Horses And Hyperthermia

Since summertime is upon us I thought I would talk about Hyperthermia in horses. Remember hyperthermia is a medical emergency as is heatstroke.
Hyperthermia (heat exhaustion and or/heatstroke) can and will occur in horses as well as humans. Horses have a capacity to adapt well to the changing environments but if you live in a hot and humid area you will want to take some extra precautions for the health and well-being of your horse.
Symptoms you should look for in the horse are weakness, rapid breathing, sweating, dark urine, temperature of 105 or higher. The horse's heart rate will usually be higher than normal and just as dogs pant your horse may also, it is their way cooling down.
Heat exhaustion comes on slowly whereas heatstroke occurs fairly rapidly so get the horse cooled down as fast as you can. If heatstroke occurs your horse will be much hotter than with hyperthermia, as high as 115 degrees and the horse will actually stop sweating! The horses cooling system at this point has totally broken down. If you think your horse has hyperthermia or heatstroke call your veterinarian right away and start hosing your horse down with cool or tepid water.
Prevention: Good horse management. Horses should have free access to cool, clean water and plenty of shade, whether under a tree or an open shelter as long as the horse can get out of the sun and heat. When you exercise your horse try to exercise him or her in early morning or late in the evening as it is cooler. You may also try shorter exercise periods with frequent breaks in between. Horses can loose from 3-5 gallons of sweat per work-out. If you are going trail riding get some chewable electrolytes to take with you. Apple Elite Electrolyte by Farnam restores electrolytes and trace minerals lost by dehydration and exertion by your horse. Farnam (or whatever brand you choose) also have many supplements to help your horse replace the minerals lost during exercise from dehydration. Mineral salt blocks should always be placed so that the horse has access to it whenever they wish.
Hyperthermia is a medical emergency for your horse! You need to cool your horse down as fast as you can using tepid to cool water, a fan if you have one which will help in cooling him down faster. Call your veterinarian asap or have a friend do it for you. Keep the horse in the shade and give the horse some cool water with electrolytes if you have them to drink and also plain old pure water too. He may or may not want to drink, but keep trying in short intervals.
It is always good to keep electrolytes on hand at all times. You can give your horse electrolyte supplements when he/she is under stress, long trailer rides, long work-outs or if the weather is hotter than 80 degrees and especially if it is hot and humid. Make sure your he/she has free access to plenty of cool pure water.
Remember to monitor your horse when the weather is extremely hot and humid and if your he/she seems at all sluggish then give the horse frequent breaks and continue to monitor the horse, you know your horse the best and can tell if he/she is out of sorts.
I am a horse enthusiast and an online marketer. I specialize in horse related products and information. I own and operate Posterhorse.com: http://www.posterhorse.com/ and we also have a fan page: http://www.facebook.com/posterhorse. Posterhorse for all your poster needs. Please drop in anytime.

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