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Discussion on Windsucking - endorphin releasing medicine available?
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Member:
Lindsey
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Posted on Wednesday, Jan 11, 2006 - 2:57 pm:
Hello everyone.
For the millionest time I am browsing the internet on articles about windsucking and how to cure or prevent.
Now maybe a far fetched thought, but as most articles describe that the vice releases some type of endorphines in the brain by which the horse feels better & therefore continues doing so. Has anyone ever tried giving an endorphine releasing medicine? Or better, does anything like that exist? Say Prozac for horses? Just a thought.
Unfortunately I have a windsucker and cannot think of any other or better way to deal with him. He goes out to pasture every single day with his friends. If weather is too bad, he is handwalked outside and allowed to groom the other boys in the stall over the chains to ensure daily socializing. He never ever runs out of hay, as I'd rather throw away excess hay then him running out. (I even get my husband to check on their hay at midnight before going to bed  ) He only gets 1 cup of pellets am & same pm, with loads of Dengie. He gets the pellets in a snack-a-ball to keep him entertained longer. He's got a window stable, so he can look outside and has bars between him & his friend, so they can always nose each other. Training wise, he's only condition trained, some dressage, lots of hacking. So I run out of ideas on how to help him not to windsuck.
He seemingly does it when not stressed at all, like when munching hay whilst resting a hindleg, or when being groomed, eventhough he often goes to sleep during grooming session, as he loves them so much.
As many describe, he has got a strong underneck muscle. He often sounds gassy (lots of loud rumbling noises coming from belly) and allthough fit and not overweight, but normal condition, he seems to have a belly not really fitting the rest of his body
I haven't experimented with any anti-windsuck devices at I fear that would stress or worry him to much.
But just thought that perhaps some 'feel happy medicine' could provide some relief.
Any thoughts anyone?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 12, 2006 - 6:37 am:
There are drugs that block the dopamine / endorphin cascade and they do reduce significantly the cribbing rate but the effective time I have read about are less than 30 minutes and they are sedating. You have not been clear if your horse cribs while out in the pasture, and if not the best solution might be out as much as possible. We do discuss other treatments in the article associated with this discussion, Stable Vices: Cribbing, Weaving, and Others.
DrO
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Member:
Lindsey
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Posted on Thursday, Jan 12, 2006 - 11:53 am:
Oh, thank you Dr O for your reply.
So these drugs would be of no use either then.
He doesn't crib, only windsuck. He doesn't need anything to hold on to, just does it like that in the middle of stable or field. He will do it literally everywhere. I've watched him numerous times in the field and he'll be happily grazing. He'll stop, look around, take a few gulps of air and continue grazing again. Same when eating hay in his stable. He by no means looks stressed when doing so. If anything he's very calm & serene whilst at it, it's almost as if he has turned it into an art. He does it so slowly, you'd almost call it a graceful stretching & arching of his neck. At first I wasn't a 100% sure that's what he was doing, but what else could it be.
I have indeed read the article. I thought about the miracle collar, but figured he'd probably get it off, just like he gets his own headcollar off by pushing it over his ears. ((He's as flexible as a dog, he will scratch his eyes, ears or nose, with the tip of his hindhoof, that's how he pushes his own headcollar off his head, peculiar horse!)).
The only time he will not windsuck is when under the saddle, in the trailer or being groomed. Or when having constant human attention, by means of being touched or cuddled.
I fear he may have learned to do so at his previous owner. We've had him about a year now, but were never told he windsucked when we bought him. There he was stabled 24hrs and did not know what turnout was before he came to us. He had a fully enclosed stable. With dutch doors, so he could't even stick his head out. If he was lucky there was a horse stabled opposite him, so he could at least see that horse, but that was not always the case. He was highly grained with possibly no more then 4 flakes of hay a day. He was trained daily to a high level and that must have stressed him out big time as I had to restart him from scratch. Just asking him to trot, would freak him out totally, he'd be desperately trying to do a passage or piaffe where I didn't even ask for that. Luckily he's settled now, apart from the windsucking of course.
I had hoped that the long hours of turnout, lots of hacking, virtually no grain and ad-lib hay and social contact with other horses were going to turn him round, but not really the case unfortunately.
At least he does look very happy now. I just hope the windsucking will not adversely effect his health in the long run.
Thank God my other 2 horses, have not picked up on it at all, even though they've seen him do so for a year now. So where a lot of people question whether it's a copied behaviour, I'd say not necessarely.
Again thanks for any replies.
Patsy.
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