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  Discussion on Horses love the taste of bleach?!
Author Message
Member:
stek

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 8, 2008 - 6:37 pm:

Wondering if anyone else has experienced this, or if it might be an indication of something missing in the diet.

I spritz my water tanks with a bleach/water solution before scrubbing once a month or so to kill off any oogies, and if I give them the opportunity two of our mares and one gelding will lick the bleach-spritzed tank walls like they are candy! If I get a little on my hands they will follow me around trying to lick me till I get it cleaned off. They will also drink deeply after a fresh bleach scrub, I'm assuming some of the flavor residue is remaining. (We are on well water so it is not chlorinated normally)

Our horses get daily access to pasture, good quality orchard grass hay, a small amount of concentrate and alfalfa pellets, a general multivitamin supplement and have a mineral salt block always available.

Any thoughts on why they might be doing this? I have considered tasting the bleach solution just out of curiosity but can't bring myself to do it.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 8, 2008 - 7:26 pm:

No, I don't think it is an indication of dietary deficiency Shannon, just the horses find the odor interesting and are "exploring" it.
DrO
Member:
dres

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 8, 2008 - 11:32 pm:

My horses LOVE the smell of bleach and love the flavor in their water tanks.. I actually add a splash, only a splash , of bleach to the full tanks to help keep them fresh.. if a mare in another pasture smells it in the air she will start licking her lips and spit all over the place.. ALL of em love it..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Member:
zarr

Posted on Thursday, Oct 9, 2008 - 4:16 pm:

Mine too Ann, the mustang will start to flem and go glassey eyed with joy! Our cats love it also way more than catnip!
Member:
stek

Posted on Thursday, Oct 9, 2008 - 6:18 pm:

How funny, glad it isn't just ours .. who woulda thunk bleach of all things. I have thought a tiny bit of bleach might be a good addition to the water tank when we travel to be sure the cloroxaholics drink. I bet if I offered a bucket of bleach water, even in the trailer, they'd suck it down like koolaid!

Thanks guys :-)
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Friday, Oct 10, 2008 - 10:02 am:

Animals can be like children, can't they? I know someone who as a child drank bleach with his identical twin brother, who died as a result. Personally, I would be extra-careful about cats and anything that is toxic since they seem to be more sensitive, and perhaps cumulative damage could happen while not being immediately apparent. While a useful product, bleach should be used sparingly and with caution. It is not environmentally friendly.
Member:
zarr

Posted on Friday, Oct 10, 2008 - 12:28 pm:

The cats don't drink it they just get high sniffing the stuff,same with Whiskey, LoL. Always follow use of bleach with probiotics! We use it to clean racing pigeon equipment as well as water tanks and chicken coop, always follow with "healthguard" and red cell! Since it kills good and bad bacteria use with caution and good sense.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Friday, Oct 10, 2008 - 12:45 pm:

Interesting, Cindy, thanks.
New Member:
gramsey1

Posted on Friday, Oct 10, 2008 - 9:50 pm:

Chlorine bleach may react with contaminates in water to change the PH toward acid. This maybe perceived by the horse as interesting, sour.
check out how bleach works.

https://science.howstuffworks.com/question189.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Oct 10, 2008 - 10:35 pm:

Hello Guy,
I am uncertain about reactions but bleach itself is a strong alkali so when put in water it becomes more alkaline.
DrO
Member:
zarr

Posted on Saturday, Oct 11, 2008 - 11:53 am:

Guy interesting site. Showed it to my husband who has been a racing pigeon flyer since he was 8. The use of a tsp of bleach in a gallon of water is a long time treatment for the birds. This is given 3 times a week to control bacterial illness in the birds. So he appreciates the link!
New Member:
gramsey1

Posted on Sunday, Oct 12, 2008 - 7:43 am:

Yes, my mistake. Bleach has a high pH, it would make clean water more alkaline. It does react to things like skin and sweat and then the pH goes down. That is why we monitor pH in pools. We try to keep the pool around 7.

I did find another interesting link on the subject.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/asfm-vik021306.php
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