Sodium toxicity & link to Head Shaking

Clarissa · Sodium toxicity & link to Head Shaking

I have just read an article in a magazine “The Horse Report” about head shakers.

This lady in Australia Kerry Marsh is doing research into sodium toxicity & it’s affects on horses. She has discovered that too much salt in the horse’s diet causes several forms of head shaking amongst other things. A warmblood sized horse should have no more than 150-600ppm hair tissue sodium level.

Kerry does Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis & has found levels in excess of 2180ppm in horses with chronic head shaking. With in a week or 2 of changing the diet the head shaking is showing much improvement.

Have a think about how much salt your horse is getting in all it’s forms each day.

Her Australian mobile number is 0402772124.

Blue Flame

Based on pasture analysis done in the dead of winter where I graze, excess potassium (which can lead to HyperKalemia) in the pasture can require up to 50g/day additional Sodium just to balance off the Potassium. When the grass is actually growing it gets even worse as all the Potassium concentrates into the tips of the blades of grass - the part the horses eat.

Here's a couple of articles by Dr. Swerczek (DVM Pathologist), about the other side of that Sodium equation - Pottassium.

http://beefmagazine.com/mag/beef_dont_short_salt/

http://www.growersmineral.com/liv...-and-sodium-deficiency-associated

Probably the biggest factor in the rich dairying area where I live is the general use of Superphosphate and NPMK fertilisers - compared with pasture analysis showing that all we really need for the horses on our particular pastures is lime.

Clarissa

Sandy I think Kerry Marsh would say the horses should be removed from the pasture rather than up the salt levels. That their toxicity was human induced & why should the horses suffer!

Spitfire

Our vet attended a conference on equine nutrition recently. Apparently, most Australian horses (particularly those in this region) don't get enough salt. He recommends a pool salt mix and in some cases, up to a cup a day for horses in heavy work. Our horses will demolish those pink salt blocks (non-molasses).

Blue Flame

PasoBaby_CarolU

My hat tested very high in Potassium so I started adding salt to their hay. The regular salt blocks here have iodine, and where Zar has thyroid issues, I try to stay away from it.

Chablis

My horses get free access to Natural Rock Salt (maybe the one you mentioned, Spitfire?). When I first put it out, Magic hopped into it but now she doesn't eat it as much.

Clarissa

I've never had to feed salt before but at this place I give them 1tsp each daily & it made quite difference to the gloss of their coats which were previously quite rough & nothing was fixing it.

So as usual it's horses for courses.

However many people do feed lots of 'stuff' to their horses which all has lots of salt included which all adds up.

Head shaking is such a horrible thing for both horse & rider that all possibilities should be thoroughly canvassed to find the reason.