Head Problems
This page contains links to information about some of the common problems and symptoms which may affect your horses head.
Click on the links coloured green in the table to find out more about that illness or disease.
Please remember this information is provided as a guide only and professional advice should be sought before any diagnosis or treatment is applied.
|
Disease - Head |
Symptoms |
| Head Shaking | Violent Jerking and Shaking of the head, often worse during summer months, will try to seek shade |
| Fever, usually unnoticed, followed by nervousness, agitation, disorientation and excitability | |
| Epilepsy | Ears and tail tremble and quiver, glazed look. May rear and fall and go in and out of conciousness |
| Dental Caps | Slow eating, excessive salvation, quidding of food |
| Lampas | Swelling behind front teeth, may protude below |
| Peridontitis | Poor digestion visible in faeces, loss of condition, slow eating, bad breath |
| Cataracts | Structures around teeth become infected, mostly in older horses |
| Conjunctivitis | Eyes red and bloodshot, swollen and show a discharge |
| Corneal Ulcer | Obvious pain, eyelids closed, clear discharge, dull eye and cloudy cornea |
| Keratitis | Dull eye, greying of cornea, swelling, phobia of sunlight, closed eyelids, conjunctivita, possible ulcers |
| Aural Plaques | Crusty plaques on inside of ear, pink skin underneath |
| Ear Mites | Rubbing and scratching of ears, head shaking and acute irritation |
| Otitis Externa | Rubbing affected ear, head shaking, possible discharge |
| Bleeders | Light to heavy bleeding from nostrils usually during or after excerise |
| Ethmoid Haematoma | Small, irregular bleeding from one nostril, noisy breathing and bad breath |
| Discharge from one or both nostrils, difficulty swallowing, hard and painful swelling may occur in angle of jaw, Haemorrhage may occur which can be life threatening | |
| Laryngeal Hemiplegia | Roaring or whistling noise as horses breathes in |
| Nasal Polyps | Noisy breathing, bad breath, discharge, occasional bleeding from nostrils |
| Sinusitis | Thick discharge from nostrils and occasionally eyes. Swelling may occur around eyes |
| Horse stops running abruptly, choking, gurgling sound comes from mouth | |