Headshaking diagnosis - gutted

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Clare85

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My vet came out today and confirmed my fears that our little cob Esme is a headshaker. I knew what he was going to tell me, but hearing it confirmed just feels devastating. She's only 4, we backed her in May and have so many hopes and dreams for her. She's an absolute star and a real poppet.

I'm currently doing my research regarding management/treatment options. My vet says that we could send her to Bristol for treatment but there are certain boxes which will need to be ticked before a referral can be made.

As far as I was aware, a headshaking diagnosis meant either a retirement or pts, but I have read case studies this afternoon where horses have been successfully treated into remission with PENS. Is there anyone out there who has successfully treated/managed a headshaker?
 
Headshaking can often be managed, finding the trigger can be difficult but with a really careful plan you can find it and sometimes it can be managed very easily, I have had a few over the years, one was a vet "write off" and they all lead a useful life, one or two were "cured" by finding the cause. If it is trigeminal neuralgia then it may prove more difficult but depending on how bad the symptoms are it is not a death sentence or a reason to retire.

I haven't time to list all of the ones I have dealt with but the causes ranged from tooth pain, missed for several years by the vet and dentist, back pain again missed by the vet, allergic reaction, one was sent back from a vet hospital with them finding nothing, he was worse in bright sunlight they did all the testing in a dark indoor school, there is so much you can do to find the reason and potentially the way to manage it, I assume you have already tried a nosenet.
 
I'm sorry about the diagnosis in such a young horse, you must be gutted.

What are the triggers that make her headshake, or is it random? Some horses are much worse when exposed to some pollens or in bright sunlight, for instance, and careful management can help enormously.
 
Sorry to hear that - must be gutting but there are lots of treatment options.

A lady on the yard unknowingly bought a headshaker earlier this year - shes been in horsepital and had all the tests run and has concluded that her headshaking doesn't have a trigger (i.e sun light/ pollen/ allergies) shes been having regular electro acupuncture which is an alternative to PENS and this manages it well, its still early days for her but it does seem to be working and inbetween 'attacks' she is able to function and be ridden as a normal horse, although she is ridden with a mask/nose net most of the time to be safe.

I would suggest that your first port of call is to find out if she has a trigger or not.
 
Valegro was a headshaker as young horse. Carl apparently sent him back because of it- just look where they are now!
 
Salt is a cure for quite a few headshakers, have you tried a very big dose of salt every day?

By 'treatment', does your vet mean denerving? If so, please, please do your own research in this. I know more than one vet whio thinks it's unethical. It can leave the horse in the most immense pain, going frantic banging its nose or head on anything just to relieve the pain. I read a survey which said a huge percentage of owners would never put their horse through it again, even when in the long run the operation had been successful.

When i had a horse with trigeminal neuralgia, my vet told me that he could refer to Leahurst but that treatment was largely unsuccessful anyway.

Do you know what triggers yours? UV eye masks and nose nets can be very helpful in many cases.

Nose nets don't always mean a pollen allergy if they work, by the way. There is a theory that the provide a stimulus to the end of the nose that reduces the irritation from the trigeminal nerve at the cheek bone.

Micklem bridles can also help a lot with a case of trigeminal nerve irritation.

You could also get your vet or dentist to double check the TMJ joint at the top of the jawbone. If the front teeth are not in alignment top and bottom, the TMJ could be out of place.
 
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Thank you for the replies. I am totally gutted, she's such a promising little mare and just the loveliest person.

She has always been a little sensitive to pollens/midges/etc and we are careful to keep a fly mask on her when turned out which has a nose net and ear covers inbuilt. Over the summer she would snort a little and head toss slightly if we were going through a field with long grass, but nothing that concerned us.

Three weeks ago our YM decided to set the muck heap on fire which was only 20ft or so from the stable block. We were unaware until the following morning when I got to the yard to ride. The horses had been standing in their stables, breathing in smoke all night. Esme had a cough and headshook that day whilst I was riding her.

We turned her out in the field until we could move her to a new yard a week later. Setting the muck heap alight was too much for us and we felt very uncomfortable leaving her in the care of someone who was going to do something so dangerous. The headshaking has progressed quickly since then and when I rode her on Sunday it was really bad. I tried a nose net on Tuesday, which slightly improved things but she was still shaking.

When I rode her for the vet today she shook her head the entire time. He wanted to start a course of steroids today but I'm reluctant at this time of year with the increased laminitis risk so we are holding off for now. We will be keeping a diary of the headshaking incidents and riding her at different times of day/different weather types/etc to try to determine a pattern. Vet also wants a series of short videos of her demonstrating the behaviour.
 
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Sounds like something at the new yard has set her off, coupled with the after effects of the smoke inhalation- what a noob to have a fire so close to the stables :(.

