Skip to main content

Management of Heat Stress in Horse

by Yadav Sharma Bajagai

Any physiological, metabolic, behavioral and performance abnormality in animals due to inability of thermoregulatory mechanism to regulate normal body temperature during high ambient temperature can be referred to as heat stress. Heat stress is not only the concern of only tropical region but also a matter of major apprehension in sub-tropical and temperate regions too as frequent spells of high ambient temperature and gradual rise in global atmospheric temperature is being experienced in many of the temperate regions of the world due to global climate change.

Heat stress is one of the greatest climatic challenges faced by horses affecting animal health and welfare in the area of the world where ambient temperature often exceeds upper critical temperature. 

Principle of management of heat stress during hot weather is to hasten the heat loss and avoid the heat gain as far as possible.



Management to hasten heat loss: 
  • Convective heat loss from animal body can be accelerated effectively through fans, mister, water sprinkler and natural ventilation in the shed.
  •  In a research in the University of Illinois, horses bathed with cold water during strenuous exercise time were better able to cope with heat stress.
  •  Providing adequate access of drinking water is crucial to maintain body temperature during hot weather. Electrolytes should be supplemented as sweating during hot weather may result electrolyte imbalance.
  •  Heavy coats should be clipped but not too close to the skin. 


Management to avoid excessive heat gain:
  • Housing or shed should be designed with efficient ventilation to prevent animals from extremes of climates.
  •  Radiant heat gain can be avoided through the use of shade during hot weather condition.
  •  Exercise or work or any of the handling should be scheduled during cool part of the day.
  •  Feeding should be done during cooler part of the day (preferably afternoon and evening)  to avoid heat gain during hot day condition.
  • Reduction in the energy content of the diet help to reduce metabolic heat production during thermal stress. 
  • Addition of electrolytes salt like sodium chloride in the diet may be beneficial during thermal stress.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Basic Concepts of Food Security: Definition, Dimensions and Integrated Phase Classification

by Yadav Sharma Bajagai "Food Security" is one of major elements of development and poverty alleviation and has been the goal of many international and national public organizations. The issue is so important that according to the state of food insecurity in the world 2012 published by FAO around 870 million people (out of which 852 million from developing countries) are estimated to have been undernourished in the period 2010-12. Although the phrase "Food Security" is being used widely, the definition and concept of food security is elusive and being evolved and expanded over time.
282 comments
See More »

Challenges and issues in analysing and interpreting microbiota sequencing data

Microorganisms in the intestine can have multifaceted effects on the health and productivity of animals and birds. The advancement in DNA sequencing technology has enabled scientists to study these microorganisms and their effects on unprecedented depth and scale. This resulted in thousands of studies about intestinal microbiota (term to describe all microorganisms in an environment) and their role.  This led to hundreds of commercial animal supplements with claims to positively modify intestinal microbiota to improve health and productivity. However, a depth of knowledge and skills is required to correctly analyse and interpret the sequencing data. There are several limitations and complexities in analysing such data and misrepresentation and misinterpretation of such data is common. Scientists from the Institute for Future Farming System , Central Queensland University Australia have recently published a review entitled “ the role of microbiota in animal health and productivity:...
14 comments
See More »

Sustainability of Tourism in the Great Barrier Reef: Challenges and the Way Forward

Amrita Pudasaini Bajagai The Great Barrier Reef   (GBR) is the iconic Australian reef in northern Queensland, which is world’s largest reef, and has been designated as a World Heritage Site in 1981 [ 1 ] .   This area is called the financial lifeline of the coastal communities as millions of tourists visit this area every year for tourism and recreational activities [ 2 ] . A significant number of people in the GBR area are resource dependent to the reef, particularly served by the tourism industry [ 3 ] . Lately, there has been lots of attention about the degradation of the corals in the GBR region. Latest study reported the large scale bleaching of the reefs in the area particularly north of Cairns [ 4 ] . The reef region is in the verge of severe environmental, economic and social challenges like uncontrolled fishing, plastic waste, unplanned coastal development, overload of infrastructure etc., which need to be addressed by whole of users approach, education and...
60 comments
See More »