What is Anhidrosis?
- 11 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Anhidrosis in horses is a condition where they can't sweat properly. Sweating is crucial for horses to cool down, especially in hot and humid weather or during exercise. Without sweating, their body temperature can rise dangerously, leading to overheating or even heatstroke.
It's more common in hot climates and can affect horses of any breed or age.
Managing this condition often involves keeping the horse cool, providing shade, and sometimes relocating them to a cooler environment. While there's no guaranteed cure, some nutritional support has been shown to help.
Symptoms of anhidrosis include no sweating - elevated body temperature, rapid breathing, weight loss, decreased performance, decreased water consumption, dry, flaky skin, facial hair loss and alopecia generally.
Effective Treatment Options
The exact cause isn't fully understood, but it likely happens when sweat glands stop working well, especially in hot and humid weather.
Long periods of extreme heat can make the problem worse. Horses sweat more in these conditions, which can overwhelm their ability to sweat and increase their need for salt and electrolytes.
While anhidrosis has no definitive cure, there are several strategies to help manage the condition and improve your horse's comfort. These include providing ample shade, proper hydration, and monitoring your horse's environment for heat stress.
Nutritional Support
Anecdotal accounts indicate success with mega-dosing salt - for example 3 servings of 30g of salt (a tablespoon) over 3 meals a day.
Salt is essential for keeping horses healthy—it helps maintain fluid balance, supports nerves and muscles, and encourages them to drink enough water to stay hydrated. Horses excrete excess salt in urine.
Read more about salt here:
There is research into Vitamin E supplementation for anhydrosis - Marsh JH. Treatment of ‘dry coat’ in thoroughbreds with vitamin E. Vet Rec. 1961. This study is behind a paywall but may be worth reading if your horse has this condition.
Vitamin E is abundant in pasture, but if your horse is not on fresh pick you, can add human vitamin E capsules that are readily available at your supermarket, with the dosage adjusted for bodyweight.
The amino acid L-tyrosine may influence cellular response to epinephrine in sweat glands. A good source of amino acids generally is soy bean meal.
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