What is different at the new place management wise? What forage is she on? Dry hay can set some headshakers off. My mare snorted and headshook when turned out on pasture with a high clover content, since I've eradicated the clover by spraying, she's virtually stopped.

Sometimes a previously confirmed headshaker will stop when moved to a new environment, and sometimes the reverse happens.

Don't despair yet, there are many avenues to explore, some of which may be dead ends, and others more promising.
 
Do try things, my horse was getting to be a chronic head-shaker, to the point where even in the field his head is constantly up/down. He looks like he's really lame in walk! All the nosenets stuff made no difference, but cover his ears and eyes ( I ride always in the equilibrium face mask, and always turn out in full eyes and ears mask). and you would never know, he is completely cured!

For competitions he wears the legal fly fringes underneath his equilibrium one (which isn't) for warm-up , then we whisk it off as we go in, that seems to work and no-one has complained yet!
 
Tiddlypom said:
Sounds like something at the new yard has set her off, coupled with the after effects of the smoke inhalation- what a noob to have a fire so close to the stables :(.

What is different at the new place management wise? What forage is she on? Dry hay can set some headshakers off. My mare snorted and headshook when turned out on pasture with a high clover content, since I've eradicated the clover by spraying, she's virtually stopped.

Sometimes a previously confirmed headshaker will stop when moved to a new environment, and sometimes the reverse happens.

Don't despair yet, there are many avenues to explore, some of which may be dead ends, and others more promising.
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Thank you for this. She is still on the same turnout and bring in routine, time wise and we are still using the same hay as we brought it with us. However, her new field is absolutely full of clover, which didn't really cross my mind. Could I ask what you sprayed it with please?
 
burtie said:
Do try things, my horse was getting to be a chronic head-shaker, to the point where even in the field his head is constantly up/down. He looks like he's really lame in walk! All the nosenets stuff made no difference, but cover his ears and eyes ( I ride always in the equilibrium face mask, and always turn out in full eyes and ears mask). and you would never know, he is completely cured!

For competitions he wears the legal fly fringes underneath his equilibrium one (which isn't) for warm-up , then we whisk it off as we go in, that seems to work and no-one has complained yet!
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Thank you. Her fly mask has full ears and nose net, will be riding her in it next time I get on.
 
Clare85 said:
Thank you for this. She is still on the same turnout and bring in routine, time wise and we are still using the same hay as we brought it with us. However, her new field is absolutely full of clover, which didn't really cross my mind. Could I ask what you sprayed it with please?
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I used Headland Relay P, which annoyingly has been withdrawn from sale. I'm not sure what to suggest as an alternative, but there will be options.
 
Just another chiming in to say don't get too despondent, you've had lots of good advice and ideas upthread. My older mare started headshaking after being stung up the nose - she had a huge swelling which we treated and then after it went down she started headshaking. She is worst in bright sunlight. In the winter I have found we rarely have a problem. I use an Equilibrium riding face mask as found it more effective than the nose nets - both are now BD legal so if dressage tickles your fancy there's hope if they work for you. She was at Advanced Medium before she broke herself in the field this year, so it was certainly not holding her back in her ridden career.

I have to say I would also be cautious as per ycbm's response regarding 'treatment', it was mooted as a possibility for Millie but there was no way I'd put her through it when I found a way to help her cope at home.
 
As above really. Forgive me for being pedantic (not the poster Pedantic, but a pedant!) but you don't have a diagnosis of headshaking, what you have is a symptom. And the vet saw it and confirmed it.

You may get to a diagnosis (eg pollen allergy/smoke inhalation sensitivity) and that will enable you to manage it (eg by spraying/moving field/moving away from muck heap fires!). Or you may, by trial and error find a way to manage it without ever really finding just one cause.

But as above. No need to be despairing yet. The only difference between before and after the vet visit is that a vet has agreed you're not imagining a symptom which you can clearly see anyway (and have a good few ideas as to what the underlying cause may be!)
 
milliepops said:
I use an Equilibrium riding face mask as found it more effective than the nose nets - both are now BD legal so if dressage tickles your fancy there's hope if they work for you. She was at Advanced Medium before she broke herself in the field this year, so it was certainly not holding her back in her ridden career.
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Oh I'm guessing that is a new change? Yipee when I last rode a couple of years back they weren't allowed!
 
burtie said:
Oh I'm guessing that is a new change? Yipee when I last rode a couple of years back they weren't allowed!
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Just looked and they are only allowed in warm up if you have a dispensation, I've only used it in warm up for unaffiliated. But they are not allowed for the actual competition.

But they will be allowed from 1st December 2016 even in the ring yeah!!!
 
