Information On Navicular Disease In Horses

By Annabelle Holman


The navicular region denotes an area on the anterior feet of horses near the hoof. Navicular disease in horses may not be categorized as a deadly illness. It simply is like a bad leg in humans. The situation does not normally mean that an individual will never walk ever again. The illness can be cured helping the individual to feel well again. This article studies some material on navicular illnesses and different methods of treatment.

In order to detect if a horse has this illness, the vet usually uses radiographic evidence and also the physical observations. A series of x-ray tests are usually done to prove that the physical signs are not caused by any other cause of lameness. This will help the veterinarian to avoid issuing the wrong medications.

A horse that suffers from this illness shows various signs. Some of them include signs of front leg lameness. For some it is shown on one leg while on others it is usually both feet. One leg may show signs of being worse than the other. These horses may be seen stumbling when this happens. It can happen to a horse of any age but it is most common on those between the ages of 7 and 14 years.

There are numerous tests that may be carried out tangibly on the horse so as to detect this ailment. You can first observe the actions of the horse when settling down. If it takes the front feet frontward a little to put more weight on toes and not the heels then it might have the ailment. Hoof testers may be used to assess its reaction to pain. You may also observe the magnitude of the hooves for the sick one is likely to be smaller since they could have been dismissed from weight for a while.

The test that will most definitely distinguish this ailment is the rough the use of nerve blocks. In this case, anesthesia that is similar to the one used by dentists is applied on the affected foot. This will numb the foot and stop the pain thus the horse will be seen moving normally again. This is because the lameness of foot will reduce and the horses will stop limping.

Correct shoeing is the simplest way of treating this ailment. The shoes used must be able to balance the hoofs well from back to front and also sideways. The ailment can also be treated with the use of drugs that dilate the blood vessels making the flow of blood to increase around the navicular area. Most horses respond well to this treatment but in varied periods of time.

Another way of treatment can be through exercise. The main cause of the illness is decrease of blood circulation in this area but adequate exercise will help to increase the circulation. The exercise can be done 30-60 minutes every day six times per week. This exercise involves training a horse to bear more weight in the hind legs to reduce the pressure on the front feet.

There are however some horses that find it hard to respond to the treatments mentioned above. In this case, a surgical procedure is usually carried out to cut the suspended ligaments in the affected area. It also carries out neurectomy on the posterior digital nerve.




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