LUCENA, J. E. S.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/9143741834244167; LUCENA, Júlio Edson da Silva.
Resumo:
The first chapter of this dissertation presents the result of a study aimed at evaluating
the water intake of quarter horses raised in an intensive livestock farming system in the
backcountry of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The study involved eight healthy horses
housed in individual stalls, fed on hay and a commercial concentrate, with unrestricted
access to drinking water. The animals were being trained for cattle herding and were
only taken out of their stalls for training. The water intake and hay and concentrated
feed consumption were measured daily for 35 days. Blood samples were collected
weekly from the horses for hematological and serum biochemical tests, and their
physiological parameters were also evaluated. After the follow-up period, it was
determined that the average water consumption for these animals, under the conditions
submitted, was 23,331±2,351/day, being found based on other research. Positive
influence of ambient temperature on water consumption. Although our findings were
similar to those of other studies, we could not find regional data on water intake for the
species under study. The second chapter describes a case of polyuria and polydipsia in a
quarter horse raised in an intensive livestock farming system and kept in a stall. The
4.5-year-old animal was being trained for cow herding and was taken out of its stall
only three times a week for training sessions of about two hours each. Bucketfuls of
water were provided ad libitum. The animal was reportedly drinking a lot of water and
urinating abundantly, and was sometimes put in another stall because the one currently
occupied was soaked in urine. The water pipes were initially examined to check for a
possible leak, but proved to be intact. After this, the animal was clinically monitored,
subjected to laboratory tests and its water intake volume measured for 28 days. The
horse was kept in its original stall during the first 14 days, and in a paddock for the
remaining days, albeit undergoing the same treatment. The tests performed were serum
biochemistry, blood count and urinalysis. The animal’s water intake was
107.714±17L/day during the two weeks in the stall, and 52.653±20L/day during its stay
in the paddock. The tests revealed no changes in hematological and serum biochemical
indices, only a decrease in hematocrit while the animal remained in the stall. The urinalysis revealed urine density of 1008 and 1027 on the days when the animal stayed
in the stall and paddock, respectively. The diagnosis of psychogenic polydipsia was
made by quantifying the volume of water ingested, clinical follow-up and laboratory
tests, and the change of environment was decisive in the conclusion of the cause.