HEADSHAKING SURGERY

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Jodes

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My horse Humphrey has been headshaking for about a year now. He is an 8 year old 16.2 ISH gelding. He started headshaking in March 07 and is unrideable! He headshakes in the field and when being ridden and is definately worse on sunny mild days. I have tried everything for him, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, antihistamines, tegretol (carbamazepine) Intravenous streroid, steroid inhaler, nose nets, field masks, and mum even got some crazy herbal lady. The steroid inhaler did seem to help and he stopped headshaking completely between November 07 and January 08, but was this just because the weather was cold? Humphrey has been to Liverpool university in July 07 and was diagnosed with allergic rhinitis, (his nose gets very red and sore inside). I have been in touch with Liverpool since he started headshaking again in February 08. They said he may be a candidate for surgery, where they fit tiny platinum coils around the main facial nerve. Has anyone had any expenience with a horse who has had the surgery or just headshakers in general?
 
My horse was twice operated on by Derek knottenbelt at Liverpool Uni for headshaking, but it was about 8 years ago and I know things have developed significantly since.
My horse was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralga and had the trigeminal nerve sclerosed. 0n the first occasion just one side, which helped a bit but didn't eliminate the headshaking. 9 months later they sclerosed both sides. The second op was very traumatic for the poor horse and we were very close to loosing him in the weeks following the op (Derek said that he was one of the first they'd treated both sides and he wouldn't sclerose as aggressively in the future) - He did pull through though. Although he still did headshake occasionally we were able to manage him on Atarax and he was able to return to ridden work.
Liverpool really is the best place to get treatment for headshaking. You have my sympathies as I know how stressful it is for both you the owner and your poor horse. Good Luck
 
I own a headshaker, although he's not nearly as bad as yours sounds. He is helped a lot by Global Herbs Shakefree supplement- he only has it in summer when the pollen is about, but he would be very unhappy without it, now he hardly ever shakes.

I can see your horse's problem is far more severe, just thought I would share what has helped us and I hope you find a solution for your poor chap.
 
My sons godfather's horse has had the coil surgery last week.

I was absolutley fascinated by it.
To begin with they lunged him and he was headshaking 50-60 times per minute.
They then nerve blocked him into a nerve just outside of the brainstem (this needed to be done fully consicous sp?) and then they lunged him again and it was down to 4 times a minute and much less violent.

I know that he was due to go into surgery and due to other things going on i havent been able to speak to him.

I will let you know how he is when i have spoken to him tomorrow.

(he is at the Royal Veterinary College btw)
 
I have 2 headshakers, one smacked her head in the field one day & the other was caused by a pollen allergy. Both have been diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia but not really sure the hows & whys I've gone past the point of asking now. Either way, one went to liverpool & the other went to liphook. One isn't too bad, he's perfectly happy & doesn't even seem to notice his head.

The other one was very distressed. She went to liverpool, she was also in the liverpool headshaking trial & the women said she was one of the worst on the trial she'd throw her head round constantly. Anyway, she went to liverpool & unfortunately she didn't respond to the nerve blocks at all, and derek said it was such risky surgery anyway that he'd only put a horse that really responded to the nerve blocks through it.

We tried everything with that mare, we'd have had her 5 years in july & she was headshaking for 3, you name it we tried it, we tried every type of treatment, every type of supplement, face nets, nose nets, vicks, contact lenses everything. Unfortunately the only thing for her is moving to the coast in devon, she hasn't been there for the summer yet so we're yet to see if it completely helps.

Derek told us that sometimes its just the area that triggers the nerve pain and that the last thing he'll suggest to try is sending them to the other end of the country where the air is just different.

Also, without being rude if your horse had an allergy to something that causes headshaking its nearly always pollen so would that not have cleared up over the winter? the pollen isn't really out yet except birchwood pollen I think which isn't supposed to really affect horses?
 
