Horse shivering but toasty warm under blanket, really?

[Limitless]

It’s pretty darn cold here for southern New England, going to down to probably zero and colder with a wind chill tonight. My old guy is in a heavy (400 gram) Rambo Optimo and a 150 gram neck cover. I brought him and his girlfriend in a little while ago after being out all day, in the teens, and I put him on the cross ties before dinner to give him the once over, and I see that he’s shivering. That Rambo Optimo is HEAVY.

I was really surprised to see him shivering, especially with the neck cover on. It’s the heaviest blanket he’s ever worn! So I check underneath, and he’s really toasty warm under there. Since my barn is cold, and it’s only getting colder, I put another 100 gram layer underneath to see if he stops shivering. I guess when I go back out to check, and assuming he’s not, I’ll know he was really cold.

But I really didn’t expect for him to feel so warm, not sweaty, or hot, just toasty, under his blanket. He’s not upset, and peed and pooped normally in his stall, and was hungry for dinner, so otherwise is fine.

I guess my question is, Is he really that cold?

[TWH_Girl]

Does he have Cushings or IR? Metabolic issues can make it harder for them to regulate body temperature. Also if he’s quite old his body’s ability to stay warm just doesn’t work as good. I think of elderly people in nursing homes…you know, how they are still chilled even when it’s July and 80 degrees out?

Maybe take his temp too, just to confirm there is no fever or anything odd.

Sounds like the extra 100gm liner should help. Times like this I wish we could set up spaceheaters for the older ones!

[Limitless]

He is 24, so he’s up there, but in pretty good shape for his age. He has no metabolic issues that I know of, but it may be something to look into at this point.

[S1969]

Maybe throw some extra hay as well. I’ve never had a horse shiver, so if mine did I would know they must be really cold. It’s a bitter one out there tonight!

[tazycat]

Extra hay for sure could offer him warm water to drink also. Been brutal here for temps well below zero. My one horse has been cold also, & double blanketed and free feed hay. He also feels warm under his blankets but still shivers. It’s a damp cold here so feels really, really cold at 27 below zero. The cold that goes right through you no matter how warm your dressed.

[cayuse]

If he is still shivering when you check him, maybe take his temp. I just went through this same scenario about three weeks ago with my mini. It was cold, he was well.covered up but shivering, I took his temp and he had one. Long story short, he had anaplasmosis. I just thought I would mention it, because the details sound similar. Hopefully your guy was just cold and is OK now.
It is wicked cold in NH too.

[Limitless]

He always has hay, but he’s not a big eater, which doesn’t help. Also has heated buckets for water. He still shivering slightly and I feel terrible. I could throw another layer, like a polar fleece cooler somewhere in there, but then I don’t think he could move. He ate a decent amount of his dinner, and he gets a second dinner at 10. I’ll check him in another hour.

[Limitless]

Well his temp is 100, and he’s pooped another normal poop and I just watched him take a drink. he seems to be shivering slightly less, and I gave him a flake of a little different hay to pique his interest and a handful of whole oats to munch on. He’s not sick, just cold. Hopefully the extra layer will kick in soon:(

[TWH_Girl]

It takes a long time to warm up when you are really, really chilled to the bone. I think the layers and extra hay is about all you can do for now until the temps (hopefully) warm up soon. Nothing like 0 degrees to make 20 seem not so bad.

What is the under layer? I would do a fleece or a stable blanket that lies closer to the body vs a turnout sheet.

[Limitless]

I put a 100 gram blanket liner under his 400g optimo liner. I hope he warms up! It won’t be warmer for another week.

[a1eventing]

Have you considered trying some chaff hay for your boy? Easier to chew/ digest and gets some of that heat producing hay on board. The horses use hay to produce heat. So if your guy isn’t really grazing on his hay maybe he’s getting a little behind on his ability to produce heat.
For tonight I think the other posters suggesting a wool cooler under his blanket or another layer will eventually help along with some warm water. Maybe add a little grain or something to his water to entice him a bit. Dehydration won’t help things.

[Limitless]

I have triple crown alfalfa forage he won’t eat. I do wet his triple crown senior, and he seems well hydrated.

[S1969]

“Not a big eater” is concerning. Horses need to eat, and especially in winter. So I’d be looking back at this to see if there are other issues…anaplasmosis, Lyme, ulcers, teeth, worms, etc.

My horses are cold but they are eating like crazy. Because they are cold.

It’s not really normal for a horse to be shivering but otherwise healthy - unless they are very cold. If blankets and hay aren’t doing the job, I’d get the vet out.

[Limitless]

He’s eating pretty well…for him. This is a lifelong picky eater/hard keeper. He’s on a monthly steroid shot to increase his appetite, but he’s just not a big eater, especially of hay. He is doing pretty well on TCS, which he gets in large quantity. He seems okay this am, finished his second dinner, drank, and ate some hay. I guess it’s time to explore other reasons he’d be so cold, unless it’s just age.

[CFFarm]

Is he getting salt? Electrolyte imbalance can sometimes cause shivering too.

[S1969]

Well, if the “not a big eater” is not a new thing, maybe it’s not the issue. I was imagining that this was an additional symptom in addition to shivering.

But, it is a possibility that the TCS doesn’t help him keep warm the same way that hay does…and/or might be more comparable if fed, for example, 4x a day vs. 2x…Does he like hay cubes or pellets?

[Limitless]

Sadly, he’s not a fan of cubes or pellets, soaked or dry. He has salt access, and he’s recently learned to lick it. I try not to add anything in excess to his feed, in case it turns him off it, even salt. He gets 3 meals a day of TCS plus amplify and granular cocosoya. Sometimes 4 if I’m not at work.

[Guilherme]

IIRC shivering is something we do to generate heat. So maybe the shivering is not a sign of a problem but a sign of normality?

To KNOW you’d have to do some more investigation but it’s a fair question.

G.

[betsyk]

That sounds a lot like my old Arab, who didn’t have the teeth for hay and ate buckets and buckets of mush for his last few years. I don’t have any great ideas that you haven’t already heard, just commiseration! If I remember correctly, I used to put wool or fleece or a Schneiders’ liner closest to his body then pile on the other blankets, and he’d feel decently warm.
However - I vote for considering Cushings. We’ve had a couple at the therapeutic program I work with who really had trouble staying warm, before and after diagnosis (meaning, despite our best efforts that was an aspect of Cushings the meds didn’t seem to help).

[tazycat]

This might sound dumb but try wrapping his front legs. Take an old pair of wool socks cut out the toe part pull those up over his legs. Then take your standing wraps and wrap over the wool socks. I used quilts that are kinda long for my gelding so they went down over his cornet bands. Wrapping his legs has seemed to help. [ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“small”,“data-attachmentid”:9971890}[/ATTACH]