# Incredibly sweaty horse?



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

My horse sweats excessively. We are setting up an appointment with the vet for coggins, so I will ask him then, but I would like to have an idea of why he sweats so much before then..

I know it is hot here, it was about 90 today and it will get hotter, but none of our other horses sweat like he does. Sometimes they are a little damp during the hottest part of the day and that is expected considering 90+ is our average temperature from June-August or even September. 

I went outside today at about 7:30pm to feed and he was sweating like he has just been ridden, on his neck, chest, legs, belly, and butt. He doesn't feel hot to the touch, and is acting normally. I also noticed that he sweats profusely while being ridden. I will try to get pictures of this if I can..

He had shade, and I empty, clean, and refil their waters daily. He has a salt block, drinks water normally and is in good health besides being a little thinner than I would like (we bought him coming off of winter and I think he is sweating off any gained weight..)

He shouldn't be sweating like this, we aren't doing extremely difficult things, and he doesn't do much during the day to warrant sweating like this. Am I just worrying too much, or could something be wrong? He is my buddy, I would hate to have something be wrong and I am not doing anything about it...


----------



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Could he be from a cooler climate & not yet acclimated to the South? A friend moved from the Mid West to NC & her horses had a rough time for the first couple of years.
Be sure he has free choice electrolytes available.


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

No, I believe he has lived here all of his life, we bought him from a girl from here who had him for a year or two, and before that she got him from his breeder who also lives in NC I think.

We moved here from New York, and the horses disliked NC at first too. The heat, wouldn't drink the well water, the hay was different... So picky! Lol


----------



## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Some horses are sweaters. It is definitely something to address with the vet, as there are some underlying causes that would warrant more concern, but it may just be how he is wired. While you mention he doesn't feel hot, have you actually taken his vitals during one of his episodes? If so, what were they?


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

I haven't been able to take his temp(couldn't find our thermometer) but his pulse, respiration rate, capillary refil time along with his gum color, are all inside the normal range. I will take them again tomorrow as it is supposed to be 91, so I am sure he will be sweaty.


----------



## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

Our TB is a sweater - she can be in a group of horses, all in the same setting, same amount of activity, etc and be completely sweated up while everyone else is bone dry.


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

He is the same way, I hope it is just how he is wired. Do you give her anything extra because she sweats? Free choice electrolytes like natisha mentioned?


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I have one TWH that was a profuse sweater; he sweat so bad in the 112% humidity last year that there was sweat foam on his grazing muzzle.

He wears a grazing muzzle because he is insulin resistant - which is why I bring this up.

Your horse might be dealing with metabolic issues. I would ask the vet to draw two viles of blood; one to check insulin and glucose levels, the other to do an ACTH test for possible cushings.

That being said, don't be suprised if the tests come back normal - they always seem to if a horse is in the early stages of metabolic diseases:-(

I recently added chia seeds to this horse's diet (he was already getting chasetree) and much to my astonishment, the profuse sweating went away:shock:

It actually went away too much so I cut his chia seeds back. I now fill a 1/3 measuring cup about 2/3rd's full and I think I may have to cut it back a bit more. 

As long as he comes in with salt on his back at the end of the day, instead of his entire body being stuck together with sweat glue, I am happy. He's sweating about the same as my other horses, is drinking plenty of water, eating salt and his behavior/activity level is normal.

I can't believe the chia seeds did that and I do NOT recommend anyone put their horse on chia seeds to control profuse sweating. A vet needs to look at horses like that.

I already knew this horse's profuse sweating was caused from the insulin issues and I know that chia seeds are supposed to be the latest and greatest "herbal thing" to help control them.

File this in your memory bank until after the vet has looked at your horse


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

He doesn't have a foamy sweat, but I will definitely ask my vet about this! Thanks for your help!


----------



## mypets (Mar 2, 2012)

I would definitely mention this to his vet. I had an insulin resistant horse a few years ago who would sweat more than my other horse. In really humid weather I would hose her down to cool her out then use a scraper to remove the excess water. During the hottest part of the day can you put him in a stall with fans on him?


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

It doesn't get humid here, it's more of a dry heat. But I do hose him down when it is super hot. I've only owned him since March so I don't know if it will get worse or not....

We don't have a barn but we built a 20x20 run in that offers them shade all day, along with several shade trees. I will see if we could put a fan in the run in, but we don't have electric by the horses so it will have to be off of extension cords. That could be a problem if one of them gets caught in the extension cords though.

