Help strange symptoms

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brokenleg

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I'm posting this on behalf of a friend as we are seeking an explanation for her horses strange symptoms!

Horse is 7 yo KWPN last year he had a bad kick to his hock which resulted in him having a bone chip removed, this was a resounding success and he was brought slowly back into work.

He was progressing very nicely (he is a dressage horse hopefully) and his work pattern has been very varied with jumping, cantering, hacking a bits of schooling.

He had gone to a little competition with very promising results until about 2/3 weeks ago he has become very nappy/unwilling to work.

This horse is an inwardly stressy type and has always been reluctant to mouth the bit but recently his mouth is dry, he doesnlt seem to sweat even under hard work, he also has had/has sarcoids which has been treated with liverpool cream, in the last couple of days he seems to have developed a rash on his face and bits of hair are falling out???

He has moved yards recently from a very stressful environment with very little grazing to a private yard with ample grazing, he has had his saddle checked, back checked, lameness workup by vet, bloods taken yesterday by vet. We have been told about a condition called equine anhidrosis, where the horse overheats as it cant sweat???? anyone any ideas???
 
Equine anhidrosis does indeed exist, but it is not terribly common in Britain as we are generally too cold. However the symptoms do sound like it and it will have to be considered a possibility until or if it can be ruled out.

From what you have written, I really do not think he is playing up, I think there is definitely something physiologically wrong with him. It is just a few of the symptoms puzzled me as I would not have associated them immediately with anhidrosis?

I went searching for reliable reference articles on the internet and was a bit shocked at the confusion over it. It seems everyone has their own opinion and everyone's opinion differs from everyone elses'.

I did find this, which sounds very much like it doesn't it? Even down to the puzzling "rash"

http://www.surgi-carecenter.com/res...view/articleid/4/anhidrosis-non-sweaters.aspx

Note that they say there IS significance in the breed of horse, while this article (which also seems helpful)

http://suite101.com/article/anhidrosis-in-horses-a264714

Takes the slightly more common view that the breed is irrelevant for example.

I also found a great deal of articles that sound good, but "recommend" a particular supplement they just happen to sell it seems... So if you do go reading, please remember that because the condition is not very well understood, there seems to be no end of people willing to sell "quack medicine" for it online. There might however also be things which really might help mixed in with all of them, so it really is a bit of a minefield online trying to sort out what might be good, from what is not?

My recommendation would be to follow what your vet says. Hopefully they will be willing to speak to others, or do research if they are not too sure themselves over something as they may never have come across it before?

Interesting there is already a thread on here about it

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=537348

But that was from someone in Hong Kong, where presumably the weather is a lot hotter (or possibility it is the humidity that triggers it).

You might want to print this article out and give it to your vet, as at least one person seems to be deriving evidence that too much aluminium might be a causative factor?

http://www.nonsweater.com/hair-testing-results

Perhaps they are thinking that, because aluminium chlorohydrate is the basis of many antiperspirants?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deodorant (see section 3.1 "Aluminum" toxicity)

If it really is anhidrosis, then hopefully it has been caught early enough for it to reverse with care. And you have the small satisfaction of knowing that you have both been terribly unlucky in getting anhidrosis in Britain.

I hope it is good luck with the vet!
 
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I am more from a human medicine background, but I'd be wondering about autoimmune conditions or toxins. If the vet has taken plenty of bloods then they will probably doing a thorough screening which is what would be best for this case.

Hoe it turns out to be something easily treatable.
 
I have a horse with Anhidrosis diagnosed by an adrenaline test, interestingly he has also had nodular sarcoids, the symptoms you describe are Anhidrosis symptoms but also could other things , my vet said he could not have Anhidrosis I had to force them to do the test .
There was no help for us from the veterinary side he was quite fat ( long story ) I have got him very very thin when he's in work I am fortunate he's a hunter he would not be able to do hard work in summer.
In some places they call it dry coatedness.
I keep mine very clean and cool , I don't ever work him hard on a hot day he literally would overheat and could collapse the one time he pulled him self up out hunting it was a warm day ,it was the day I knew it was not normal and started googling and badgering the vets .
He was so hot you could feel the heat radiating off him but he was dry .
I did try some patches bought off the Internet he did have a weak sweating response after using them and sometimes now will get sticky under the saddle and his ears sweat the only bit of him that ever gets wet.
I would talk to the vet and see if an adrenalin test Is apporiate .
 
Do you have a field full of buttercups ?he might be allergic, they can cause hair loss and blisters and sores around the face and body with urticaria type rashes.
 
thankyou all for your suggestions. Bloods came back that he has a slightly raised white cell count so vet seems to think he is getting over a virus, the rash on his face is slowly disappearing and interestingly he is ina field with a lot of buttercups.

We also carried out our own little test, we took his temperature at rest then after 20 mins of work then again after another 20 mins cantering and jumping, his temp wasnt that raised BUT it was a cool, cloudy breezy day. At the end of the test his temp had only raised 1.4 degrees BUT he was very hot to the touch and really panting but not really sweating that much. Are these symptoms condusive with the anhidrosis?????
 
brokenleg said:
thankyou all for your suggestions. Bloods came back that he has a slightly raised white cell count so vet seems to think he is getting over a virus, the rash on his face is slowly disappearing and interestingly he is ina field with a lot of buttercups.

We also carried out our own little test, we took his temperature at rest then after 20 mins of work then again after another 20 mins cantering and jumping, his temp wasnt that raised BUT it was a cool, cloudy breezy day. At the end of the test his temp had only raised 1.4 degrees BUT he was very hot to the touch and really panting but not really sweating that much. Are these symptoms condusive with the anhidrosis?????
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It certainly sounds like it may be partial anhidrosis but he would need an adrenaline test to diagnose it , they inject the neck with different strengths of adrenaline and you sound get a strong sweat reaction at once on the strongest patch and slower reaction to the weaker jabs it should be pretty quick after an hour mine had a weak reponse to the strongest patch the others never reacted at all.
Your friend should follow this up if the horse is to be worked hard as he could collapse and hurt her if he becomes heat stressed , we are very careful with our boy.
 
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