Supplementing horses with electrolytes is vital to the health and welfare of the horse. A horse that develops sweat will need replacement of the salts lost in that sweat. The harder a horse is working, or the hotter the conditions – the greater the loss of salts and minerals.
The highest levels lost in sweat are sodium, chloride and potassium. Small amounts of calcium and magnesium are also expelled and smaller amounts of other trace minerals. These losses can result in the horse not being able to maintain the correct cellular fluid levels.
Imbalanced and low fluid levels can result in ineffective transmission of nerve impulses and also muscle contractions. Insufficient electrolytic levels will result in early fatigue and reduced stamina. In extreme cases a horse will lose the desire to drink water, thus compounding the detrimental effects on their health and more severe symptoms such as unco-ordinated movements, muscle weakness and sometimes trembling.
Vetpro has developed a specialist pH neutral electrolyte formulation with higher levels for horses in hard work such as racing and endurance and eventing. Or horses working in very hot conditions.
Vetpro Performance Electrolytes are a neutral pH composition. The idea of acid and alkaline electrolyte supplements is now regarded by equine physiologists to be unnecessary. Horses can develop a mild metabolic acidosis after intense exercise and may develop a metabolic alkalosis in situations of heavy sweat loss. In both these cases so long as there is sufficient chloride in the DEB then the horses kidneys will sort out its own acid/base balance.