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You are here: > Horses > Horse health > Heat stress |
Be Good To Your Horse--Know The Dangers Of The Summer
Months
Just as the bodies of people do, the bodies of horses may
react in a negative way to excessively hot or humid weather.
Heat stroke and exhaustion may occur in very hot months, as
well as sunburn, which can be a very painful ordeal for a
horse. |
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When going through a great deal of physical exertion, the
body of a horse may be unable to properly regulate the
temperature of the body. When too many vital electrolytes
are released through sweat, not to mention the all important
fluids in a horses body, heat exhaustion can occur and this
is pretty dangerous. Keep in mind that if your horse is not
a working horse or a race horse, it can still suffer from
these problems if it is kept confined to a stall or a
trailer or another enclosure. Humidity can increase the
likelihood of heat exhaustion as well. |
Signs that your horse is suffering from heat stress are lack
of a desire to play or eat, or come when called. Unnatural
behaviors like this are great indicators, as is lethargy in
general. Heart rates may go up and the horse may appear to
pant. If the temperature (taken rectally) is higher than 105
degrees, you may want to consult a veterinarian.
 When
electrolytes are lost through sweat, important vitamins and
minerals are lost as well. This can lead to bad blood
circulation and even blood thickening, which is never a good
thing.
Temperature and humidity combine to create painful tissue
injuries and other areas are affected as well. This can lead
to ataxia, which has to do with the horse’s lack of ability
to control the movements of their muscles.
If you suspect that your horse may not be getting enough
water in the hot months, do the pinch test. Pinch a fold of
skin and observe whether or not the skin remains pulled up.
Also, another great way of testing that is to put some
pressure against your horses’ gums. When you let go, there
should be a white spot that is slowly filled in with the
normal pink color. If not, consider the fact that your horse
may not have enough fluids and take corrective actions.
Even if the body temperature of your horse has gone up, they
may not sweat enough to actually cool the body to an
adequate temperature. If you want to lower the body
temperature of your horse, move them into an area where air
flow moves about and rinse it down with cold water. This can
be done using a nozzle, towel, or sponge. Rubbing alcohol
causes evaporation and is also helpful in lowering the
temperature of your horse’s body and can reduce the chances
of heat stroke.
Occasionally, a v et may decide that a horse is so
dehydrated that further action must be taken, and in such
cases they may apply an IV.
Just as with people, when horses are under the sun for
extended periods of time, they run the risk of a sunburn.
Swollen areas, cracks, skin flaking and scabs are all signs
of sunburn in horses. Sunburn occurs on skin that has been
‘photosensitized’ so of course all pink skin on the horse is
at risk. This has to do with skin and a reaction to the
light coming from the sun.
Certain plants and chemicals that may be found in what
horses ingest could cause desensitization and other
problems, including liver issues. Such a case can lead to
increased risk of sunburn.
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Read the next horse health tips article on Helping a Horse Gain Weight. |
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