Thankyou for sharing your experience with me, i'm very grateful. Humphrey is off to see Derek Knottenbelt on the 11th of March to see if he's a candidate for surgery. seeing the result of the nerve block, woud you say the horse would be safe to compete on?
 
thankyou for sharing your experience with me. Humphrey is off to see derek knottenbelt on the 11th of march to see if he's a candidate for surgery. He did stop head shaking completely for two months over the winter and has just started again in Jan, which you're right, doesn't really fit with the allergic rhinitis diagnosis. Maybe moving him to a different area would help, thanks for your suggestion.
 
I'm almost certain that my boy headshakes due to pollen (never been diagnosed, just the circumstances in which he does it) and he generally has a few days of shaking in January, then it eases off until March/April. So I think there can be things around this early which cause them problems. He also shakes if there is smoke in the air.
 
Hey

Sorry to bring this up again, i've just joined and have been trying to find info on veterinary treatment for head shaking and also if the op works. My horse Fred a 14yo ex race horse suffers really badly with it, he started in the spring of 06 on box rest. I managed to ride last winter but he started early march last year and didn't stop this winter and seems to be a lot worse this year already. Last spring/summer he wore a full face fly mask 24/7 which seemed to help a lot and i hardly saw any shaking, i took it off when autumn came and the wet weather but he started shaking albeit not as violent as i have seen him. I have now had to put it back on 24/7, it is helping but not as much as it has done and while i've been at work he has been seen shaking violently, he flicks his front legs out, rubs his nose, snorts, sometimes tries to runaway, leading he will walk right behind you with his nose in your back, sometimes i can't get his headcollar on and trying makes it worse so i put the rope around his neck and all the usual head shaking symptoms. Sometimes i can't brush him without setting it off. I felt so cruel turning him out in the high winds the other day as he was terrible, wind and stress make him worse. I've tried natural methods supplements you name it, i was hoping something might work. I think it may be time for me to get the vet in but i haven't got him insured as i haven't been riding. I have been putting the vet off as i can see him being a candidate for the op and i'm not sure i would want to put him through it, he's already been through so much. The summer before he started head shaking he had both hind limb suspensory ligaments operated on in new market, i got him home and the next day was followed by colic and another trip to new market. He spent about a month there and came back to me like a hat rack and once again when he came home suffered another bout of colic. I don't know if he would stand another op. Also i'm not sure about how i would feel about him not being able to feel his face he is so accident prone anyway knowing him he would end up in trouble. Do the ops work? I'm not sure i could afford an op with him not insured? I doubt drugs would have a dramatic effect as he is so bad. I hate seeing him like this, it breaks my heart and his face when i take his mask off to clean it just says please make it stop and i can't.
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Any one had any success with the drugs or op? or any complications with the op?

Thanks

Steph
 
HI i have had the coil surgery suggestted to me as my horse is a violent headshaker. Would anyone mind giving me a idea of cost? has anyone had sucess with this and returned to full ridden work and competeing?
 
Hello, don't care about my english, I'm french ! My horse has got this surgery 16 days ago. The first 5 days were fine, no more head shaking, but since that day the problem come back worse than before. I had read that nose rubbing could appear, but I didn-t expect this What about the convalescence of your horses ? What can I do to help him ? How long will it go ? My vet says I only have to wait, or to sedate with Calmivet.
Can you tell me your experiences ? Thanks !
 
My big lad Linkwood was a headshaker - sometimes so bad he'd throw me off. Lots of snorting too

Lots of causes of headshaking.

I tried all sorts of supplements, including the stinky Global Herbs one - even resorted to a few Piriton.

Then I used an elevator bridle and that gave him some relief - it was better - but then I went completely bitless and bridle free - I ride in the soft rope hackamore and lightweight clip on reins I buy whenever I am in Canada or the US - so no weight on the face at all.

No headshaking. None. Gone.

Might not work for everyone - but worth a go. I think that once the irritation was established, it continued even when he was back in the field - like he had a facial memory and the sensation persisted.

I don't know how you ride, but I have seen horses stop headshaking when the flash has been taken off.

The other thing worth thinking about is making sure he is getting adequate minerals - particularly magnesium, copper and zinc.
 
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