Please count your horse's blink rate.

[LadyRascasse]

That's good to know, thank you. Was your horse rideable before she got the treatment?

She came off of loan in the October in poor condition with bad mud fever, we did some light hacking but stopped as her legs were in a bad way. Around the January we brought her back into work and she was "ok" she started headshaking in the March, the first vet said it was purely behavioral and to ride her through it. She put me in A+E, we did one lap of walk round the school, she exploded went up vertical then went into a bucking frenzy I hit the deck head first from about 12ft. She didn't stop bucking when she got rid of me either poor girl Second vet diagnosed and referred to the third vet for treatment. I never rode her again after treatment either sadly, the treatment helped the symptoms but couldn't cure the her problem (compressed vertebra in her neck) I don't know what you know about the trigeminal nerve but it runs inside the vertebra so as she had a compression there was nothing we could do for her, she had given up on life and slipped away so peacefully like it was what she had been waiting for :'( We tried for nearly a year to save her to be honest that was probably to long but I wanted to try everything I could for her.

 

[LadyRascasse]

The mickelm apparently works because it doesn't have any straps over the trigeminal nerve - something to do with the placement of the straps under the jaw etc means there is no pressure on the nerve.

Tried it on my mare with Trigeminal neuragia and it made no differences to her.

 

[mjcssjw2]

Don't know if this is of any use, but when my mare fractured her skull, she was at first very sensitive to the slightest breeze on her face, she really cringed about it and would quickly move her head out of the breeze, this did resolve well with time, but I am sure she found it very painful.

 

[cptrayes]

I hadn't thought about accupuncture ( I don't know why not, used it on my mare with neck pain and it worked a treat!) It may help you to know if it is face pain or something more deep seated, well worth a try. We know/have used a vet who is also an accupuncturist, pm me if you want his details.

Thanks YG, luckily there is a vet who does acupuncture based in Chester, so close enough to take him to her.

 

[cptrayes]

Don't know if this is of any use, but when my mare fractured her skull, she was at first very sensitive to the slightest breeze on her face, she really cringed about it and would quickly move her head out of the breeze, this did resolve well with time, but I am sure she found it very painful.

VERY useful, thanks. Wind seems to be the worst at the moment. Can I ask how long it took?

 

[YorksG]

Thanks YG, luckily there is a vet who does acupuncture based in Chester, so close enough to take him to her.

That is handier than the one I know Hope it works

 

[LadyRascasse]

CPTrayes I have videos of my mare if you wanted to compare to your own horse

 

[cptrayes]

CPTrayes I have videos of my mare if you wanted to compare to your own horse

Yes please if they are on YouTube. I've got wet string for a broadband line so receiving them direct is difficult, but if you can't get them on YouTube let me know and I'll see what I can do on someone else's hub.

 

[zigzag]

What part of his jaw did he fracture (can't remember of-hand). Only he may have a deep rooted abscess that doesn't show from the outside. A friends horse fracture the right hand side of her face, x rays confirmed it, but what it didn't show was that one of the back teeth had moved ever so slightly and infection got in, which was shown by a second x-ray. When was his last x-ray?

 

[cptrayes]

What part of his jaw did he fracture (can't remember of-hand). Only he may have a deep rooted abscess that doesn't show from the outside. A friends horse fracture the right hand side of her face, x rays confirmed it, but what it didn't show was that one of the back teeth had moved ever so slightly and infection got in, which was shown by a second x-ray. When was his last x-ray?

He didn't fracture his jaw. He fractured the top of his left hand eye socket at some time before I bought him in December 2011. He fractured the top of his right eye socket in January, and his left cheekbone just below the eye about two weeks ago. He has not been x rayed because my vet's advice is that there is no point, nothing can be done except to allow the fractures time to heal.

 

[Fun Times]

Really feel for you CPT as this sounds like such a difficult condition to diagnose and treat and you must be terribly worried. I havent any direct experience but would say that accupuncture has held me personally with a range of muscular and neurological conditions so may well be worth trying. Amytriptiline also certainly helped me but not sure if licensed for use in horses. It also made me very slow and dopey so perhaps not ideal for an equine. I hope he startsto show some improvement soon.

 

[mjcssjw2]

it wasn't very long only a few weeks, but I kept her in, she fell about 10ft onto her head, she had 5 bone fragments removed from her left eye socket and knocked a large bone flap out of the the area just to the middle of her forehead - actually it was still there and hinged, but first vet missed it - my vet found it when he xrayed her. My vet was very concerned about her eyesight - she was ok on eyesight front - but think you have ruled eyesight problems out.

 

[zigzag]

He didn't fracture his jaw. He fractured the top of his left hand eye socket at some time before I bought him in December 2011. He fractured the top of his right eye socket in January, and his left cheekbone just below the eye about two weeks ago. He has not been x rayed because my vet's advice is that there is no point, nothing can be done except to allow the fractures time to heal.

