I’m bumping this up because I’ve seen a couple of anhidrosis threads in the last week or so.
Tip has been on Platinum Refresh since late April. He started at a dose of 1 scoop 2x/day, which is the amount recommended by weight. On that dose he would sweat by his ears and shoulders and under his tack, and lather between his hind legs and under my leg. I’ll be honest that after 10 years of anhidrosis I don’t remember what “normal sweat” looks like for this horse, because “normal” is none at all, but my impression is that he was producing thicker sweat with a more lathery character than his barnmates.
Whatever it was, it kept him him comfortable through about mid-July, when we had several weeks in a row at 80% humidity or more. The humidity is the real killer for him. During those weeks I did not ride and he lived under a fan from 8AM to turnout after 8PM, as did the rest of the barn. At temperatures of over 90, with humidity over about 60%, his sweating was impaired; he would get damp under his saddle and over his shoulders but nowhere else. After talking to the Platinum reps I increased his dose to a scoop and a half twice per day. They suggested doing so only on the hottest days of the summer and backing him down when it cooled off to reduce the odds of developing further tolerance. I did not see an increase in sweating with the higher dose. However, what I did notice is that his heat tolerance appeared improved regardless in comparison to previous years. His respiration returned to normal more quickly, and his body temperature dropped after one cool shower rather than several minutes of hosing and scraping. This is not scientific but anecdotal in comparison to years where he has been equally fit in summer.
Now that the humidity has dropped substantially for the moment he is back on the single scoop twice daily and continuing to produce appropriate sweat for his level of exertion, sufficient to maintain comfort in active exercise. He’s been able to remain fit through most of summer, rather than being let down, for the first time in several years.
I am pleased with the product and intend to continue it- I gave my remaining One AC to a barnmate. During late spring, early fall, and the milder periods of the summer, he sweats appropriately, and in the hottest months his ability to regulate his temperature is improved. However, given that August this year has been unseasonably cool and he developed tolerance in advance of the hottest months, then showed limited response to an increased dose, I may consider trying Let 'M Sweat or another product early next year to see if that can maintain sweat production at higher humidity levels.
This has been a very worthwhile experiment.
but usually I’m lucky if he can give me half an hour at all in the summer. He doesn’t sweat “like a normal horse” still but he can walk himself to an appropriate respiration rate and his body temperature begins to return to normal before he goes to a cool shower. Really big improvement.