{"id":1808,"date":"2019-07-31T10:28:21","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T09:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/cheval-chaleur-transpiration\/"},"modified":"2022-07-28T09:23:45","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T08:23:45","slug":"horse-sweat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/horse-sweat\/","title":{"rendered":"How to react if your horse sweats and is dehydrated"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summer is just around the corner, or almost\u2026 But did you know that your horse can also sweat and dehydrate in winter? So now&#8217;s the perfect time to go over perspiration, thermoregulation, and dehydration in horses. We&#8217;ll also look at electrolytes, which everybody talks about without really knowing what they are.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Table des mati&egrave;res<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#What-is-the-purpose-of-sweating\">What is the purpose of sweating?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Why-giving-electrolytes-when-it-is-hot\">Why giving electrolytes when it is hot?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#The-dangers-of-dehydration\">The dangers of dehydration<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"What-is-the-purpose-of-sweating\"><b>What is the purpose of sweating?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perspiration cools down the body. When sweat, i.e. water, dries (evaporates) on the skin, the body&#8217;s temperature drops.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1037\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/transpiration.png\" alt=\"Sweating horse\" class=\"wp-image-8607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/transpiration.png 1037w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/transpiration-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/transpiration-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/transpiration-1024x501.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/transpiration-552x270.png 552w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/transpiration-850x416.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a very important mechanism because humans and horses, like most mammals, are homeothermic, meaning they have physiological processes that allow them to maintain a pretty stable core temperature. [1] However, not all mammals sweat like we do. Cats and dogs shed excess heat through their tongues, whereas horses sweat from every pore, just like humans.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Perspiration means water loss<\/strong>&#8230;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, during a track race in a hot climate, a horse can lose up to <\/span><b>10 to 15 L of water per hour<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, compared to 7 to 8 L per hour during an endurance race in mild weather. That&#8217;s 8% of a horse&#8217;s bodyweight in 5 hours! [2]<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>\u2026and the need to drink lots of water!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under such conditions, that much perspiration means the horse must drink a lot to compensate for such a huge loss of water. A horse can drink between <\/span><b>20 and 75 L of water per day<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> depending on its size, the weather, diet, etc. To give you an idea, a traditional water bucket is 20 L. Nursing mares can drink an additional 15-30 L per day. [2]<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-image-8610\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"760\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/cheval_qui_boit.png\" alt=\"horse sweat drink\" class=\"wp-image-8610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/cheval_qui_boit.png 760w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/cheval_qui_boit-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/cheval_qui_boit-405x270.png 405w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><figcaption>Maybe a little refreshment helps! \u00a9Equisense<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"Why-giving-electrolytes-when-it-is-hot\">Why giving electrolytes when it is hot?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electrolytes are what we give horses in hot weather without really knowing what they do ;)! They come in powder or liquid form, in which case they are diluted in the horse&#8217;s drinking water. You can also buy an oral electrolyte paste. &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img src=\"http:\/\/i3.kym-cdn.com\/photos\/images\/facebook\/000\/234\/739\/fa5.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption>We when we give our horses electrolytes.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>But what do they actually do?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, unlike us, horse sweat is actually hypertonic. That means it contains significantly <strong>more ions that human sweat<\/strong>. For example, horse sweat includes three times more sodium (Na+ ions), five times more potassium (K+ ions), up to 20 times more magnesium (Mg++ ions), and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem is that the body needs all these ions, or electrolytes, in order to function well in general and <strong>to maintain a proper water balance<\/strong>. Horse perspiration also contains proteins. If the animal is sweating a lot, especially during an intense workout, protein loss can be significant as well. [2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1308\" height=\"543\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_1.png\" alt=\"Sweating_1\" class=\"wp-image-8647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_1.png 1308w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_1-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_1-768x319.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_1-1024x425.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_1-604x251.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_1-850x353.