Abnormal sweat patches & peely black nose

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MagicMelon

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Wondering if anyone can shed some light on a problem a friend is having with her 5yo horse (WB x TB I think). He's started sweating totally randomly and oddly! Apparently he's been found to sweat anytime (not through the usual riding) and not in the usual places but like strips on his hindquarters or little circles on the inside of front legs etc.

Recently he's also got almost a sunburnt effect nose - however his nose is black (ie. no pink skin) and there hasn't been much sun lately...?!

Vet doesn't know. Someone has mentioned to them that buttercups can cause the skin to go hyper-sensitive and possibly cause sweating etc. and they do have lots in their fields. But Ive never heard this?
 
Buttercups and alfa a cause photosensitivity, though I've never heard of the sweating thing. Only time I have heard of random sweating is when they have a pain response somewhere - for example pulled muscle causing sweating on the shoulder etc.
 
I'd be very suspicious. Patchy sweating is a sign of pain and as such can indicate any one of many diseases. But near the top of the list is grass sickness. Is the horse depressed and losing weight at all? Any other horses in the area known to have had grass sickness? I just wondered as grass sickness is particularly prevalent in Scotland, where you are. I'd have the vet out again pronto.
 
He's had this problem a while, as in quite a few months so I definately can't imagine it to be grass sickness. He's totally well in all other cases - he's being ridden fine and hasn't lost any weight.
 
OK - not grass sickness. Hmmmm. If he was mine, I'd check his breaths per minute and pulse and temperature while NOT sweating oddly. Do it a couple of times to get a good "normal" reading. Then next time he starts the odd sweating, do it again and see if there's any change in pulse, breathing, temperature. I suggest this coz I still understand unexplained sweating to be linked to pain and if he's in pain when he does this funny sweating, you'd expect other signs. Does he eat ok when he is in sweaty mode? Does he have access to water when he needs it? Does he have electrolytes in his water/feed if he's losing a lot of sweat? Buttercups cause contact allergies and burns though I don't think photosensitivity. If it continues and you're worried, I'd have a word with the vet.
 
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