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Discussion on What's causing my horse to itch his nose madly?
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Member:
tbhack
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009 - 12:46 pm:
Hello, I have a TB hack, 9YO, 16.3, had him 4 months now. Following symptoms:
* once he's been working for 10+ mins he'll strike out with front foot (trying to itch his nose) when being ridden.
* in a halt he'll itch his nose on his foot and not much I can do to stop it
* yesterday when cool down walking after ride in the indoor arena he stopped and threw his head into the nearest pole and started rubbing
* soon as I get off him he rubs his nose like mad
* sometimes, not always, when not being ridden looks like he gets a "zap" as if from electric fence and flicks his head once (a big jolt not normal flick)
* note: he's being ridden inside, indoor arena, no sun at the moment.
How can I work out if it's a nerve in his head causing these issues? Is there a way to test this if it is? I have had teeth done twice, vet found nothing, I'm at a loss! Can I assume it's a trigeminal nerve issue?
Thanks,
Kate
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009 - 2:15 pm:
Kate, from your history there are several possibilities. Beside the possibility this is a primary peripheral neurological disease this may be a type of allergic reaction or a direct irritant from whatever base is being used in the indoor arena. Is there any other history to rule out these possibilities?
DrO
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Member:
tbhack
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Posted on Saturday, Sep 5, 2009 - 1:32 pm:
Hi DrO,
History - unfortunately all I know is the 4 months I've had him (before that he was on the track). Over the 4 months he's had colic, head flicking and shortly after the colic what I'd call some 'light headed' episodes one of which saw him fall down. The 2 vet blood tests showed mild anaemia nothing else. Over the last month the above symptoms have subsided, in the paddock he's a MUCH healthier and happier and now normal alert horse versus the one I purchased, I've taken good care of him. The only trouble now is the itchy nose that worsens dramatically when riding - incessantly itchy nose meaning he has the inability to think about little else when being ridden.
The arena - there is nothing new in there. He's been fine in there for the last 4 months. Unless it's always irritated, but recently become worse for him? It's a sawdust type base. I'm not sure what it is specifically, will find out. But my hunch is he'd do this on any surface, is more about his pulse or body temperature rising that triggers the itching.
DrO, when you say "peripheral neurological disease" could this related to his trigeminal nerve (which I think is misfiring) or is this something completely different?
And what are common irritants that I can test for?
Thanks kindly,
Kate
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Saturday, Sep 5, 2009 - 3:09 pm:
As soon as I read that he had fallen, I began wondering about nerve damage or impingement. It is quite common in humans that trauma to a nerve, or an impingement, can cause a burning, itching feeling and it's often not anywhere near the site of injury. If he injured certain places along his spine or neck, riding could be putting pressure somewhere along the length of the nerve, and this would intensify the feeling. Just something to think about. Again, in human, such conditions will usually eventually heal and either lessen or quit, but nerve type things are really difficult to "pin down." Good luck.
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 6, 2009 - 6:20 am:
Yeah, like Sara says, the falling down would worry me too. As for the head tossing, I have read (wish I could remember where--I remember almost everything I read, except for the source!  ) that a piece of cloth or netting attached to the noseband that hangs down and covers the nose will help some horses with this activity. Odd-sounding, but perhaps worth a try?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Sep 7, 2009 - 11:41 am:
Kate, you would not test for irritants instead you would experiment with different settings to see if the problem occurred under different conditions and which ones. This would include the amount of ambient light present.
The trigeminal nerve is a peripheral nerve (the 5th cranial nerve) and in humans is often implicated in odd sensation neuralgia's. But I would not make this diagnosis until I ruled out other possibilities. For more on diseases of this nerve see
You can approach this very similarly to the problem of head shaking. The article explains diagnostic steps and therapeutic procedures.
DrO
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Member:
tbhack
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 15, 2009 - 6:30 am:
Hi Dr O,
I have read articles here and some on other websites, thanks. I have also experimented riding in different settings (outdoor vs. indoor arena) it makes no difference. When his heart rate gets up he will get the itchy nose and start striking with his front foot to itch it or stop to itch it on a pole. The striking at his nose also happened in the paddock when by chance I saw him after a good gallop around two days ago. It doesn't matter what the weather is like - sun, cloud, wind and there has been quite a variation here in Melbourne over the last month or so.
Major thing that could suggest teeth... when eating he is not comfortable either, but eats and doesn't DrOp food. Just stops his feet and gets grumpy. Could his teeth cause his nose to be that itchy and/or to strike at his nose when being ridden? Can a tooth nerve cause an itchy nose? I have had teeth done a month ago, but guess you never know if the dentist really did a good job or not right!
Questions are...
What would I test for next based on the symptoms and my findings so far?
Should I get a second dentist to check him well?
Should I get the vet out again (the last one said teeth)?
Thanks kindly,
Kate
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 15, 2009 - 8:08 am:
Hello Kate,
I would have the dentist speak with the veterinarian to see if they can come to some sort of consensus on this possibility without further cost.
The way I see it is whether following a good physical exam and addressing all the questions generated from the exam, whether further diagnostic work is more sensible than attempting some treatment proposals, this is discussed in the article.
If further diagnostic work fits your goals and resources the article Training & Conditioning Horses » Behavioral Problems » Head Shaking including Photic and Medical Causes gives a step by step diagnostic program but often "no abnormalities identified" on the physical exam means this may be a difficult one to pin down.
DrO
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Member:
tbhack
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Posted on Friday, Sep 18, 2009 - 6:12 pm:
Thanks 
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