Do goats sweat?

mpete · #1 07/25/10, 04:55 PM

I have been on many hikes/parades and have noticed that they seem to not sweat... ?????

ozark_jewels · #2 07/25/10, 04:57 PM

No, they pant. Like dogs, cats, rabbits and cattle. Horses sweat, but you never see them pant.

coso · #3 07/25/10, 06:09 PM

The only animal I know of off the top of my head that does not sweat is pigs, they don't have sweat glands. Cattle, goats, horses can all sweat, because they do , but will pant first to cool down.

topside1 · #4 07/25/10, 07:06 PM

You ought to see my buck working the does right now....He's panting. 93 degrees and in rut....Livestock knows best....Topside

ozark_jewels · #5 07/25/10, 07:13 PM

Guess I've just never seen one sweat. Pant till they have drool puddles under them, never sweat.

ozark_jewels · #6 07/25/10, 07:20 PM

According to wikipedia, "Although sweating is found in a wide variety of mammals,[4][5] relatively few, such as humans and horses, produce large amounts of sweat in order to cool down."
Which is why it is not noticable.

dragonchick · #7 07/25/10, 08:06 PM

My Nubian sweats when shes hot but I haven't seen any of the others doing it. When she sweats she's so wet she drips.

topside1 · #8 07/25/10, 08:19 PM

No sweaters here, if they did flys would be all over them...Ever seen dogs with flys all over them...they don't sweat.

topside1 · #9 07/25/10, 08:23 PM

I've seen cattle wet with I guess sweat, that's why cattle have flys on them all of the summer...goats don't

topside1 · #10 07/25/10, 08:26 PM

My buck is working three does at once, no sweat....maybe he's special, well the girls sure think so.

ozark_jewels · #11 07/25/10, 08:40 PM

I've never noticed a cow sweat, and our cows always have flies on them. I do not think its the sweat that attracts them, its the fact that cows are simply more dirty than goats. Cows lay down in manure and muck if it gets real hot, trying to cool. Goats do not.

dragonchick · #12 07/25/10, 08:42 PM

No flies on my goats but they get sprayed with Bronco spray.

KimM · #13 07/25/10, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topside1

I've seen cattle wet with I guess sweat, that's why cattle have flys on them all of the summer...goats don't

Flies are attracted to the saliva cattle sling over their backs when they attempt to shoo the flies away but I'm pretty sure cattle sweat a little too.

I didn't think goats had the ability to sweat so I started looking and according to the Merck Veterinary Manual -
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...m/bc/70100.htm
"Sweat glands (epitrichial [formerly apocrine] and atrichial [formerly eccrine]) are part of the thermoregulatory system. The evaporation of sweat from the skin is the primary cooling mechanism of the body for horses and primates and, to a lesser degree, pigs, sheep, and goats. There is some clinical evidence to suggest that limited sweating occurs in dogs and cats, and that it may have a minor role in cooling of the body. Dogs and cats thermoregulate primarily via panting, drooling, and spreading saliva on their coats (cats). However, cats will sweat through their paws especially when excited; this is most commonly seen as wet paw prints on surfaces, eg, examination tables."

I do remember feeling a slight dampness to my goats' coats when it's hot now that I think about it.

steff bugielski · #14 07/26/10, 05:09 AM

They do cool off though their horns just as elephants do their ears.

Backfourty,MI. · #15 07/26/10, 06:41 AM

I do notice on really hot or humid day's that when I pet my goats they just have a slight dampness to there coats also, like Kim said. I just always figured it was sweat becuase it's hot.
I also spray them for flies & mosquito's so not such a problem with that. I've never seen the sweat dripping off them, just dampness.

topside1 · #16 07/26/10, 07:20 AM

Thanks Kim, the school of goatology strikes again...Enjoy your weekend...Topside

southerngurl · #17 07/26/10, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

Horses sweat, but you never see them pant.

Yes, horses can't breath through their mouths, only their noses. Another interesting bit of trivia.

KimM · #18 07/26/10, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topside1

Thanks Kim, the school of goatology strikes again...Enjoy your weekend...Topside

You're welcome. I'm still just a freshman though.

You have a nice week!

po boy · #19 07/26/10, 09:03 AM

Yes, after drinking a lot of beer!

ozark_jewels · #20 07/26/10, 09:06 AM

I just think its amazing that goats and cows sweat at all. I mean, we have been upper nineties to the 100s in temps with extremely high humidity, for over a month now. It barely cools below 80 most nights. Its been really hard on the dairy cows, the flesh melts off them and they stand panting in the shade with drool pools under their mouths, yet I've never seen them sweat. Same for the goats, no signs of sweat at all, ever. So, it must take true extremes to push them to sweat!
Me on the other hand, I sweat like a sprinkler system!!