This is what he looked like at 11am today, it was only about 82f then

http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r566/haileyfichter/3639e6e7.jpg
http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r566/haileyfichter/384af13c.jpg
http://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r566/haileyfichter/b3bdd1c5.jpg

I am on my iPad so I am not really sure how the pictures will look on a computer. Sorry if they are huge


----------



## ThirteenAcres (Apr 27, 2012)

Does the horse not have a current coggins? Or is this just a new coggins?


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

He has a current coggins, but it expires next month, and we are planning to do some trails this summer so we are going to have the vet come out and get current coggins for our three horses.


----------



## mypets (Mar 2, 2012)

That seems like an odd sweat pattern for a horse that's just standing around. It almost looks like he's been ridden except there's not much sweat on his back. I wouldn't run any extension cords out to the run in shed, too much chance of someone stepping on them. If he has plenty of shade and water hopefully that should be enough. Make sure he has free choice salt to encourage drinking enough. Show those pics to your vet when he comes out. It seems like my mare used to sweat funny like that but I'm not really sure.


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

We are going to call the vet later tonight, and hopefully set up an appointment for this weekend or early next week. I will ask him about doing Insulin/glucose tests, and an ACTH Test.

All of our horses have access to free choice salt, and I was thinking about getting electrolytes for him as well. I talked to his previous owner about his sweating, and she said it could be HyPP because his dam might have had Impressive breeding, and she died pretty young. I don't know too much about HyPP, besides it has to do with potassium levels being too high (which is why I am wary about giving him electrolytes because potassium is a big component of them) and it causes muscle spasms, along with other symptoms. I think sweating is one of them, someone correct me if I am wrong. UCDavis does HyPP tests for $40 so I was thinking about getting one done, or at least talking to the vet about it.


----------



## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

Haileyy, where are you that there isnt much humidity? I live near Charlotte but the heat here has been nasty, not to mention the humidity- and I moved from Florida so if I say its humid, its humid 

Just wondering where the dry heat is?


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

Lincolnton. We moved from Long Island, which was really humid pretty much all year long because it is surrounded by water. I don't know if it's just me, but it feels soo much dryer here. I don't feel damp with humidity when I go outside like I did sometimes in LI.

Waxhaw is also further south and closer to the coast, I don't know if that makes much of a difference though...


----------



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

Skips has always been a bit of a profuse sweater, i can look back to some of my photos from last year and we can compare the amount of sweat he had then and now? i don't think he would have cushings unless it was in the EARLY EARLY stages of it as he shows no real symptoms for it at all. definitely going to go back through my old photos and see what i can find for you haileyy


----------



## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

closer to the coast? Hmm... not sure how zoomed out you are on your map but lincolnton is only about 2 hrs from me  The coast on the other hand it 3.5+ hrs. It's more dry than Florida but i still feel it, especially this week. 

I hope you hear good news from your vet and its just his body adjusting


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

I doubt it is cushings as, like you said, he shows no other symptoms.

That would be great if you could, thanks


----------



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

Haileyyy i went through my photos, and the only ones comparable to that amount of sweat was from the day he arrived off the trailer, was about a 25-30 minute ride from where he was to here. and when being ridden, or being a goof out in the pasture. so i don't believe he ever sweated that much around here. maybe thats because i only seen him morning and evening and not that often during the day unless we were riding?


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

I think it's about 5 hours to the coast, maybe a little less or more depending on traffic. Thanks, me too!

He doesn't seem to sweat as much in the morning, or later in the evening, but during the day he does. Maybe it is just the fact that it gets pretty hot during that time? He acts normal, and doesn't have any other issues other than sweating.

I hope I am worrying over nothing. He's my buddy, and I want him to be "as healthy as a horse" haha.


----------



## mypets (Mar 2, 2012)

Could it be what they are calling Equine Metabolic Syndrome? Some horses have some of the signs of Cushings but not all of them, so not full-blown Cushings disease. From what I understand, HYPP can be managed with a careful feeding regimen.


----------



## nuisance (Sep 8, 2011)

My mare is a nervous sweater... She can be standing still, but tremble and sweat, if there's somekind of new stimuli around. She's better than she use to be, but her neck will be drenched in sweat, no foamy, but you can scrape puddles off in your hand!


----------



## Haileyyy (Mar 10, 2012)

I guess it could be EMS, but he isn't lame, and isn't obese/have fat accumulation so it sounds unlikely.

He isn't sweating because of stimuli, not much phases him lol.


----------