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milliepops said:
Just another chiming in to say don't get too despondent, you've had lots of good advice and ideas upthread. My older mare started headshaking after being stung up the nose - she had a huge swelling which we treated and then after it went down she started headshaking. She is worst in bright sunlight. In the winter I have found we rarely have a problem. I use an Equilibrium riding face mask as found it more effective than the nose nets - both are now BD legal so if dressage tickles your fancy there's hope if they work for you. She was at Advanced Medium before she broke herself in the field this year, so it was certainly not holding her back in her ridden career.

I have to say I would also be cautious as per ycbm's response regarding 'treatment', it was mooted as a possibility for Millie but there was no way I'd put her through it when I found a way to help her cope at home.
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Thank you, both to you and ycbm for the advice re. treatment. I have to say, it doesn't sit right with me and I'm not sure we would want to put her through anything aggressive. She's such a lovely mare, I would very much hesitate to put her through something which could give her issues. The steroids just feel wrong also, which is why I did not consent for the vet to begin the course atm. I would rather try other methods.
 
burtie said:
Just looked and they are only allowed in warm up if you have a dispensation, I've only used it in warm up for unaffiliated. But they are not allowed for the actual competition.

But they will be allowed from 1st December 2016 even in the ring yeah!!!
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I had the dispensation sorted yonks ago, it's just a letter from the vet saying the horse needs to wear it for the management of headshaking and it was then allowed in competition :) nothing too earth shattering or difficult to arrange :) but yes, the new rules make even that unnecessary. Progress :)
 
ThursdayNext said:
As above really. Forgive me for being pedantic (not the poster Pedantic, but a pedant!) but you don't have a diagnosis of headshaking, what you have is a symptom. And the vet saw it and confirmed it.

You may get to a diagnosis (eg pollen allergy/smoke inhalation sensitivity) and that will enable you to manage it (eg by spraying/moving field/moving away from muck heap fires!). Or you may, by trial and error find a way to manage it without ever really finding just one cause.

But as above. No need to be despairing yet. The only difference between before and after the vet visit is that a vet has agreed you're not imagining a symptom which you can clearly see anyway (and have a good few ideas as to what the underlying cause may be!)
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Thank you so much. You're right, the vet only told me what I already knew. This thread has definitely given me hope and some things to work on. First on the list is getting her off the clover!
 
Clare85 said:
Thank you, both to you and ycbm for the advice re. treatment. I have to say, it doesn't sit right with me and I'm not sure we would want to put her through anything aggressive. She's such a lovely mare, I would very much hesitate to put her through something which could give her issues. The steroids just feel wrong also, which is why I did not consent for the vet to begin the course atm. I would rather try other methods.
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Be guided by your vet on that, obv laminitis is always a risk but it's odd that the headshaking has come on relatively suddenly - it makes you think there's been a definite trigger so a course of steroids could be what her body needs to get over something. Just an idea.
 
My horse is triggered by pollen/dust/insects. He wears a nosenet and this year I gave him antihistamines which took a while to work but made an incredible difference to him. I use cetirizine hydrochloride, 1 tablet per 50kg body weight to start with once a day. You can get them off the shelf at a pharmacy or supermarket.

Also it's illegal for your yard owner to burn her muck heap. Whether she will care or not is another matter but if it's both illegal and irritating your horses symptoms you'd like to think she wouldn't do it again.
 
The clover in the new grazing rings massive alarm bells for me. Clover is really high in potassium which goes back to the link I posted earlier about salt. Definitely try her on a big dose. Mine gets 40gms a day routinely, more if he sweats etc
 
KatPT said:
My horse is triggered by pollen/dust/insects. He wears a nosenet and this year I gave him antihistamines which took a while to work but made an incredible difference to him. I use cetirizine hydrochloride, 1 tablet per 50kg body weight to start with once a day. You can get them off the shelf at a pharmacy or supermarket.

Also it's illegal for your yard owner to burn her muck heap. Whether she will care or not is another matter but if it's both illegal and irritating your horses symptoms you'd like to think she wouldn't do it again.
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Thank you for the info. We informed ym that it was illegal to burn the muck heap but she really didn't care. She didn't care about the fact she was putting the horse's lives/health in danger either, hence why we've moved.

FrankieCob said:
The clover in the new grazing rings massive alarm bells for me. Clover is really high in potassium which goes back to the link I posted earlier about salt. Definitely try her on a big dose. Mine gets 40gms a day routinely, more if he sweats etc
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Yes definitely, seems completely obvious now it's been mentioned. I shall be taking her straight off it and upping her salt intake.

Tnavas said:
Sorry to hear your little mare is head shaking, one thing I found with a few head shakers is to remove the flash strap from the noseband.
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Thank you. She is only in a plain cavesson but her bit does have full cheeks so I may actually change it to a loose ring version.
 
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