Headshaking suddenly worse

golddustsara

golddustsara

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... since the rape crops came out.... Got a nosenet on, vaseline round the nose and even trying local honey. Got some NAF shake relief on order, due in next week.

He is just coming right after a back injury and this is so frustrating. He hacks with his ears pricked constantly, but this week he is looking more and more snuffly and distressed when the headshaking occurs.

Vet has suggested some drugs - anyone had any good effects from prescribed medicine.
I will see how the shake relief goes and perhaps get some happinose balm first, but willing to try everything as he loves his work.
 
yes unfortunately he does - not in the field whilst standing but will do it walking in from field and lungeing. It's not as bad as when riding but I'm assuming exercise makes the symptoms worse...
 
I had a HS who shook all year round. And unfortunately exercise does make it worse. I did find that bright days, plus dry weather would increase the HS. I rode in a nosenet plus gave my mare chinese herbs. She was eventually retired due to a spinal injury. She still HS, but thankfully is now owned by the Dick Vet School so is in good hands
 
I will follow this thread with interest, I was going to ask the same question. This week the headshaking of mine has become distressingly alot worse. I think the heat increasing is definitely a factor. I am trying a brown steroid asthma inhaler on my horse once a day, 4 squirts up each nostril applied by human/baby spacer. I don't know if it will be enough in this heatwave to keep him comfortable and rideable. I am looking at starting steroid tablets as they are easier to administer than the inhaler. Would need to give 100 at a time though, so a pain to count out! Also trying anithistamine, ceterizine, the tesco 10mg brand is 7p a tablet as opposed to zirtek at about 48p per tablet! I think the horse dose is about 10 tablets. Apparently another antihistamine to try is atarax, think it is prescription. I am also researching a drug combination of antihistamine(cyprohepatine) and anti convulsive(carbamozepine?). I am also looking into seeing if a guardian mask would help. They are about £75. I use a ladies stocking on the horses nose. There was a good picture and explanation of how to attach it to the noseband on another thread on H&H. I thank the lady who put that up! Hope you can find some useful bits in my reply?!
 
Yes I am going to try cutting a pair of tights and putting that on under his nosenet, as well as upping the dose of piriton. Can't wait for my shake relief to be delivered - will give the happinose, shake relief and tights combo a couple of weeks and if no effect I think I'll call the vet as he mentioned using a new drug when I saw him last month (when he wasn't shaking..)

Having horses is stressful! Determined to try everything as I want to BE him this season. Good luck with your horse THL, let me know how you get on.
 
Yes, please stay in contact with me too! Let me know if the double nosenet works, think I will try this too. Please let me know the name of the new drug your vet talking about. I was a bit disappointed when I had a different vet(same practice though) out the other day for routine work. This vet, when I mentioned the headshaking, went straight for cutting the trigmenal nerve!
 
My horse is on a base dose of 40 cetirizine a day and this week as the symptoms have got far worse so he's been upped to 60 a day (he's a 17hh middleweight), I doubt 10 tablets a day will have much effect but depends on the size of your horse and severity of symptoms. The tablets really do help him, he used to just stand in the field shaking but he's not had a full blown attack this year yet.
 
Used 10 piriton today combined with nosenet (silly me needs bigger stockings as my old tights were too small!) and although he was shaking, he was less agitated and snorting.

Interesting hearing about drugs people have tried - I can't remember the name of the ones my vet suggested, but he said for the first two weeks you try a combo of two, then just try one drug, then the other, to find out which one/or a combo of the two works....

Will call my vet tommorrow and see what he suggests and PM you THL.
 
Your right in saying that while the rape is in flower its a lot worse. I ride for a racing trainer and he insists i walk past rape and avoid if possible. He knows of a racing trainer who had to retire several race horses one summer as his gallops were next to a rape field. No suggestions of how to help your horses except to say avoid rape fields if possible .
 
Hi, Have you tried the Crusader Quiet ride mask, it covers all the face, ears and nose. I use one of these with a nose net as well. It does help. Think sunlight can also be factor with HS. Good luck with it.
 
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