Water is essential for health and life. However, very little research done under farm conditions is available to determine whether or not water is involved in animal health problems. Recent research revealed no relationship between losses on randomly selected swine farms and water quality. About 10 percent of the farms had coliform bacteria counts above acceptable levels and total dissolved solids on most farms were well below risk levels.2 Concerns about water quality for livestock include the effect on animal per- formance, the spread of disease and the safety of animal products for human consumption. In nearly all instances where animals ingest higher than recom- mended levels of normal constituents in water, there is no residue problem in the meat or milk.
Water is an essential ingredient in the animal body.
A long period of water deprivation can result in death. Even short periods of water deprivation can lead to problems in some species. Dissolved solids consist of a variety of salts such as chlorides, sulfates and bicarbonates of calcium, magnesium and sodium. Water with high levels of dissolved solids is often called saline. Problems with dissolved solids in water can occur any time in some locations.