Summary
- Adding electrolytes to water during a show may increase water consumption and lead to short-term water retention.
- Adding too much electrolytes could reduce water and feed intake. This cutoff appears to be between about 2,500 – 10,000 ppm electrolytes for non-lactating cattle.
- If your animals are refusing to drink water at the show it likely is not due to it lacking electrolytes. It’s probably due to the chlorine which negatively affects the smell and taste of the water. Consider using a dechlorinating product such ShowFresH2O™ to eliminate chlorine and help keep your animal drinking and staying healthy.
- If your animal is already dehydrated electrolytes may need to be provided as fluid therapy. Consult your veterinarian!
Have you ever been at a livestock show only to find that animals are not drinking the water? You’re likely to see a variety of home-remedies including water-filters and Kool-Aid, which tend to not be very effective. Another common recommendation is to “add electrolytes” to the water to help them drink. Is this really a sound idea? In this article we’ll take a look at the science of electrolytes.
What are electrolytes?
Hydration, as well as electrolyte balance, is critical to maintaining nutritional health and pH balance in livestock. Electrolytes are “salts” and generally include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride. The word comes from the fact that these minerals, when dissolved in water, help conduct electricity in water.
The primary source of electrolytes should be provided in the diet as feed and hay. If there are some nutritional gaps in the feeding regimen then mineral and salt supplements can be provided free-choice. There is also evidence that adjusting electrolytes in feed rations during periods of high-stress, such as hot summer months, may be beneficial.
Cattle may auto-regulate the amount of electrolytes they consume in water, feed, and hay. If they are already getting plenty of electrolytes, the animal may not want more. If they are deficient, it may increase the palatability of the water. In fact, a foundational study found that when heifers were supplemented with electrolytes in their drinking water, they actually consumed LESS free-choice electrolytes (salt and trace mineral mixture).
Electrolytes in dehydration/rehydration.
A primary reason to provide electrolytes is if your animal is already dehydrated. This may be due to diarrhea or simply not drinking water at the show. Signs of dehydration may be gauntness and/or their eyes may appear to be sunken in. When an animal becomes dehydrated, they also tend to lose electrolytes.
Once an animal becomes dehydrated, electrolytes could be added to water as part of the rehydration process. Ruminants are particularly sensitive to electrolyte imbalances when rapidly rehydrating. Their rumen acts as a buffer to help strike the correct balance of electrolytes and adding them to water can help this process. This is why veterinarians will often provide electrolytes to severely dehydrated animals requiring fluid therapy.
How much electrolytes?
Providing electrolytes is not a “yes” or “no” question. What’s important is to provide the correct amount of electrolytes. This will depend upon your animal’s feed regimen and environmental changes. For example, if the temperature has become much hotter and/or your animal is working harder, more electrolytes may be required than normal.
Research studies support the idea of an optimum amount of electrolytes. When sodium chloride (a common electrolyte) is added to water in controlled, non-lactating, cattle studies there may be some minor improvement in palatability of the water up to concentrations of about 2,500 ppm to 10,000 ppm. The effect appears to be small, however, ranging between no difference and up to about 10% increased water consumption in cattle. Above this range water intake can sharply decline.
Additional studies demonstrate that excess electrolytes in water can lead to LESS water consumption. This may explain why in some regions where electrolyte concentration is high in the water, reducing the electrolyte content of water actually increases water consumption and performance of dairy cows. Another study in Spain also found that electrolytes in drinking water were related to reduced water consumption.
Increasing electrolyte supplementation for the show?
Many supplement marketers recommend providing excess electrolytes leading up to, and during a show. This may provide some short-term weight gain and fullness appearance. This occurs because excess electrolytes leads to excess fluid retention. Beware! This practice could come with negative health consequences related to salt poisoning.
Not sure about potential negative health complications? Would you drink sea water if you were really thirsty or dehydrated? Of course not….it goes against common sense. It could make you very sick and even more dehydrated because its electrolytes are so high (about 35,000 ppm).
Make sure to trust the manufacturer of your electrolytes and follow their instructions closely in consultation with a veterinarian. Most products provide less than 10,000 ppm electrolytes when added to water according to instructions, which is towards the upper end of a safe amount. If you are going to add electrolytes to water, be sure to also provide a free choice of water with NO added electrolytes.
My steer is not drinking at the show. Should I add electrolytes to the water?
If you NEED to use electrolytes at the show you are too late…your animal is already dehydrated.
But what about providing electrolytes to water if your animal is not drinking? This is a very common situation. The idea is to improve the taste so the animal will drink. But is this really effective?
We discussed above that adding electrolytes to water will only increase palatability if they ALREADY have a deficiency in their diet. Experiments further showed that adding electrolytes, at best, increased water consumption by a maximum of about 10% for cattle. Even in the study the authors thought this may difference may not have been statistically significant and was within the variability of the study. If your animal is not drinking at all, it’s probably not due to it lacking electrolytes. It’s probably due to something else, and we believe that it is because of chlorine.
Chlorine may be why your animal is not drinking the water.
Animals not drinking on the road is a common problem. It can lead to poor appearance and performance of livestock. What often is not considered is that the show’s water contains high amounts of chlorine. Chlorine can discourage animals from drinking and may even be harmful.
ShowFresH2O™ is a new, patent-pending, product that safely removes chlorine from water. It can help keep your animal hydrated and healthy at the show. But don’t just take our word, read the testimonials from our customers!
KEY REFERENCES
Constable, P., Fluid and electrolyte therapy in ruminants. Vet Clin Food Anim, 2003, 557-597.
Embry, LB et al., Salinity and livestock water quality, 1959, Bulletins. Paper 481.
Johannson, K., Salt to ruminants and horses. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. 2008.
Smith, G., Fluid therapy in adult cattle. Proceedings of the NAVC, 2005.
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