Desert dehydration

[BigBadMick]

Hey guys!

I'm currently writing a scene in which my characters are travelling across the desert on horse (bad idea, I know!).

Their destination is a few days away and they've got no water. They're travelling by night and sleeping by day.

Does anybody know of any good articles online, or any good books on the stages of dehydration in the desert in these conditions? I basically want to know what should be happening to them due to lack of water and the effect of the lack of water on their horses.

Thanks in advance!

BigBadMick
(waspdog3@yahoo.com)

[kahnovitch]

Hi Mick,

Here's a couple of links with some info...

link (http://www.rehydrate.org/dehydration/)

link (http://html.newsnet5.com/sh/weather/stories/nat-weather-89912820010801-080837.html)

Don't forget the good old hallucinations too.

[Kaz]

This (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000982.htm) link is quite informative - it gives the general signs & symptoms of dehydration, causes, treatment etc and also has links to definitions of whatever factors are involved.

[JRMurdock]

Just don't forget your 4's. I don't recall where I heard this one, but...

4 minutes without Air
4 days without water
4 weeks without food

All spell death. Don't leave your character out in the middle of the desert without water for two weeks.

I've managed to suffer from heat stroke (from plain stupidity). It hurts, really bad. heat exhaustion and heat stoke are both very real possibilites prior to complete dehydration. You may want to look up examples of both of those as well. The pianful headaches is what I recall most. Dizzyness, dry mouth, swollen tongue, cracked lips, tunnel vision. This was all after 1 day in colorado with no water for approx 24 hours in the hot, hot sun. I was wiped out for nearly a week after I finally got home and got water back in me.

Maus99