old horse sweating

[MindyLee]

OK

Im boarding a 29 yr old mini gelding and noticed that ever since he arrived on Monday, he seems a little damp around the base of his neck/shoulder area. Matter of fact each and every time I went to trim his feet at his house, he is the same way. He is old and foundered with the possibility of having cushings too per the vet but no test done to prove it. The little fella dont shiver and totally seems normal but always damp in that area. I dont believe he's running a temp and while he is only being stalled in a 9x12 stall, there's no evidence that he's pacing as all the straw is hardly disturbed. I am keeping a eye on him as I dont want to blanket him since he has never been blanked before and owner dont own one SO I dont want his body to depend on it if he dont need it. BUT if he dose start to shiver, I will then do so and then send him home when it comes time to that way he still has it.

Have any of you ever experianced this? Should I be worried or just keep a close eye on him like I am have been?

Like I said, he totally seems to be normal BUT I think hes sweating???

OH and its cold in the damp areas not warm like sweating.

THANKS!!!

 

[mydaddysjag]

is he getting it wet from his water bucket? I know, unlikely, but mine does it when his bucket is completely full

 

[MindyLee]

I dont believe so. Even when he's at his own home when I go to trim his feet every month, he's damp then too... Im defently baffled on this one.

 

[ohmt]

My older mare this past summer/fall had trouble with sweating. I am almost positive she has cushings-haven't had her tested, but have switched her feed as though she has it and she is doing very well on that. She hasn't had any problems with sweating for a while, but I don't know if it's because I switched her feed or because it got cold. Will find out come spring I guess!

Maybe the sweating is a cushings thing? I am not sure on that and don't believe I've read anything about it either, but maybe?

How is the stallions weight?

 

[Eagle]

Hi, I had problems this fall with my stallion, he was sweating and depressed so the vet thought it might be Cushings. I did lots of research and this more or less what I found. Hope it helps.

One of the most easily recognizable signs of equine Cushing’s disease is an abnormal haircoat. This can be as mild as subtle

changes in shedding pattern or as obvious as a long, wavy, overgrown coat (called hirsutism). Other classic signs of Cushing’s

include:

■ Excessive sweating;

■ Increased appetite;

■ Increased drinking and urination;

■ Lethargy and poor performance;

■ A pot-bellied appearance;

■ Muscle loss (especially along the topline);

■ Abnormal fat distribution (primarily in

the crest of the neck, tail head, sheath,

and above the eyes);

■ Chronic or relapsing laminitis; and

■ Delayed wound healing, skin infections,

and increased susceptibility to internal

parasites.4

Equine Cushing’s disease can have a long, slow onset, which makes diagnosis difficult. In addition, none of the available

tests for the disease are perfect.There is no cure for Cushing’s disease. Veterinarians currently recommend treating affected horses with pergolide mesylate, which decreases circulating ACTH (and other hormone) levels. Pergolide mesylate is only available for horses as a specially formulated product. Caution is recommended when administering this product.

There are also dietary supplements available that are advocated for horses with metabolic diseases such as Cushing’s or insulin resistance. Choose nutritional supplements wisely and consider all the nutrients in the horse’s diet. Visit www.emeraldvalleyequine.com as they have Evitex.

Good luck.

 

[AnnaC]

Over the years a lot of my elderly (25-35) horses have done this - also getting damp patches in their lower flank area - and I have mostly put it down to a diminished ability to regulate body temperature. My way of dealing with it is to make sure they have plenty of fresh air circulating when they are stabled, but no draughts, giving them as much time outside as possible and keeping a good eye on them. When stabled they are in the largest stalls that I have available - fresh air does not always 'get' to a mini horse standing in a 'big' horses stable, especially if the sides are 'full sized'.

I would get your little fella checked over health wise, and then if everything proves normal and he is eating well and has a good 'attitude/interest' in life in general, I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep feeling his ears - a gentle/comfortable warmth round the base of his ears will tell you that he's not cold, but being outside as much as possible (weather allowing) with the chance to have a good roll and to move about, plus no draughts when stabled will help him get through the winter months, until he can lose his heavy coat in the spring. I certainly wouldn't rug him unless you can feel that he is cold.

Good luck - these wonderful oldies do worry us at times dont they!

Anna

 

[AJ]

I had a senior pregnant mare that I noticed sweating a lot and I was sure she must be aborting. In discussion with another Mini owner with many "horse" years experience, he had had one horse do that and when he eliminated corn (which he fed to all his working horses) he had no more sweating. All I ever feed is oats and hay, but I had just started her on a supplement , Calf Manna, to put more weight on. In looking at the ingredients, the top item was corn. Stopped the supplement and sweating stopped in a day.

 

[Make A Wish Miniatures]

I have a 19 year old Cushings mare that gets such a thick coat and last year was sweating so badly that I ended up clipping her and blanketing. She has done some sweating this year even when the temp. was way below freezing but not as bad as last year so i haven't clipped her yet. I think it has a lot to do with the Cushings.

 

[MindyLee]

THANK YOU all so much for this helpful information.

This old fella dose worry me some but its such a relief to know that this is most likely due to the cushings. With him not belonging to me and I never having any experiance with taking care of a older horse with both cushings and sever founder, its becoming a learning process. He dose have a really thick and funky coat, but for his age, he sure is in good health and weight. Also has most of his teeth still also.

My biggest fear is him catching a cold and passing away in my care BUT Im sure he wont. But because he's not mine I cant help but worry even tho he's perfectly normal and healthy

Thanks again all!

 

[Marty]

Hi Mindy Lee

I'm not one to be hollering to go call a vet at the drop of a hat as this may not be anything to worry about, however your situation is different because of the fact this is a boarded horse. The first thing I would do is to alert the owner of this sweating condition and ask for his input. He may or may not be aware of this. If he hasn't noticed his horse doing this at his home before he came to your place, I would ask him if he would like the vet to come check him out. I don't know what your boarding contract states, but you do have to cover your own rear here. So I would not assume a thing or self-diagnose even though these responses you have seem to be very good and on target with the problem, I'd be documenting dates and times of this sweating and put a call into the owner before I would do another thing. Best wishes to you for a good outcome.

 

[Ashley]

I have 2 very old horses both around 30 and one older horse that is 20. THe 20 year old acts and seems far older then the two oldest ones. The two oldest ones wear blankets all winter. I have never noticed any kind of sweating of any sort on any of them.