60 SPECIAL EQUINE THERAPY 



EPIDROSIS 



Abnormal activity of the sweat glands is termed epidro- 

 sis. It is a condition that occurs in horses as a clinical entity 

 and, while not of very frequent occurrence, it does occur 

 frequently enough to be given some consideration. The 

 condition usually proves to be stubborn under treatment, 

 and therefore cannot be said to be a benign disturbance. 



Epidrosis occurs commonly as a symptom of various 

 constitutional diseases, in which form its treatment de- 

 pends upon the disease that it accompanies. In this chap- 

 ter we are considering excessive sweating as a condition 

 per se, a condition entirely different from the epidrosis 

 seen with other diseases. 



Symptoms. A horse that is otherwise in perfect con- 

 dition perspires freely when the atmospheric tempera- 

 ture does not affect other horses in this respect at all. In 

 some eases the entire body is moist with sweat, while in 

 others only certain parts, such as the neck, withers, flank, 

 or the abdomen, alone become moist. This occurs while 

 the horse is at rest as well as while it is active. In some 

 cases the condition is only evident at night, and it per- 

 sists even during the cold weather of winter months. In 

 every other regard the horse is normal. 



Treatment. If the coat is "woolly," the horse should 

 be clipped. The medicinal treatment is empirical and 

 experimental. Some cases are benefited by repeated 

 small doses of aconitin, giving one one-hundred-and-fif- 

 tieth of a grain three times a day for a few 'days, then 

 twice a day for several more days, and finally only once 

 a day for another week. 



Other cases may be completely cured by bathing the 

 entire body several times with a mild solution of alum. 

 The sweating can always be temporarily checked by 

 small doses of belladonna, repeated two or three times. 



