Whenever a horse is labeled as suffering from the 'navicular', there is a tendency of people to shy away from him, making it look like he was suffering from some deadly malady like the Typhoid Mary or other similar diseases. Many people are in the dark when it comes to treating or even visualizing the navicular disease in horses. This is a condition that the feet that normally results in lameness and is most likely to appear as the lameness in one of the forelimbs.
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.
Generally though, pinpointing the exact cause of the problem is not easy. This is due to the fact that there are numerous possible causes, and as such, a single treatment may not be possible. The navicular bone is actually a small bone found at the horse foot. To date, there is no concurrence when it comes to the cause of this condition. There are several theories suggesting the possible causes, one of the oldest suggesting that the navicular bone normally undergoes the charges that brings about pathology and pain in the area.
However, the injection with the steroids is resorted to when the pain is suspected to be originating from the coffin joint or the navicular bursa. The steroids do not cure the underlying pathology issues and is therefore not a cure.
When it comes to the causes, there are no particular causes; instead, the condition is associated with several possible conditions. As such, there are rare cases where one treatment approach will successfully tackle the condition. In order to reduce pain and inflammation, the vets usually chose Bute, particularly at the early stages of the condition.
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.
In case the condition is long-standing, the vet is more likely to resort to neurectomy. It is a drastic treatment that involves cutting the nerve to the foot just above the fetlock which leaves the entire foot dead. This is not a solution for a riding horse and the horse will stumble often as it cannot tell where the feet are.
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.
Generally though, pinpointing the exact cause of the problem is not easy. This is due to the fact that there are numerous possible causes, and as such, a single treatment may not be possible. The navicular bone is actually a small bone found at the horse foot. To date, there is no concurrence when it comes to the cause of this condition. There are several theories suggesting the possible causes, one of the oldest suggesting that the navicular bone normally undergoes the charges that brings about pathology and pain in the area.
However, the injection with the steroids is resorted to when the pain is suspected to be originating from the coffin joint or the navicular bursa. The steroids do not cure the underlying pathology issues and is therefore not a cure.
When it comes to the causes, there are no particular causes; instead, the condition is associated with several possible conditions. As such, there are rare cases where one treatment approach will successfully tackle the condition. In order to reduce pain and inflammation, the vets usually chose Bute, particularly at the early stages of the condition.
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.
In case the condition is long-standing, the vet is more likely to resort to neurectomy. It is a drastic treatment that involves cutting the nerve to the foot just above the fetlock which leaves the entire foot dead. This is not a solution for a riding horse and the horse will stumble often as it cannot tell where the feet are.
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