PTS due to Headshaking-wwyd?

My gelding started to head shake. It was really bad but only when he was worked either on the lunge or ridden. It was cured by one visit from a Mctimmony chiropractor. It did come back again a few months later and so I called her out again and he hasn't done it since. Apparently it was due to some problem in his poll area.
 
My connie used to headshake in summer. The only thing that stopped him was Nostril Vet
http://nostrilvet.com/about_nostrilvet.php

I'd give it a try is wont hurt anything.
Anouther thing I was advised was Vicksvapo rug on thier nostrils. That helped slightly.

He headshook for a couple of years and then one year I was waiting for him to start and he just didnt.
 
I know one who had an op to cut the trigemminal nerve at liphook. It didn't work and he was PTS in the end. I think it is a horrible affliction for them and your chap seems to have quite a lot of triggers- interesting he grazes ok until he lifts his head up. I think I would try him on steroids on the insurance then reassess.
 
ester said:
I know one who had an op to cut the trigemminal nerve at liphook. It didn't work and he was PTS in the end. I think it is a horrible affliction for them and your chap seems to have quite a lot of triggers- interesting he grazes ok until he lifts his head up. I think I would try him on steroids on the insurance then reassess.
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I know, he's so confusing. The rain is still hitting his face but it's not a problem till he actually lifts his head up. And the fact that he stopped for a bit, I have a couple of videos of him in heavy rain with no shaking at all, it was so frustrating when he started again.
I'm definitely trying the steroids, fingers crossed they make some difference
 
Testy said:
I know, he's so confusing. The rain is still hitting his face but it's not a problem till he actually lifts his head up. And the fact that he stopped for a bit, I have a couple of videos of him in heavy rain with no shaking at all, it was so frustrating when he started again.
I'm definitely trying the steroids, fingers crossed they make some difference
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Have you thought of one of these for the field can be made water proof http://kernowequestrian.co.uk/id3.html

Shame they don't make the full waterproof hoods with clips to attach to turnout, also one that you can hack out with.

summer http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GEE-TAC-H...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item3389cf0635
 
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My Eventer started headshaking out of the blue in March 2012 I spent the next 12 months maxing out my insurance trialing everything. She had good days and bad days never any reason. Hers was also more excercise induced and is not too bad in the field. She went to liverpool for 2 weeks for them to study her. The only thing we did know was it was comming from the Trigeminal nerve as they managed to nerve block this successfully. None of the medication we trialed made any difference. I would have considered the operation for coils if the post op success rate was better but not a chance on current info.

The only thing that helped my horse was a full face mask, I used the equlibrum field mask and then the ride in mask for hacking but even in harder schooling work she would still shake a little with the riding mask on.

Eventually i took Loss of Use from the insurer and she is semi retired in a field the masks help her be more comfortable for that.
Having dealt with a headshaker I would not wish it on anyone and i certainly wouldn't want to deal with it again in a hurry. It my horse gets so bad she is unfortable at rest in the field she will be PTS.
 
Testy said:
My gelding started headshaking last April, his main trigger is rain although cold wind, snow and pollen can sometimes set him off as well.
I've tried a whole host of supplements, salt in his feed, he has his teeth done regularly. He's been to liphook and been scoped, xrayed, trigeminal nerve blocked (which didn't work), eyes checked etc etc, everything was normal. My vet gave him 6 sessions of acupuncture which has made no difference.
I don't know what to do with him, I'm starting to wonder whether it's fair to keep him going if he's headshaking and in pain even whilst in his field and nothing seems to be helping. He's fine whilst his head's down and he's grazing but if he lifts his head or moves about he starts again. He's fine in his stable unless he puts his head over the door on a rainy day.
My vet wants to try him on steroids, but at a cost of £100 for 2 weeks supply, this isn't something I'd be able to fund once my insurance claim runs out.
He did randomly stop for a couple of weeks recently-I have no idea why or how, but he's back to normal now so any opinions or ideas welcome.
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My horse is a headshaker. He has had xrays, scopes, ct scan, bloods, ears, eyes, teeth, back checked, cranial osteopathy, Tegretol tablets, nosenet, fly mask, stocking over his muzzle, no noseband, no bit, ear covers, hard feed stopped, hay and haylage stopped, micklem bridle, reiki, accupuncture, l moved yards, 9 months off and he had PENS therapy at Langford. He is still doing it in the field and ridden. Seasons make no difference he does it all the time. Threw me off last week - l have ridden less than 10 times in 9 months, only try once in a while to see if any changes. He's 17.3h and huge. Now made the awful choice enough is enough and he will be pts in next couple of weeks. Absolutely heartbreaking. This is worst thing that can happen to a horse...
 