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1308px) 100vw, 1308px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem with hypertonic sweat is that dehydrated horses, which have lost even more electrolytes than sweat, will have cells that are running low on ions. As a result, the ion concentration inside the cells is lower than normal. However, if a horse drinks a lot of pure water without also taking in electrolytes, these levels will drop even further. The body will always <b>work to maintain the same concentration on either side of the cell membrane<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. As a result, if a cell is low on ions, drinking a large amount of pure water won&#8217;t help the situation\u2014that&#8217;s why the horse isn&#8217;t thirsty!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1308\" height=\"543\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_2.png\" alt=\"Sweating_2\" class=\"wp-image-8650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_2.png 1308w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_2-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_2-768x319.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_2-1024x425.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_2-604x251.png 604w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sweating_2-850x353.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1308px) 100vw, 1308px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In humans, however, our sweat is hypotonic. As our cells lose water, their ion concentrations increase. The body tries to dilute these levels by making us thirsty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In horses, electrolytes help replenish low ion concentrations and maintain hydration levels by making the animal thirsty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>However, be careful. Just because your horse is a bit sweaty after your ride doesn&#8217;t mean you should always provide electrolytes!<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It can even be counterproductive. If your horse doesn&#8217;t have free access to water, it can even lead to paradoxical dehydration. That means you&#8217;ve increased the ion concentration in the horse\u2019s cells, but it can&#8217;t drink enough water to dilute it. The best electrolyte you can give is salt.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span id=\"The-dangers-of-dehydration\"><b>The dangers of dehydration<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dehydration becomes a real possibility when it&#8217;s hot outside. Let&#8217;s take a closer look at what happens in a dehydrated horse by studying two possible pathologies that can occur.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Hyperthermia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first concern is hyperthermia. When a horse becomes severely dehydrated, it can no longer sweat enough to cool down. As a result, its core temperature starts to increase, and that can be very dangerous. If it rises too much, the horse can fall into a coma or even die due to irreversible brain damage.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1037\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/douche_1.png\" alt=\"Horse_Shower\" class=\"wp-image-8622\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/douche_1.png 1037w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/douche_1-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/douche_1-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/douche_1-1024x501.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/douche_1-552x270.png 552w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/douche_1-850x416.png 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hypertermia is also called &#8220;<\/span><b>heat stroke<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can imagine, this condition is more likely to happen when it&#8217;s hot. In general, poorly conditioned race horses that run in a hot and humid climate are the most affected. Horses can suffer heat stroke even if they aren&#8217;t working out. For example, if a horse is confined in a poorly ventilated place that&#8217;s hot and humid, it can overheat. The most common example is inside a trailer. [3]<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-620\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"http:\/\/equisenseblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_5098-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"transport-cheval-transpiration\" class=\"wp-image-620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_5098-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_5098-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_5098-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/IMG_5098-405x270.jpg 405w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption>Transporting your horse at high temperature can contribute to a heat stroke. \u00a9Equisense<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><i>Clinical signs<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hyperthermic horses are generally unable to sweat properly due to dehydration. Before heat stroke sets in, their skin feels hot and dry to the touch. Horses in this state breathe very quickly and have an elevated heart rate. As a reminder, a horse&#8217;s normal resting heart rate is generally between 30 and 40 beats per minute. The most obvious sign, however, is an <\/span><b>extremely elevated rectal temperature<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (105 \u00b0F-109 \u00b0F). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The horse might also seem depressed, weak, and uninterested in food. Of course, it will also likely refuse to work. [3]<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>What to do<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first thing you should do is call your vet and tell him or her what happened. You can take your horse&#8217;s temperature before calling to help the vet assess the seriousness of the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your horse is indeed suffering heat stroke, your vet will probably tell you to bring the horse out of the sun in a well-ventilated area and to either run cold water over its body or cover it with a wet blanket to bring down its temperature. [3]<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;If, after ten minutes of rest, the horse&#8217;s core temperature doesn&#8217;t drop below 102.2 \u00b0F, the animal is excessively fatigued and dehydrated.