b'Vet continued from page 5the warmed water off immediately, or the warmHe was not sweating, and he was water may serve as insulation and might increase the horses body temperature. So, hose and scrape untilextremely hot to the touch. Hence, I you notice you have successfully reduced the skin temperature. immediately started my emergency The normal body temperature of a horse rangesroutine. Its amazing what we learn from 99.5 to 101 degrees. Horses with chronic casesalong the way as horse owners of anhidrosis will typically have a poor or dry-looking hair coat and have a history that includes lethargywithout even knowing it.during the hotter times of the year. Any temp over 103-104 is bad.proper hydration levels, the horses brain constantly Overweight horses will have a harder time dealingmonitors sodium concentration. Thirst is triggered if with the heat. The added body fat acts as insulation,the concentration of sodium gets too high; salt hunger trapping body heat and making it more difficult foris triggered if sodium gets too low. Theres a time and the horse to cool off. In addition, the digestion of feedplace for electrolyte supplements, but they have to be results in the generation of body heat, and some used correctly.feeds generate more heat than others. Adding fat to the diet will increase the calories in the feed withoutThere are a lot of anecdotal treatments used to treat increasing the volume of feed, and fat burns cooler inequine anhidrosis, including vitamin E, iodine, and the body than protein or carbohydrates. sodium chloride. Everything from beer (containing yeast extracts and B vitamins that are helpful in Prior to the onset of anhidrosis, some horses sweatsweat gland function) to clenbuterol (which must profusely. In other horses, thesweating responsebe administered by a vet) has had some success. The diminishes graduallywith the onset and progressionsupplement One AC by Miracle Powder Company of the condition. How it works, as far as known, is(nonsweater.com) contains a combination of vitamins, basically the sweat glands get over- stimulated and atamino acids, and minerals and has proved helpful for some point, they shut down entirely. While breathingsome anhidrotic horses.accounts for approximately 25 percent of a horses ability to control its internal temperature, sweating is itsWhile there is no proven cure for anhidrosis, primary mechanism for cooling and can account for upmost horses can live normal lives with sensible to 70-75 percent of a horses ability to cool itself off. management. Occasionally, the condition is transient and these more fortunate horses resume sweating The function of electrolytes, especially sodium,normally once the weather cools. Contact your vet for is to hold water in your horses body. To maintainmore information or treatment. 6 September 2023'