Stocking up and the heat (Update, got info from vet)

[bird4416]

For the past few days, we have had heat indices over 100 degrees. I have a 4 year old quarter horse filly that is out on pasture for 12 hours a day and in a dirt lot about 90' X90' at night with a companion. Her hind legs have been really swollen every morning when we turn her out on pasture. They gradually go down during the day but swell back up at night. I rode her lightly today and the swelling went down some with work. She is not sore, she has a normal temperature and her behavior is the same as always; she just has fat legs. She has an old healing scrape on her left hind and a superficial scrape on the right hind but otherwise no obvious injuries. Could this be due to the high temps? I've noticed that she is eating a lot of her salt block when she is in the dry lot. I have 6 other horses and none of them have any swelling. Has anyone else ever dealt with something similar?

[Risk-Averse Rider]

Yep.

Prozac Pony.

Every summer.

So what do we do? Move to Arizona!!!

[Cielo Azure]

Yes. I have a theory which I think (in my horses) may be correct.

I see it in the bug hypersensitive horses. Especially with gnats, biting flies, mosquitos - intolerent horses. They get bites all over (no matter what chemicals get slathered, bites still happen) and then inflammation occurs. With horses, this causes drainage down to the fetlocks. Then skin breaks from swollen skin/heaat inflammation, then bugs bite/suck serus (sic) fluids/ then more swelling and whamo! Your basic scratches.

I am dealing with the same thing here with my very best horse. She is now inside 24-7. So I have commited to working her every single day (sometimes twice).

Guess What! We live in the same area.

With my Percherons, we go through this every summer with some of them.

[bird4416]

Thanks guys. I'm going to ride her tomorrow evening when it cools off and see if this helps keep the swelling down over night. I'm also e-mailing the vet to see if he has any ideas.

[Hollywood]

Yes, I am dealing with this with my chestnut TB. The flies are already horrible from all the rain and wet, and then we are having high temps and humidity. He was really stocked up at a show this weekend in his hinds and then he was again this morning, and after 5 hours of turnout he was still full in his left rear...which also has some scapes and then the bugs start biting...sigh. He is a sensitive horse and prone to scratches. After I rode him most of the swelling went down.

[bird4416]

Here is the info I received from my vet via e-mail.

The prevailing theory on these horses is that they have either lower blood pressure (dehydration and/or electrolyte imbalance- and just because they have access to water and electrolytes does not mean that they will consume enough to stay in balance- something about leading a horse to water- neither people nor horses have "nutritional wisdom" and instinctly know to eat or drink what they need and often get behind in hot weather despite access to water and salts) or increased resistance to the blood vessels and lymphatics. If exercise easily resolves the swelling than it is transient and will take care of itself. If it persists or develops into lameness then it should be investigated. Hope this helps-Ken

[strawberry roan]

Timely!! My mare's back legs are fat! It is hot here so I was wondering if that was causing it somehow. I have called my vet as a friend mentioned it turning to celulitis which has put me in a tizzy. :eek: In this heat, I sprinkle Equimin on her handful of grain. Perhaps I haven't been giving enough. There is very little heat if any in her legs and she is sound. She was ridden lightly yestereday and her legs did look a bit better. But today are as fat as before. Just want a day where everything goes right!

[AlterEgoME]

Timely!! My mare's back legs are fat! It is hot here so I was wondering if that was causing it somehow. I have called my vet as a friend mentioned it turning to celulitis which has put me in a tizzy. :eek: In this heat, I sprinkle Equimin on her handful of grain. Perhaps I haven't been giving enough. There is very little heat if any in her legs and she is sound. She was ridden lightly yestereday and her legs did look a bit better. But today are as fat as before. Just want a day where everything goes right!

If the horse doesn't have a temp it is probably not cellulitis. Cellulitis and Lymphangytis usually cause big temp spikes.

[Martina]

I am so glad I found this thread. I have been wondering why the heck my 5yo horse swells up for no reason at all. I swear, if a gnat kicks another gnat, my horse's leg will swell up!

Seriously though, he seems to carry more fluid under his skin (for lack of a better description) on a normal day. If he knocks himself, or gets a small scratch, he swells up. Not all legs, just where something occurred.

I've noticed in the heat/ humidity its worse.

