Has anyone noticed a link between feeding ration balancers and anhidrosis? I’ve heard something about not getting enough dietary fat to sweat. I’ve been doing some digging, but can’t seem to find anything definitive.
Interested to see what other’s experiences are.
Mine is on a ration balancer and sweats like it’s her full time job. I haven’t personally known anyone who found a link but will be interested to hear from others.
My horse suffers from anhidrosis when the temperature gets and stays extremely hot and humid for days at a time. He does eat a ration balancer, but he’s had the condition since before he was ever fed one. He also gets 2 cups of Omega Horseshine per day, so I think he’s getting plenty of fat.
I wish like heck I could figure out something that I’m feeding him that’s causing the issue, but I’ve literally tried everything. I started his One AC too late this summer, and he stopped sweating when we hit a bad heat wave. He’s on his second container of it now and that combined with a slight dip in the heat (still miserable) has helped start to sweat a little better. I used to hear that beet pulp was an issue. Tried getting rid of that, didn’t help. I heard soy might be an issue. Tried getting rid of that, didn’t help (though he still doesn’t eat soy). I’ve had him on pure forage (alfalfa/timothy cubes & pasture only) and that was what he was eating the first time he ever stopped sweating which was…gosh, probably 7 years ago or more now.
I think the only thing that would cure him at this point is a change in zip code to a cooler climate. But that’s not going to happen. I know how to manage him to see him through it each year, and just keep promising him that fall is coming.
Mine stopped sweating last summer too so I’ll. Be following this with great interest
I don’t think any of the supplements that are supposed to make them sweat are high in fat. So not sure that really tracks…?
The One AC people suspect it’s related to a lack of dopamine:
So…does anyone else wonder if this could be helpful to PPID horses on some way???
I feed both of my horses a balancing ration (Purina Enrich Plus) and they sweat. One of my horses was diagnosed with PPID this spring and I haven’t noticed anything abnormal about his sweating. I do worry that they will get too hot and stop sweating one of these days when it’s 100 degrees and 80% humidity.
Both my PPID ponies stopped sweating right before they were diagnosed. Once AC with table salt got them started again.
Same
Feronia has had anhydrosis since 2020. She has been on a RB or just vitamin/mineral supplement since 2015. I’ve tried a lot of things; One AC worked for a while. I switched to Let Em Sweat last year and am seeing better results. She gets plain table salt year round. Equiwinner patches seem like voodoo, but they have helped, too.
Weird coincidence: she got switched from Equioxx to meloxicam a few weeks ago, and has been sweating better ever since then. Weird.
Ok, so maybe not the lower fat of the ration balancer. All of this feedback is pretty interesting though. It seems the cause of anhidrosis isn’t well understood.
All three of mine are on Grow N Win. Two have them are heavy sweaters. The Cushings pony doesn’t sweat. He requires a fan and a mid day cool shower. He has a swamp cooler coming. I plan to borrow it cleaning stalls.
My cushings horse has this, I every summer put him on something, this summer it’s back to One AC. Nothing I’ve tried has helped, also this horse has to be on soaked feed so I’ve been restricted as to what I’m able to cut out of his diet. Years ago he was on a ration balancer, as he’s gotten older put on TC senior. Through all of this, no improvement.
Hmm…
All 3 of my anhidrosis horses were on a ration balancer. BUT, they were getting it top dressed on a hefty amount of Triple Crown Senior.
I’ve tended to blame the senior feed; not the brand per se there is a good amount of data indicating beet pulp can play a role in it.
Two of them started sweating again the next summer while still on the RB but without the senior feed.
My horse first developed anhidrosis on a high fat fortified sweet feed with no beep. He continued to struggle with anhidrosis each year (some summers better than others) through many diet changes: TCS, TCS Gold, TC 30, TC Balancer Gold and currently on Purina Omega Match.
I’ve used many of the anhidrosis sweating supplements on the market with varying results from product to product and season to season.
The best solution I’ve found is stalling him during the day during high summer under mister fans.
Did I read correctly that it’s possible beet pulp can contribute to the not sweating? Hmmm.
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