Wetting down an animal to cool

[Farmgirl]

We will be hauling a young bull tomorrow in the 100 degree temperatures. About a 2 hour ride. We thought about wetting him down, like soaking wet, just before we leave. Seems like I have read that wet in combination with the airflow of the moving trailer can help the animal. I remember the vet saying that wetting a sick animal makes them worse. The bull is not sick but don't want to make him sick.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Farmgirl

 

[Bigfoot]

I wouldn't. He'll probably dry shortly running down the highway anyway. I have moved hores at night to beat the heat.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

If you're not hauling in a totally enclosed trailer, he'll probably be fine. Leave as early as you can.

 

[greybeard]

You're profile says "Houston". Leave as early as possible to avoid getting stuck in morning traffic--sitting still in Hou traffic at even 9-10am is going to be hard on him, but if you are moving at anything above a fast crawl he'll probably be fine..

 

[Farmgirl]

That is just the problem. We can't leave until afternoon. We will be out in the country so shouldn't be sitting in Houston traffic. We will be moving most of the time.

Thanks,
Farmgirl

 

[chippie]

Don't do it. The water will act like insulation and will only make the bull hotter.
It is too humid here for that to work. I go with my husband for his job. He hauls a cow to schools for educational presentations. He has a misting system but can only use it on very dry days. He also runs fans in the trailer.

What type of trailer do you have? If it is a stock trailer and fairly open, the bull should be ok. The good thing is that the sun will be going down and things will start cooling off.

Sending safe trip vibes your way.

 

[Farmgirl]

Chippie,

We have a CM Stocker trailer. I knew that misting him wouldn't be good but I was talking about soaking him. Guess we won't.

Thanks for the input.

Nelda Hanzi

 

[chippie]

You should be fine as long as you are moving.
Soaking is worse than misting. The layer of water acts like an insulation & will cook the animal.

 

[Lucky_P]

Attended a continuing education meeting yesterday; one of the topics was heat stress and heat abatement for dairy cattle. Best scenario is intermittent misting (like at 5-10 minute intervals) and continuous airflow. Thermal Heat Index at which cattle start experiencing mild heat stress is suprisingly low - depending upon humidity levels, can be as low as 68 degrees; temps above 85 - you get into some serious heat stress pretty quickly.
Didn't specifically address hauling beef cattle, but if I were in your shoes, I'd sure soak him down - it will not act as 'insulation', and won't make him sick - but he'll probably dry off pretty quickly in an open stock trailer going down the road at highway speeds. Would be good if you could stop periodically and either hose him down again or spray him with a pump-up sprayer.

 

[chippie]

Lucky P
The humidity here is extremely high.
When we run the mister in this heat and humidity, even with fans in the trailer, the cow just gets wtter and wetter. Living in Houston is like a tropical jungle.

 

[TexasBred]

Lucky P
The humidity here is extremely high.
When we run the mister in this heat and humidity, even with fans in the trailer, the cow just gets wtter and wetter. Living in Houston is like a tropical jungle.

You want his skin wet...very wet...soaked and with moving air. "Misting" is what causes the tiny beadlets of water to accumulate on the hair and hot even touch the skin. This makes the insulation blanket that actually heats an animal. If you can't soak him at least use a system with larger beads of water rather than mist. Even 100 degree air feels cool rushing over your skin at 70 mph if you're soaked.

 

[Lucky_P]

chippie,
I grew up in south Alabama - I know heat and humidity.
TB is right - misting is a problem - larger droplet size is preferable; you want to wet the animal, not create fog.
And yes, I mis-spoke when I typed 'misting' in my previous response - 'sprinkling' is more appropriate.

Elanco has a nice heat abatement document here: http://www.elanco.us/pdfs/usdbunon00147_heat_guide.pdf
It's aimed at dairy production, but the mechanics - and to a large degree, the physiology of heat stress, would be the same for beef cattle.

 

[Farmgirl]

We delivered the bull and did not wet him. It was 104 degrees much of the way. The route we took was open highway, so we were stopped very little. The bull didn't seem to be phased by the heat when we got there.

We got back and checked our cows tonight. They seem to be faring well in the heat.

Thanks for the input.

Farmgirl

 

[chippie]

Happy the trip went well.

My vet told me several years ago, that a soaked animal will overheat. It is so hot and humid here. I know that working outside, I sweat a lot on my face. If I don't wipe the sweat off, it accumulates and I get hotter and hotter.

When the weather is like this and I wash the accumulated sweat off of the horses, I have to be sure to use a scraper to get the majority of water off so that they will dry. I put them in the shade under a tree. If I turn one out still wet, it just gets wetter and wetter sweating.

I am going by experience. That is why I made the suggestion not to soak.

 

[TexasBred]

Happy the trip went well.

My vet told me several years ago, that a soaked animal will overheat. It is so hot and humid here. I know that working outside, I sweat a lot on my face. If I don't wipe the sweat off, it accumulates and I get hotter and hotter.

When the weather is like this and I wash the accumulated sweat off of the horses, I have to be sure to use a scraper to get the majority of water off so that they will dry. I put them in the shade under a tree. If I turn one out still wet, it just gets wetter and wetter sweating.

I am going by experience. That is why I made the suggestion not to soak.

Chippie "wet and still" will cause overheating. Wet and moving air cools. Nothing feels better than a cool breeze when you're sweating or wet from any source. It's "evaporation" and it "cools".

As for the horse you're also doing the right thing. All he/she is going to do it stand or lay around anyway.

 

[colleen]

Sprinklers and misters should thoroughly wet the animal. And good air flow. Do not just want to cool the air and make steam. Pretty hot here lately!
Colleen

 

[3MR]

Attended a continuing education meeting yesterday; one of the topics was heat stress and heat abatement for dairy cattle. Best scenario is intermittent misting (like at 5-10 minute intervals) and continuous airflow. Thermal Heat Index at which cattle start experiencing mild heat stress is suprisingly low - depending upon humidity levels, can be as low as 68 degrees; temps above 85 - you get into some serious heat stress pretty quickly.
Didn't specifically address hauling beef cattle, but if I were in your shoes, I'd sure soak him down - it will not act as 'insulation', and won't make him sick - but he'll probably dry off pretty quickly in an open stock trailer going down the road at highway speeds. Would be good if you could stop periodically and either hose him down again or spray him with a pump-up sprayer.

Exactly, soaking wet and moving air will feel like an air conditioner regardless of the humidity level. If you don't believe me then pick your most humid day, soak a bandana, put it over your face, stand in front of a fan and see how good that feels.