Understanding The Navicular Disease In Horses: Diagnosis And Management
The horse lameness, particularly if it is the front foot easily makes the owner panic. In some situation, others even shy away from their horse, as if it is a terminal condition. This is far from the case, only that the veterinarians have not been able to successfully create awareness in regards to this condition. In fact, the navicular disease in horses has never been fully defined, and the veterinarians often use the term navicular syndrome to denote the fact. There are many theories that try to explain the condition, but none has fully explained the syndrome.
Unknown to many horse owners, a horse with the said condition can easily be brought back its former perforce level, all that is needed is proper management by someone who fully understand what it take to manage the condition. In order to understand the situation better, compare the horse with an athlete that has been diagnosed with bad feet, the athlete can go back to its former level of performance as long as it is well managed; the same goes for the horse.
The most common sign the vet will normally notice is a history of the front leg lameness which can be gradual. At times, the lameness can be observed on both front feet. The other sign is a history stumbling and developing a choppy gait that appears to be uncomfortable. The condition is also more common with the thoroghbreds and the quarterhorses than other breeds as they are larger in size and rests on small feet. The onset of signs is also common at the age of 7 to 14 although it can occur at any age.
There is no particular cause of the condition as several factors can contribute to the diseases. In the same way, it is rare to find one treatment procedure that is successful. Bute is widely used as it is known to reduce pain as well as inflammation, particularly in the early stages of the syndrome.
Other risk factors include the horse breed. The quarterhorse breed and the thoroghbreds are at higher risk than other horses as their legs are smaller as compared to their big bodies. The signs are more likely to be noticed from the age of 7 to 14.
However, the best option to differentiate the possible causes of foot lameness is the selective nerve blocks, although it is still associated with a few limitations. As such, most experienced veterinarians usually use a combination of radiographs and the nerve blocks techniques.
The other alternative is to inject the horse with steroids. This is the common solution in the situation where the vet suspects that the pain is originating from the navicular bursa or the coffin joint. However, the steroid is not a solution as it does nothing to cure the underlying pathology issues. The other possible solutions include the use of corrective shoeing and the neurectomy.
There are a number of techniques that increases blood circulation to the affected area and thus reduce symptoms. The administration of isoxsuprine, for instance, helps dilate the blood vessels. The other methods include the use of the magnetic hoof and the use of anticoagulant both which target to boost the blood circulation.
Unknown to many horse owners, a horse with the said condition can easily be brought back its former perforce level, all that is needed is proper management by someone who fully understand what it take to manage the condition. In order to understand the situation better, compare the horse with an athlete that has been diagnosed with bad feet, the athlete can go back to its former level of performance as long as it is well managed; the same goes for the horse.
The most common sign the vet will normally notice is a history of the front leg lameness which can be gradual. At times, the lameness can be observed on both front feet. The other sign is a history stumbling and developing a choppy gait that appears to be uncomfortable. The condition is also more common with the thoroghbreds and the quarterhorses than other breeds as they are larger in size and rests on small feet. The onset of signs is also common at the age of 7 to 14 although it can occur at any age.
There is no particular cause of the condition as several factors can contribute to the diseases. In the same way, it is rare to find one treatment procedure that is successful. Bute is widely used as it is known to reduce pain as well as inflammation, particularly in the early stages of the syndrome.
Other risk factors include the horse breed. The quarterhorse breed and the thoroghbreds are at higher risk than other horses as their legs are smaller as compared to their big bodies. The signs are more likely to be noticed from the age of 7 to 14.
However, the best option to differentiate the possible causes of foot lameness is the selective nerve blocks, although it is still associated with a few limitations. As such, most experienced veterinarians usually use a combination of radiographs and the nerve blocks techniques.
The other alternative is to inject the horse with steroids. This is the common solution in the situation where the vet suspects that the pain is originating from the navicular bursa or the coffin joint. However, the steroid is not a solution as it does nothing to cure the underlying pathology issues. The other possible solutions include the use of corrective shoeing and the neurectomy.
There are a number of techniques that increases blood circulation to the affected area and thus reduce symptoms. The administration of isoxsuprine, for instance, helps dilate the blood vessels. The other methods include the use of the magnetic hoof and the use of anticoagulant both which target to boost the blood circulation.
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