Urination?

[Angel62197]

So I've been talking with Becky, my barn owner, about Finn... wonderful boy had his teeth floated yesterday and apparently was less than a doll. But that's neither here nor there. She pointed out that he pees... a lot. He would SOAK his stall overnight, the point the whole thing had to be stripped and replaced each day, after the mats were hung to dry. Now that he's out 24-7, it hasn't seemed to stop. She says he pees often, and will often be seen semi-dangling, drippng. But he doesn't seem to have a problem actually peeing, the dripping is just in between times. We also discovered some tenderness on his left side, around his kidneys. Can anyone think of anything that could cause this? I know kidney disease and such is pretty rare in horses. But this might be part of his issue with riding (pain with a rider in the saddle).

[shekaberry]

I don't know about horses, but with humans those are all indicative of a bladder or kidney infection. Antibiotics clear them up, but kidney infections can cause permanent kidney damage if left untreated. I'd call the vet out for a check.

[monicabee]

A bladder infection could cause dribbling and discomfort.

And has his sheath been cleaned recently? A bean removed?

As to the large volume of pee, hmmm, how old is he?

I would look into this as a bladder infection can make a horse pretty uncomfortable and it could affect his rideability, as you commented. Call your vet and ask if you can collect a sample, or if there is a barn vet, see if you can share a call.

I once collected a urine sample from my first horse - I didn't realize how little they needed and delivered a Paul Mason Wine Carafe full (my mother's idea - the wide mouth to gather, tied to a broomstick handle so that I could stay out of splash range). I do know you want to keep the container pretty sterile so that your sample is not contaminated by anything else.

[cardicorgi]

J, I agree with what sb and mb wrote. Keep us posted!