Headshaking medications?

[jumpottb]

My amazing horse headshakes very badly spring and fall. We are very confident it is photic about 90%. He has zero signs in full shade or indoors.

His mask (EquiTek) is covering him to about a 80-90% level. Nose nets do not work. I know it hurts and I feel so bad for him.

Yes, he has had full medical evaluations related to this, as we know it can be multi-factorial. We suspect it’s the angle of the sun- hence only spring and fall.

I’m looking for experience with medications to control his headshaking. My vets have made suggestions but I’m curious on experience with your horse on meds and what you tried. Most are not show legal—- but I’ll hear about all of them because he’s worth it!

Since it’s not common and hard to treat I really would like to hear from a broader audience!

thank you so much!!

[bluepece2]

I have a head shaker but luckily a nose net fixes his issue so i’ve Not looked at meds.
have you thought about trying the new equick goggles on yours?

[EventerAJ]

My horse went through a brief headshaking stage the first summer I had him, and we determined it was allergy-related. I treated him with hydroxyzine and dexamethazone, discontinued a day or two (?) before shows and had my vet fill out a medication form anyway. He was much better on the meds, but it never bothered him again when I switched farms. Not sure if that helps you since yours is photosensitivity, but just thought I’d offer a positive anecdote.

[jumpottb]

bluepece2 Thank you! I haven’t heard of those but I love the idea and will definitely read about them a bit more. The visor/mask he has is pretty good… but it is a visor so he is reluctant to jump in it.

EventerAJ Thank you. We discussed dex and cyproheptadine. Did you see any depression or side effects from the combination you tried?

[zorion]

Headshaking is tricky because what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. It is trial and error to find what works for your horse and it is frustrating! What finally solved my gelding’s headshaking is cyproheptadine combined with Shake No More Gold from Smartpak. If I stop either one the symptoms will return within a week. He has been on this combo for 8 years. The nose net worked somewhat for him but I haven’t needed it in years.

[jumpottb]

zorion Great to hear though! I am logging everything so we can find the best way to help. I’m thankful i see 90% of the triggers now, but I really want him comfortable. Did you see side effects with the crypro?

[zorion]

My gelding has never shown any side effects. I do think his issue was allergy based although windy days were a big trigger also. The first thing we tried for him was hydroxyzine but it didn’t help at all.

[NMK]

Cypro has a 7 day withdrawal and I would file a report . Dex does work, just watch frequency of use.

[lintesia]

My horse responded well to the nose net, so I suspect his triggers were different than yours. I had him on melatonin + magnesium for years and this really did seem to all but eliminate the headshaking.

One of the things I discovered, by chance, was that the “Total Calm and Focus” paste (but not the powder, go figure…) would eliminate the headshaking 100% for the day. I would have this as a backup at shows if the headshaking cropped up and I wasn’t allowed to show with the muzzle net.

[Polydor]

Wasn’t there a long thread here on coth a few years back following someone’s horse as they tried different things and different vets?

maybe search the horse care forum.

P.

[Nickelodian]

I’ve had a lot of success with dex pulse regimine, Shen calm, and combo platinum allergy and platinum steady. Even for photosensitive horses.

[islgrl]

I tried pretty much everything that has been listed by others for my headshaker including a combo of carbamazapine and cypro. Ultimately sadly nothing worked and he now enters year four of his retirement at age 19. He seems to be able to manage without meds provided he is not ridden. He has a mild head shake in the summer still, but exercise was the trigger that really set him off.

[cayuse]

I used cypro on my photic headshaker with fair to poor results. I wish I could say it had worked a little better than that :-(. I was told to watch for colic as a side effect but she had no trouble with it. It did seem slightly sedating in the beginning but that passed after a month or so.
We also tried various antihistamines with no response. Melatonin did not work and put her off her feed. Nose nets did not work and I think made her more reactive. Fly masks helped alot. The one supplement that DID seem to help quite a bit was Magrestore, but it did not help enough so that she could return to work. I retired her after the second season of head shaking began. She lived happily and I think comfortably as a pet for many years wearing a fly mask 24/7 and being turned out early or late in the day.

[Sport]

We have tried Cyproheptadine with decent results. We have used an antihistamine as well, not really effective as his is more light than allergies. Nose net has limited success. Really odd was that a hairnet over his nose worked fairly well. Just attached it to his noseband front and back and it generally stayed on for the ride unless he had a really fussy day. He goes on night turnout as soon as the nights are warm enough and we try to not ride mid day with sun at its peak.

[Nickelodian]

@lintesia

My horse responded well to the nose net, so I suspect his triggers were different than yours. I had him on melatonin + magnesium for years and this really did seem to all but eliminate the headshaking.

One of the things I discovered, by chance, was that the “Total Calm and Focus” paste (but not the powder, go figure…) would eliminate the headshaking 100% for the day. I would have this as a backup at shows if the headshaking cropped up and I wasn’t allowed to show with the muzzle net.

You should try shen calm. I bet it would work wonders.

[vxf111]

We thought mine was a headshaker but it turned out he had significant FOOD ALLERGIES. Eliminating those foods stopped the symptoms.

[jumpottb]

Wow… thanks everyone! Great information. He’s defiantly dealing with photic, as it only happens in sun or if he has been out during the day without protection.

I am curious of the calming supplements, as last may in early show season i saw no symptoms, however he gets a calming paste as shows! Perhaps I missed the connection… at the time I suspected it was an allergen from the farm he was at. Once moved late last summer, the HS returned at the new farm a couple months later. That as when we realized how much it was the sun.

Anyway… I am going to try several of the calming supplements before going to rx, vet in tow of course. Thank you all for your help and the advocacy of our horses:)

[Ainsley688]

My retired mare had a notable difference in her head shaking when I had her on Duralactin. It’s marketed as an anti inflammatory for joint issues, but was recommended to me by a vet to try. Worked really well! She also had other “hay fever” type allergies, and it helped with everything.

I strongly recommend checking your horses diet to make sure they’re getting proper amounts of vitamins/minerals, some autoimmune stuff will be worse when their diet is out of whack. Vit E plays a huge role in my mares allergies, so I make sure she gets a higher dose of that. (I like HorseTech’s Natural E)

[BlueDrifter]

@vxf111 , what were the food allergies?

I suspect my new horse might be a head-shaker based upon last spring, but I have moved barns and have had no symptoms since last August, so I will wait-and-see.

[vxf111]

In this order of sensitivity

Corn, soy, alfalfa, timothy, oats