Quote:
The prevailing theory on these horses is that they have either lower blood pressure (dehydration and/or electrolyte imbalance- and just because they have access to water and electrolytes does not mean that they will consume enough to stay in balance- something about leading a horse to water- neither people nor horses have "nutritional wisdom" and instinctly know to eat or drink what they need and often get behind in hot weather despite access to water and salts) or increased resistance to the blood vessels and lymphatics. If exercise easily resolves the swelling than it is transient and will take care of itself. If it persists or develops into lameness then it should be investigated. Hope this helps-Ken


Interestingly, there wasn't any water in his paddock yesterday at 2pm. It was mid-80's and sticky, still in our heat wave. BO said they were coming in early so no need to fill the tub. (Don't get me started) Today, his right hind is big. I walked and cold-hosed and it went down. I think the situation is further exasperated by the fact that they are bringing the horses in early, so he is standing longer. And he is a tall horse at over 17h.

On a positive note, he is never lame with these swellings. I even had one of them ultrasounded because it looked like a funky check ligament. Vet said it was just simple swelling that pushed the check ligament out.

Anyone having similar problems?

[EqTrainer]

I give everyone a teaspoon of salt in their feed in this weather. No fat legs. Knock on wood.

[LMH]

Plain ole table salt?

[JB]

More than the heat, IME it's humidity which is often the bigger culprit. But, I can imagine plain ol' heat doing it if the temp jumps dramatically.

MSM can often take care of chronic stocking up.

[cyberbay]

Thanks for the post from your vet. That's very helpful to know.

I've been putting Vita-Flex's Acculytes in my horse's grain for about 3 weeks now. (It's electrolytes and probiotics.)

My horse is a 10-yr-old TB chestnut gelding. His hind legs stock up subtly whenever the weather is hot and humid. For the people posting here, are your horses chestnuts?

I always think that chestnuts in general are more sensitive...in their temperments, their coats (hair breaks more easily if you look closely), etc., than other-colored horses. Any one else think this, too?

[EqTrainer]

Plain ole table salt?

Well... Sea salt with iodine LOL
I like a little iodine once in a while

[suzyq]

Interesting thread. My horse (out 24/7 with access to stall) was stocked up last week on 3 legs. No fever. This week the legs are down but he's not sweating well :(

He already gets salt with his feed. I added potassium salt yesterday to see if that helps, also may try one ac.

Cielo Azure, that is very interesting about the bug intolerant horses. We don't have a lot of flies but the mosquitos have been fierce due to recent rains. He is sensitive to mosquitos, wonder if that's what is triggering this whole thing. He is on MSM and flax which have helped with the mosquito problem until now.

[Martina]

He goes to town on his salt block and I will add electrolyes. I bought Finish Line's Apple a Day. I hope this does the trick!!

[Poll Evil]

Oh my gosh ME TOO!!

Struggling with odd swellings now for over a week.
Inside left leg, below knee, no apparent break in skin, heat, slightly sore. I thought it was popping a splint and treated accordingly. It came down with poulticing, cold hosing, icing, and bute for a few days. Now, except for a slight bump, it looks fine.

Yesterday the left ankle, on the inside, is swollen and hard but horse doesn't appear lame. I can find a slight break in the skin which led me to wonder if it is cellulitis. I hand-walked him and it did not go down. I poulticed it and had him inside today and it made no difference.

I wish I could post a picture!

[WillowRidgeJ]

I have been dealing with this issue for the past 6 years. Some years bad, some not. Breaks in the skin do not mean Cellulitis, but it certainly is a way for the right germs to enter the system. Often the immume system is comprised for some reason also. I routinely wash all legs and treat for scratches/wounds on an as needed basis- and that may be every day. Once Cellulitis is in the system, it never seems to really go away and when it does take hold, the treatment(s) are massive as it can be a killer.
I recommend agressively washing and treating for scratches if there as if there are any signs of it, and plently of turn out to keep the swelling down. Cold hosing, braces and ice packs help a lot. Just dont let it get started.

[Auventera Two]

My two extremely bug sensitive horses have been stocking up for about a week now. This is the first year I've seen this.

