Blood in 16 yr old geldings urine

[Dakotasgurl]

I have a 16 yr old retired show gelding that I got a couple days ago and now he's got blood in his urine. It's not the blood red blood it's like a pastelish almost pink color!!? Does anybody have any ideas? Please post back asap, I am worried for my baby.

 

[ksalvagno]

I would call the vet and have the vet check him out. Blood in the urine is never a good thing.

 

[freemotion]

He probably has a urinary tract infection, treated very simply with antibiotics. If you can get a urine sample to the vet, you can likely save some time and money. Have fun with that, though. The vet will collect it with a cup on a stick, putting fresh shavings down for the gelding to pee in. Be careful how you hold the stick, though, he might think it is a whip.

Meanwhile, make sure he is drinking plenty of water. Do everything in your power to make his water inviting....clean buckets, water changed often, warm water if he likes it, etc. Some horses will drink more if you put a few drops of peppermint extract in the water (available with the cooking spices at the grocery store.)

 

[ducks4you]

Please excuse this if it's really blood, BUT, when horses eat straight alfalfa hay, it turns their urine pink. Just FYI, becuase when i kept my elderly geldings they needed alfalfa to keep their weight on, and I mucked out stalls with pink shavings.

 

[Dakotasgurl]

Thank you so much for all of y'alls help. He isn't eating straight alfalfa hay though.. I've been keeping his water really clean. Someone told me that they sometimes put gatorade in the water, but it had to be a certain color and I forgot what color; but anyways I will try the peppermint extract. Freemotion, do you know about how much the antibiotics might cost? It really doesn't matter 'cause I'll do anything I have to to keep him healthy but just so I could start getting a list of possibilities and prices. Thanks again.

~Dakotasgurl

 

[fadetopurple]

Just to clarify, did you actually see blood in his urine as it came out, or are you looking at pee spots? It's normal for horses to have a lot of protein in their urine, and it will turn snow/shavings/etc pink as it sits there and reacts with the air. I almost had a heart attack the first time I noticed it, but it's totally normal.

Actual blood in the urine could be a UTI or bladder stones, among other things.

 

[freemotion]

When I managed a breeding and show stable years ago, I had a great relationship with the vets. We used SMZ's for UTI's and they were VERY cheap. They are the same as used for people, but you use 10-12 for the horse and crush them and mix with jelly and use a dosing syringe. I used to pay something like $10 for a course of treatment, but this was 20 years ago! You will definitely pay much more now, and I'm not even sure if they are still using SMZ's. Many bacteria are now resistant and some drugs are rarely used anymore.

The older horses would occasionally get a UTI, and I only knew because they would pee orangey pee on the snow. They tend to drink less, especially in winter.

For UTI's, NO sugar! So don't use Gatorade. The stuff is garbage, anyways, for people or animals. I am personally prone to UTI's, and I can often knock it out by avoiding all sugar and flour and anything my body perceives as sugar or turns into sugar....potatoes, grains, etc. I also drink large amounts of water, and use unsweetened 100% cranberry juice (NOT cocktail, available in grocery stores. This is about $7 per quart, and available in health food stores or in a good grocery store with a decent organic section.) I dilute it with lots of water and sweeten it with stevia extract. I don't think this would work with a horse, because you can't get him to drink enough.....you can lead a horse to water, and all that old wisdom!

Sometimes a horse has a favorite type of bucket. For example, black rubber is generally disliked by most horses, yet commonly sold for use with horses. Most horses prefer plastic, and some in my care showed a marked preference for white plastic. If you are lucky enough to have a horse who indicates this, you can indulge him his whims.

 

[Dakotasgurl]

Well we called the previous owners (one of my friends) and since we don't have a vet yet, she called the vet. Well the vet said it's probably kidney failure due to old age and if not treated soon he could die. The previous owner said she would take him back and give him all the treatments for us, since we are on a tight budget and they said it would be several thousands of dollars. Thankfully she agreed to give me a younger horse that is 7 and is a retired show horse as well. His name is Peepers and looks just like Dakota.

~Dakotasgurl

 

[Dakotasgurl]

Yes, fadetopurple, I saw blood coming out while he was going.

 

[freemotion]

Old age? At 16? What????

Well, that was so nice of them to trade for a younger horse. Good deal for you, and great that they are willing to get treatment for the gelding.