Capillary refi ll time is longer
than normal. If you press your fi n- ger into the gum, the blood does not rush right back afterward. The spot where you pressed stays pale for several seconds. Pulse and respiration rate may
remain high in spite of resting the horse. Pulse may be weak, heart rhythm may be irregular, intestinal sounds may be diminished or ab- sent if the gut has stopped working. Anal tone is another clue. If the anal sphincter is loose and fl oppy, the horse is in trouble. It may be diffi - cult to get accurate temperature on a hot, tired horse because the rectum is so relaxed. If he seems hot, but has a normal rectal temperature, be suspicious that it’s not refl ecting his true temperature. The horse looks depressed, with
lower head carriage, and may not be interested in eating or drinking.
He might not be sweating, but is hot to the touch. If you are riding him, watch for signs that he can’t keep going in normal fashion and begins stumbling. He may become anxious and start behaving in an irrational or erratic manner, due to overheating of his brain. He may be excited, depressed, or disoriented. A hot horse may have rapid, shal-
low breathing (primary panting), but often the sign of a hot horse is blowing (taking deep gulps of air) when he stops exercising. “The horse blows (second phase panting) to try to get rid of heat,” says David Marlin, Ph.D. (Visiting Professor in Physiology, Oklahoma State Uni- versity). “Second phase panting is slow and deep, with an effort. The horse is drawing in as much air as possible, trying to maximize respi- ratory heat loss. This is an easy way to recognize a hot horse,” he says.
A horse does not have to be exer-
cising to get heat stroke. He may be standing outside with no shade, day after day, which is a stress if there’s high humidity and no breeze, and he’s not getting enough salt or elec- trolytes. Horses that don’t have free choice access to salt are more at risk. High humidity always increases
risk for heat stroke. When air is full of moisture, evaporation rate slows or ceases and the horse loses the cooling effect of sweat. “The hot sweat sits on the skin and becomes insulation, holding heat in rather than dissipating it,” says Fleming. The body doesn’t cool and signals for more sweating. Sweat covers the body and runs off in streams; the horse stays wet but doesn’t get cooler, and overheats. In an arid climate, by contrast, sweat evapo- rates almost as fast as it is produced,
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www.raywoodlivestock.com
tscra.org July 2013 The Cattleman 39
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