[KingsCross]

I just wanted to say thank you to the OP for starting this discussion and the information from your vet. My mare had (dare I say had?) chronic stocking up in heat and/or humidity on all 4 legs, nothing dramatic, but a definite thickening. Just a couple of minutes of walking always resolved it, no heat, no lameness, but it bugged me nonetheless.

I had been giving her a bit of AquaAide electrolyte in hot weather, but intermittently and a small dose, since she is not in work at the moment. A few weeks ago, after reading this thread, I decided to try increasing the AquaAide (from 1 scoop to 2, still well within the dose range on the label.) Her legs are now nice and tight, even after being in her stall all day! I am so thrilled. I had asked my vet about it previously but since it resolved so easily, he was never concerned.

Again, thank you so much for posting this information!

[JLC7898]

No way! I have three horses and my chestnut boy is swollen on his left hind leg! He has a nasty case of rain rot which I am treating.
It seems as the temps rise the swelling also rises. Called my mom as I was worried because he was recovering from a few nicks as well, and she doesn't have a really horsey backround, the first thing she sais was it is the heat! Didn't believe her at first.

[2horseowner]

Oh yes, Cyberbay and jlc7898, chestnuts seem to be the worst! The left hind w/ the white sock blew up from dew poison! His whole leg swelled all the way up to the hock. I was so afraid of cellulitis or lymphangitis. He is 17.3 and has windpuffs too. If he stays in too long, the ankles get fat. They go down once he's out and about. The humidity and temps have been brutal and a factor too.

[Equilibrate]

As your vet said electrolyte balance is likely involved. The reason for the saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" is that when horses sweat they loose large amounts of sodium and chloride. This is different from people. This means that the concentration of sodium in the blood does not become more concentrated as it would if they only lost fluid. It is the concentration of sodium that drives thirst. Therefore they can have lost large amounts of fluid and be dehydrated but not have any drive to drink. This is one reason insuring adequate sodium intake during hot weather is so important.

An 1100lb horse at rest in mild weather (70 degrees) needs 10g of sodium a day. They is so little sodium in forage that it is not a major contributor and even fortified grains that have salt in them will not provide enough. 10g of sodium is provided by 1oz of table salt which is 2tablespoons a day. Many people rely on salt blocks as their horses sole source of sodium however a lot of horses don;t use them regularly. If your horse is not consuming a 2lb block of salt a month then you should consider providing it in another form. My preference is to add it to the other feed you are giving them when you give them their supplements. However some horses will eat loose salt or the block if it is smashed up.

Once the weather is hot and if the horse is sweating when not doing anything the requirement increases further and salt should also be increased. It will need to be increased still further (likely doubled) if the horse is worked. IF you are working the horse for prolonged periods or he sweats very heavily then an electrolyte is in order. This should be balanced to mimic the electrolyte concentrations in sweat and should not contain large amounts of sugar (dextrose). Look on the ingredient list for sodium, chloride and potassium. Some may also have calcium, magnesium and small amounts of copper and zinc. You need there to be at least 12g (12,000mg) of chloride preferably slightly more.

One thing to remember with electrolytes is that they are to be used in addition to salt. They provide the extra that is needed not the daily maintenance requirement. It is also advisable to offer them in food but if they are added to water plain water should also always be available.

Clair

[mbmarsh]

Have to thank everyone for this post again - my 17hh bay gelding has been kinda "hivey" looking for the past two weeks - no real bumps, but you can just see there is a lot of lymph fluid moving around under his skin. Then last Saturday, five hours after he came in from turn out, I went to pick his feet, and both back legs were completely filled. I'm used to stocking up in his ankles, but this was from the hock all the way down! Really freaked me out, but we started working him gingerly, and he never took a bad step. After almost a 50 minute ride, most of the fluid was gone, but we still rubbed his legs down with alcohol to try and get rid of the rest.

He's been pretty puffy the rest of the week, but we've tried to counteract by leaving him out as much as we can. I did notice after reading this thread that he wasn't drinking nearly as much water as he usually does, so I'm starting him on SmartLytes, and gave him some electrolytes yesterday before our ride. He proceeded to drink his entire bucket of water! So we'll keep him on the lytes until this terrible heat and humidity resolve a bit (which at this rate, looks like it might be around Christmas!!!! :( ). Thanks for all the advice - I never would have associated with dehydration, since he sweats like nobody's business.