Horse with allergies/headshaking in field

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Zacamali

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Hi,
I have a mare that was diagnosed photosensitive/headshaker, but only when in the field, not when ridden. She does not have any blisters or anything I would expect a photosensitive horse to have (she is grey with black skin and no white/pink skin), she just stands and shakes her head quite violently, and does a weird nose pinching face (like the kind of face we might make if there was a bad smell- not like flehmen)
She has started digging holes too, she puts her head down and scartches the floor which creates a lot of dust which she seems to get some respite from (however she is causing more damage to my field that the badgers!!) she does this with her head against things (like next to the water trough or at the base of a tree)
Does anybody know what this is and what I can do?

To complicate things she is pregnant, so I can’t give her any drugs at this point (she did this before being pregnant so it is definitely not related to the pregnancy)
She wears a full face 80%uv/fly mask and a fly rug (neither seem to make much difference)
She stomps her feet so much she pulls her front shoes off or makes great big scratches in her hooves with the other foot (over-reach boots don’t stay on longer than a few hours)

Vet has diagnosed and had no suggestions other than fly mask and perhaps to keep in during the day but that is not really an option as she hates being in and is a lot more stressed in than out!

Help?!

Anybody have digging horses??! How do you stop it? And how do I appease her discomfort??!
The nose pinching she does is something I have never seen before - she doesnt show teeth, just puts her upper lip to the side very tense, wrinkling up her nose. I have tried taking pictures but with no luck!
 
Poor girl, I think this situation should have been looked into before deciding to put her in foal, it is not going to help her to have no medication and once the foal comes it will impact on how she cares for it, the first thing I would do is look at what meds can be given to reduce her discomfort, pregnant women suffer from allergies and don't have to stop taking meds so there must be something that will help, there are also herbal mixes which should be looked into some are definitely not suitable for an in foal mare but I am sure some will be.

I would also find a field with really good shade or get a decent field shelter so she can get out of the sun when she wants, if she pulls her shoes off either take them off and stop riding or even better ride barefoot, it probably isn't the best time of year to remove shoes but it may be better than having them pulled apart by her digging.

You don't say what feed she is on, if any, but some feeds can make reactions worse so I would cut out everything for a few weeks and gradually and carefully start her on a really low sugar/ starch feed if she needs it.
 
Thank you for this, she has got a field shelter which she does not use and has lots and lots of natural shelter too, in the form of huge trees throughout the field and also deep hedge trees that she can get under out from the sun and use thin branches to rub off flies. The other horse she is with makes good use of these areas. She does use the hedge for shelter but any area she chooses she just ends up wrecking by digging :(
She has shoes on because of the ground as she was really foot sore when we tried to take her shoes off earlier in the year and I did not want to add this to her discomforts. She is not being ridden - I will look at taking her shoes off when the ground is a bit softer so she doesnt have such an assault on her feet - althought if i were mean i could argue that taking her shoes off now might stop her digging!!!
Luckily my farrier is very understanding and as her shoe is always just where she was stood that day, he puts them back on quickly.
She is not being fed any hard feed, just grass and a mineral lick, admitedly she is looking better than she ever has even though this is happening (good weight and shiny coat and very healthy looking - whereas she was always a big of a poor-doer when she was in ridden work)

Do you know any remedies that work yourself? I have vet coming next week for her vaccinations and teeth and will ask again if there is anything she can have but does anybody highly recommend any herbal/homeopathy/natural remedies for allergies, or general irritability?
 
meleeka said:
Have you had bloods run, especially tor liver function?
Click to expand...

I would get bloods taken when the vet comes if not done already, as for remedies there are so many it can be trial and error but I would start with giving her a good amount of salt, a lick is not enough so you may have to give a token feed to get it into her, salt can make a huge difference especially in the hot weather.

Then look at the simple off the shelf allergy tablets, human ones, and see what ones are safe, piriton may help but there are several others based on a different drug, I would contact Hilton Herbs, they have a helpline, and see if they can recommend anything, they do mixes as well as individual herbs and will make a bespoke mix if you want and should be able to advise on what is safe for in foal mares as well as what may help her.
 
Is it possible for you to bring her in during the day and turn out only at night? If not, I would think about moving her somewhere which could offer a stable for daytime.

There is a product called Guardian Horse Mask which looks like goggles on a horse. They are mega expensive (£124 plus) but they are specifically for headshakers etc. which cut out 95% light.
 
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