Open AccessTreatment of Idiopathic Headshaking in Horses with Pulsed High‐Dose Dexamethasone
Author(s) -
Tomlinson J.E.,
Neff P.,
Boston R.C.,
Aceto H.,
NolenWalston R.D.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of veterinary internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1939-1676
pISSN - 0891-6640
DOI - 10.1111/jvim.12218
Subject(s) - medicine , dexamethasone , placebo , etiology , population , anesthesia , dermatology , surgery , pathology , alternative medicine , environmental health
Background Treatment of idiopathic headshaking in horses is complicated by an incomplete understanding of underlying pathophysiology and partially effective treatments. If an inflammatory etiology exists, corticosteroids could be beneficial. Hypothesis An anti‐inflammatory dose of dexamethasone reduces the signs of idiopathic headshaking in a field setting. Animals Convenience sample of 20 adult horses with idiopathic headshaking syndrome. Cases were recruited from the general population and diagnosed by attending veterinarians. Methods Prospective, blinded clinical trial. Pulsed dosing was with oral dexamethasone (60 mg PO Q24h × 4 days, q3 weeks for 4 months) or placebo (inert paste). Owners were blinded and asked to score the headshaking from 0 to 4 (4 = most severe) 3 days per week. The change in headshaking scores ( HS ) over each treatment pulse was compared between groups by ordinal logistic regression. Results Twelve horses completed the trial. There was no significant difference between treated or placebo horses ( P = .987). Sun ( P ≤ .001), wind ( P = .028), and exercise ( P ≤ .045) significantly increased HS . Conclusions and Clinical Importance No benefit of dexamethasone treatment was detected for idiopathic headshaking. The results confirmed previous reports of common triggers for headshaking behavior.