&#8221; [2]<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Depending on your horse&#8217;s condition, it might require IV fluids to &#8220;restore proper blood volumes.&#8221; [3]<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Rhabdomyolysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I won&#8217;t get into the nitty gritty of biochemics, but suffice it to say that dehydration can lead to circulatory disorders, which in turn can increase the level of lactic acid in the blood.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The issue is that excess lactic acid can result in <\/span><b>rhabdomyolysis, otherwise known as tying up, Monday morning disease, or myositis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (that&#8217;s a lot of names for one problem).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rhabdomyolysis can happen under any number of conditions, including a long ride after a day off, a lesson that&#8217;s too demanding for the horse&#8217;s training level, poor diet, dehydration, and the list goes on [4].<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-619\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"169\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/equisenseblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/emeric_CSO_crop-169x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/emeric_CSO_crop-169x300.jpeg 169w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/emeric_CSO_crop-768x1361.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/emeric_CSO_crop-578x1024.jpeg 578w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/emeric_CSO_crop-152x270.jpeg 152w, https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/emeric_CSO_crop.jpeg 1296w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><figcaption>Intensive trainings sessions in extreme heat can lead to rhabdomyolysis. \u00a9Equisense<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><i>Clinical signs<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Myositis appears rather suddenly during a workout. The horse will become stiff, as if it has a serious cramp. The effect can be either general or local and will typically affect the back and rear legs. The animal might even refuse to go forward if the muscle contractions are extreme enough. These contractions will be accompanied by excessive sweating, which in some cases can be quite dramatic. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>What to do<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First off, don&#8217;t make your horse move! If you&#8217;re outside, bring the trailer to your horse. Unlike during a case of hyperthermia, you shouldn&#8217;t try to cool it off. Instead, focus on warming up the horse&#8217;s muscles to help it relax. If the weather is hot, the ambient temperature will be enough. However, if you&#8217;re riding in cooler weather, cover your horse with a blanket. Offer water.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once again, you should immediately call your veterinarian, who will give the animal IV fluids, administer medicines to relieve the pain and help the horse relax, and take a blood sample to confirm the diagnostic. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those are just two examples of pathologies you might encounter, but there are unfortunately many others. You should always call your vet as soon as you notice an abnormal behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You and your horse are all set to head into summer safely. Don&#8217;t forget your buckets, water, umbrella, fan, and thermometer\u2014not to work on your tan at the beach but to be ready to spring into action as soon as you notice the first signs of dehydration in your horse!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus, remember that dehydration can also occur in winter when the water is too cold and horses refuse to drink! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay tuned for the next article, <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Camille Saute, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">R&amp;D Director at Equisense<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6><b><br>Bibliography<\/b><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<h6>[1] Wikipedia \u201cHom\u00e9otherme\u201d, [Online] (accessed on June 19, 2017) URL : <a href=\"https:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hom\u00e9otherme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/fr.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hom\u00e9otherme<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<h6>[2] Wolter, C. Barre, et P. Benoit, <i>L\u2019alimentation du cheval<\/i>, 3\u00e8me editi. France Agricole, 2014.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<h6>[3] A. Orsini et J. Divers, <i>Urgences en m\u00e9decine \u00e9quine<\/i>. Paris, France: Maloine, 2001.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<h6>[4] Reverdy, \u201cLes coups de sang\u201d, [Online] (<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accessed on June 16, 2017<\/span>) URL : <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reverdy.eu\/article-reverdy\/les-coups-de-sang.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"broken_link\">http:\/\/www.reverdy.eu\/article-reverdy\/les-coups-de-sang.html<\/a><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summer is just around the corner, or almost\u2026 But did you know that your horse&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/horse-sweat\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":32650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6177],"tags":[6530,6650],"yst_prominent_words":[753,810,818,809,805,6606,811,815,6605,817,6607,808,816,825,819,814,823,776,806,824],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1808"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1808"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32649,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1808\/revisions\/32649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1808"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.equisense.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=1808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}