I would ask for xrays, you don't know exactly what he has done, he could have a chip of bone digging in somewhere

 

[cptrayes]

it wasn't very long only a few weeks, but I kept her in, she fell about 10ft onto her head, she had 5 bone fragments removed from her left eye socket and knocked a large bone flap out of the the area just to the middle of her forehead - actually it was still there and hinged, but first vet missed it - my vet found it when he xrayed her. My vet was very concerned about her eyesight - she was ok on eyesight front - but think you have ruled eyesight problems out.

What did she do - jump into a quarry??? Very interesting about timing, thank you. We have a month more of rest to go, so anything could happen in that time, I guess. I certainly won't be having him ridden while he's blinking and frowning like he is at the moment.

 

[LadyRascasse]

Yes please if they are on YouTube. I've got wet string for a broadband line so receiving them direct is difficult, but if you can't get them on YouTube let me know and I'll see what I can do on someone else's hub.

I have them on facebook, so I will pm you a link to them

 

[zigzag]

I was thinking of your horse last night, How did the vet come to a diagnosis of a fracture? and what were his/her reasons for not doing an x-ray?

 

[TheMule]

Had a horse who suddenly went wild at an event, it turned out he'd perforated his ear drum but he had associated facial nerve damage too. Over the next few months his symptoms included noise sensitivity, irregular head shaking, sweating in small patches on his face and neck and hyper sensitivity around the face. Acupuncture helped to relieve the symptoms for short periods of time. He was seen by an ENT specialist, had x-rays to confirm no other reason but eventually was PTS as so uncomfortable

 

[cptrayes]

I was thinking of your horse last night, How did the vet come to a diagnosis of a fracture? and what were his/her reasons for not doing an x-ray?

This has been done to death on my other thread if you would like to read it there. There is a contribution by a vet on there too.

 

[cptrayes]

Had a horse who suddenly went wild at an event, it turned out he'd perforated his ear drum but he had associated facial nerve damage too. Over the next few months his symptoms included noise sensitivity, irregular head shaking, sweating in small patches on his face and neck and hyper sensitivity around the face. Acupuncture helped to relieve the symptoms for short periods of time. He was seen by an ENT specialist, had x-rays to confirm no other reason but eventually was PTS as so uncomfortable

Thanks for this, all information is useful, however unhappy. Sorry about your horse

 

[zigzag]

I read one of your threads. Couldn't find anything on why the vet wouldn't x-ray .. Still think an x-ray of his head would be good to see actually what is going on with the fractures.

Otherwise link the thread that explains why the vet won't x-ray

 

[cptrayes]

Otherwise link the thread that explains why the vet won't x-ray

What did your last slave die of ?

 

[mle22]

Thank you, very interesting. Was there a cause identified for your problem. I wonder if it's different with fractures?

I had broken and dislocated my jaw about 15 years previously. The acupuncturist told me the problem was 'structural' - my jaw is still slightly crooked and I assume the nerve was getting trapped.

 

[zigzag]

What did your last slave die of ?

Well considering I went through four pages of your previous posts and couldn't find anything regarding a vet, thought it would be better if you pointed me in the right direction, as I can't believe the poor horse hasn't had an x-ray, how does the vet know if any fragments of bone are loose etc?

 

[cptrayes]

Well considering I went through four pages of your previous posts and couldn't find anything regarding a vet, thought it would be better if you pointed me in the right direction, as I can't believe the poor horse hasn't had an x-ray, how does the vet know if any fragments of bone are loose etc?

Have you never heard the word please? I don't take orders like you tried to give me from anonymous internet posters, sorry.

I have discussed x rays elsewhere. I am not interested in discussing them any further, thank you.

 

[DiNozzo]

Have you never heard the word please?

Really?

Your bringing up manners to avoid answering a perfectly reasonable question in regard to your horse's health and potential quality of life?

 

[cptrayes]

I had broken and dislocated my jaw about 15 years previously. The acupuncturist told me the problem was 'structural' - my jaw is still slightly crooked and I assume the nerve was getting trapped.

Did the acupuncture provide permanent relief?

 

[cptrayes]

Really?

Your bringing up manners to avoid answering a perfectly reasonable question in regard to your horse's health and potential quality of life?

You are total strangers on the internet. I have no obligation to answer any of your questions.

I have not avoided answering, the answers are on another thread. I do not wish to discuss x rays again, and you have no right to demand that I do.

 

[DiNozzo]

Well, then, here's a question that isn't about xrays.

How does your vet, or you for that matter, know that there is not a loose chip or fragment causing his frowning/headaches, or some of his pain more generally?

Bone chips can migrate, so whilst the fracture may heal the bone chip will cause pain for as long as it takes to dissolve. This can cause excessive pain- it did for me when I chipped a bit off my shoulder blade and the bone fragment migrated into my spinal fluid...

But how will you know that without xrays/scans?

You are asking for help to make his life better, people are trying to help you by advising routes you clearly don't want to go down, even if they might help your horse.

 

[cptrayes]

Which part of 'I do not wish to discuss xrays with strangers on the internet any more than I have already done' are you finding difficult to understand?

 

[mle22]

Did the acupuncture provide permanent relief?

yes - touch wood - I've never had a problem since