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.
A horse with this condition is comparable to a track athlete that is diagnosed with bad feet. In both cases, the athlete just like the horse can still go back to the track and shine as long as the problem is well taken care of. In order to correctly diagnose the condition, the veterinarian has to rely on the clinical as well as radiographic signs. The x-rays images are important to help the vet rule out other possible causes of lameness such as a simple sole bruise, a heel bruise, and the crack of the coffin bone.
In order to diagnose this syndrome, one needs to look at the forelimbs of the horse. More often than not, the horse will normally have mild lameness at the forelimb. This may be noticed at different limbs at different times. The anti-inflammatories and rest may provide a short time solution as the problem reoccurs later on.
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.
It is true that there are changes in the said bone as this can be noticed from the radiographs; however, most other causes of the disease have no evident bony change. For proper diagnosis, the veterinarian determines the cause of the lameness. Radiography can help eliminate other possible causes such as a crack in the coffin bone, a heel bruise, or a simple sole bruise all which can cause lameness.
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.
When it comes to treatment, most veterinarians usually go for bute to manage navicular and other lameness diseases. It is considered effective as it helps to reduce the pain and inflammation in the early stages of such conditions.
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.
A horse with this condition is comparable to a track athlete that is diagnosed with bad feet. In both cases, the athlete just like the horse can still go back to the track and shine as long as the problem is well taken care of. In order to correctly diagnose the condition, the veterinarian has to rely on the clinical as well as radiographic signs. The x-rays images are important to help the vet rule out other possible causes of lameness such as a simple sole bruise, a heel bruise, and the crack of the coffin bone.
In order to diagnose this syndrome, one needs to look at the forelimbs of the horse. More often than not, the horse will normally have mild lameness at the forelimb. This may be noticed at different limbs at different times. The anti-inflammatories and rest may provide a short time solution as the problem reoccurs later on.
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.
It is true that there are changes in the said bone as this can be noticed from the radiographs; however, most other causes of the disease have no evident bony change. For proper diagnosis, the veterinarian determines the cause of the lameness. Radiography can help eliminate other possible causes such as a crack in the coffin bone, a heel bruise, or a simple sole bruise all which can cause lameness.
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.
When it comes to treatment, most veterinarians usually go for bute to manage navicular and other lameness diseases. It is considered effective as it helps to reduce the pain and inflammation in the early stages of such conditions.
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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