A New Treatment for Cribbers By Michael Lowder, DVM, MS Many a day I have sat on a bale of hay and wonder why in the world my horse would just stand there and crib. Doesn't he have something else to do. I know I do! Why do cribbers crib? That's a question that has stumped horsemen and equine professionals for ages. It's been suggested that our equine friends may simply be bored or frustrated; that by containing these large creatures in a dark box stall we are causing this vice. Others believe that by performing this annoying act, the cribber is triggering some strange self-induced high. Our stable managers treat our companions like lepers, believing that they will influence the others, and the whole barn will soon be a victim of this nasty habit. How can I stop the insanity?
The usual complications of cribbing include poor performance, weight loss, abnormal wear of the incisor teeth and flatulent colic. Additionally, this behavior can affect a horse's well being and his use as an equine athlete. In the past, I tried all the conservative treatments available. Cribbing straps, muzzles, providing a companion animal (pony, goat, chicken, etc.), applying noxious agents to the preferred cribbing surfaces; they have all been attempted with limited success. I provide the best nutrition money could buy. The pasture management improvements have set me back a pretty penny. There's brightly colored toys placed in his stall. I've even put one of those frightening metal collars on him. Well guess what? He is still cribbing and I am still frustrated! Recently, new data has been published that indicates that old Trigger might have a chance of kicking the habit. A recent study out of Louisiana State University Department of Clinical Sciences suggests that a new treatment with a laser might be the answer to my problem. Sounds like something out of Star Wars, but by incorporating a laser (called the Nd:Yag laser) in an aged old surgical operation (Modified Forsselll's) they appear to have solved the problem of cribbing and the incidence of recurrence of cribbing after surgery. May the force be with them! The surgery was performed on 10 horses, and none of the horses returned to cribbing post-surgery. The surgeons used a laser to cut the ventral branch of the spinal accessory nerve. This nerve is classified as a motor nerve, which is one that causes muscles to contract, and the muscles affected in this case are located in the neck. Head carriage is not affected. Once the nerve was cut, the laser was applied to remove a large piece (about 13 inches) of two neck muscles (the omohyoideus and sternothyrohyoideus muscles...you'll know someone who will want to know the names, even if they can't pronounce them). The wound was then closed for healing. Surgical correction of cribbing has been documented since 1872 with relatively the same success until this time. So why is this method that much better? It appears that the laser reduces the incidence of seroma and/or hematoma formation, a major cause of postoperative complications. In addition, the surgeons transected the muscle groups higher up the neck than described in previous surgeries. The operation yielded complete resolution of cribbing in all patients. Have I truly tried all other options? Was my cribbing strap tight enough? How about one of those cribbing muzzles? Yeah, this might just work. The cribbing muzzle is actually a good tool that does prevent the horse from cribbing. The muzzle allows the horse to graze, eat hay and drink. It should be removed when the horse is fed grain. The disadvantages of the cribbing muzzles are that they do require attachment to a halter and that they be left on the horse at all times. The key to this is to remember to have a halter that will break if the horse happens to catch it on something. One last thing to remember is that a steel cribbing muzzle may not be the best choice if you pasture your horse in a pasture with an electric fence. As I hook up my trailer and begin my journey to the veterinary school with horse in tow, I wonder if this is what I really want to do. Yeah, this is the right decision. Cribbing is more than an annoying habit; it's self-destructive behavior. Will my horse have a scar? Yes, but who is looking under his neck anyway. Crib or scar, you decide.
