So my horse that we just purchased appears to have head shaker syndrome…hasn’t been confirmed but seems to have a mild case. Anyone have any luck treating this? Is there a particular nose net you like best? I have heard of just using a hair net? Any info is greatly appreciated. Thank you
I had one that was fixed with a good dental float and a mag supplement.
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I lost a horse who had extreme Trigeminal Nerve pain. His head shaking was mild and random but he developed other symptoms.
But in my journey trying to help him, I learned a lot about it.
Magnesium, nose net, fly mask, added salt are good places to start. We also tried gabapentin and Dex.
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Would you mind sharing which supplement worked for you?
Was there a supplement that you felt worked well? Thanks!
My horse was a complicated case. After two years and things not improving, I was told an experimental surgery (coil in head) was my only option left. To not put my horse through more suffering, he was euthanized.
But there is a great head shaking group on FB. Lots of things to try. Some horses are managed. Some aren’t.
Best of luck!!
It depends on why the horse is head shaking.
Allergies, sunlight, pressure from a nose band, an infection in a tooth, can all cause head shaking. Get the horse’s teeth looked at by an actual dentist, with sedation and a speculum. If it’s allergies, allergy shots may fix it, or an antihistamine. Vasaline in the nose or a piece of hose over the nose may help. I know one horse who was on a blue green algae concoction for head shaking. I also knew someone who has contacts made for their photosensitive head shaker.
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Mine had allergies to food. Changing his diet and allergy shots solved his problem.
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I had to put my daughters horse down for Head Shaking Syndrome…He was just miserable. So sad. Prayers that your situation will be different.
I had a photic, seasonal headshaker. She was not rideable from April to Oct each year from the sun angle. We tried cyproheptadine, antihistamines, magnesium, vit e, equioxx. melatonin, and a mask. What worked was a mask to block the sun and magnesium. Vit E helped a little. Cyproheptadine helped a little but had too many side effects. Melatonin was the worst experiment causing her to colic quite badly. Antihistamines did nothing.
None of the treatments that helped helped enough to keep her comfortable enough to work so she was retired. I was lucky to have the ability to keep her at home where I could monitor her turnout and sun exposure and she had a peaceful retirement. I’m sorry my post isn’t more positive but I hope it might be useful.
My gelding is a mild seasonal headshaker. When riding I used a nose net which helped. I came across an article in The Horse, https://thehorse.com/153130/headshaking-triggers-and-treatment/ , that changed how I treated my gelding’s headshaking. He gets melatonin and vitamin B12 starting when the girls come into heat and is off it in the fall. He also gets Omega Alpha’s Testos Boost during the breeding season. His headshaking is gone.
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Try this!!