That is so sad Mr Bailey. Mine is retired because of it (as well as bad hocks, but they are manageable). He will be PTS when it gets too bad, at the moment he is OK with a field shelter.
 
About 15 years ago I had a horse who was a headshaker. There was no pattern to it, some days she'd be awful and other days she'd hardly show any symptoms, with no obvious reason for the difference, and in the end we concluded that it must be some form of trigeminal neuralgia. At the time, there was some research being carried out in America into the condition, and the suggested treatment was a drug called cyproheptadine (I think the brand name was Periactin), which has also been used in the past to treat Cushing's. Having run out of other options, we tried the cyproheptadine and it was a complete cure - my horse went from trying to kick her own head off to normal within 24 hours. She was on the drug for a couple of years and then I gradually weaned her off it - she never showed any symptoms again, so I don't know at what point she stopped being a headshaker. It was quite expensive once the insurance ran out though, but for my horse it was worth every penny as it gave her her life back.

I hope you find a solution for your horse.
 
Before anyone makes any drastic decisions please have your horse tested for herpes. This has been linked to head shaking. It's a simple blood test that may save your horses life
 
Two things to try: Head mask with ears as I have known several horses that people have thought rain causes the head shaking and it turned out to be midges because rain brings them out and they get deep inside the ears and bite like crazy. You need to put the mask on when you are sure there are no midges about. The second thing to try is cetirizine hydrochloride pills. The 10mg ones you get for human hay fever. They work much better than piriton for horses. Start with 10 in the feed daily. If they work then gradually reduce the dose to find the optimum dosage for your horse. Certainly would not even be contemplating PTS before I had tried both of these things.
 
MrBailey said:
My horse is a headshaker. He has had xrays, scopes, ct scan, bloods, ears, eyes, teeth, back checked, cranial osteopathy, Tegretol tablets, nosenet, fly mask, stocking over his muzzle, no noseband, no bit, ear covers, hard feed stopped, hay and haylage stopped, micklem bridle, reiki, accupuncture, l moved yards, 9 months off and he had PENS therapy at Langford. He is still doing it in the field and ridden. Seasons make no difference he does it all the time. Threw me off last week - l have ridden less than 10 times in 9 months, only try once in a while to see if any changes. He's 17.3h and huge. Now made the awful choice enough is enough and he will be pts in next couple of weeks. Absolutely heartbreaking. This is worst thing that can happen to a horse...
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Have you tried cetirizine (see my post above)? I have used them on several horses that have been constant head shakers with great success.

So sorry you are facing this painful decision.
 
Wagtail said:
Have you tried cetirizine (see my post above)? I have used them on several horses that have been constant head shakers with great success.

So sorry you are facing this painful decision.[/QUlOTE

Its not midges with my horse hes headshook all winter and has also had his ears scoped under sedation. Will try cetirizine as last result. Have tried piriton etc but his headshaking is not allergy based. I have tried every conceivable combination of nets, masks and tack. But he does it in the field too... nothing has made the slightest difference. The treatment he has had at Langford is very new and fairly successful - it didnt help him. I've tried everything. I have had my horse 8 years, this is not a decision taken lightly believe me...
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One of the most common causes of headshaking and largely overlooked is the browband being too short.
It has the effect of pulling the headpiece up onto the back of the horse's ears, irritating them.
To eliminate the browband see if you can get 2 adult sized fingers under it with ease when on the horse, if not sure remove the browband for a short while to see if it makes any difference, you may need to do this for a longer period of time if he still shakes his head out of the bridle as he may be sore for a while or it has become a habit.
Even if you have had the bridle on and no problems in the past, leather can dry out and become harsh and the edges can get rough. Headpieces can also become moulded to the shape of the horse allowing the browband to move around a bit can put the browband in the wrong position so if you haven't done so do have a good look to eliminate it.
I've seen lots of horses with this problem.
Oz (Saddler)
 
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One of our youngsters started headshaking for no apparent reason about six months after fracturing his skull. We tired supplements, masks, antihistamines all to no avail. Then my chiropractor, who is also a vet, looked at him and said he was very tight in his poll and suggested we get it x-rayed. The vets were loathe to do it but after some persuasion did and found a bone fragment in his ligamentum nuchae. It's too difficult to remove so the chiropractor has done a lot work and the headshaking has stopped. He always seemed worse when grazing or being led which we put down to head movement when grazing and either headcollar pressure or how he held his head when being led.

Good luck OP whatever you decide to do.
 
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