneys reabsorb less water and an increase in urine volume results

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