Headshaking in a 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare.

This research paper explores a case of a 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare who was shaking her head for about 2.5 weeks. After various tests such as physical examination, blood analysis, and a needle aspiration of an enlarged thyroid gland, the mare was diagnosed with seasonal idiopathic headshaking and treated with cyproheptadine.

Presentation of the Case

• The study presents a case of a 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare which had been shaking its head for 2.5 weeks.
• The constant headshaking prompted further investigation to ascertain the underlying cause.

Conduction of Tests

• An in-depth physical examination was conducted on the mare to assess its overall health status and look for any possible anomalies that could explain the persistent headshaking.
• Additionally, the researchers conducted a blood analysis. This analysis aimed at ruling out any infections or health conditions that could possibly be detected in the bloodstream and might be causing the headshaking.
• More so, there was a noticeable enlargement of the mare’s thyroid gland, prompting the researchers to take a fine needle aspirate. The aspiration might help in determining if the gland’s enlargement was a contributing factor to the headshaking.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Following these tests, a tentative diagnosis of seasonal idiopathic headshaking was made. This condition is a relatively common neurological disorder in horses, characterized by involuntary head movements—especially during certain seasons.
• Seasonal idiopathic headshaking in horses is a poorly understood condition with no known exact cause, hence the term “idiopathic”.
• The common treatment involves medications to control the symptoms, and in this case, the researchers opted to use the drug cyproheptadine. It is often used to treat conditions such as seasonal idiopathic headshaking, because it serves as an antihistamine—which can help control or reduce the symptoms.