Navicular Syndrome Has To Be Spotted Fast For The Sake Of Your Animal

By Ida Dorsey


All too often the discovery of your horse to have lameness is very distressful but early diagnosis and treatment with an appreciation of the condition will lead to the correct action and treatment and therefore to a speedy recovery. Most often total rest is recommended for the horse in order to give the tissue that surround the bone, a chance to heal properly after navicular syndrome.

Special shoes have been designed over the years to treat and alleviate the pain and as the horse's hooves are extremely important, the farrier taking care of the hooves needs to be well qualified to maintain the general condition of the hooves. It is advisable for the farrier to ensure that the pressure on the tendons and tissue in the hooves is minimized.

Should lameness occur too often, the advice of a good veterinarian, doing regular check-ups, should routinely be enlisted as the neglected condition could very possibly lead to a disease that can impair the life of the horse. The veterinarian will quickly diagnose possible incorrect habits and treatment will be administered. A special diet may also be recommended for a period of time.

Injury to the heel area of the foot generally causes the lameness when the horse tends to land toe-to-heel. The normal landing should be heel-to-toe. The rider needs to be aware of this and needs to concentrate on guiding the horse to land correctly.

Thoroughbreds are likely to have relatively small feet whereas their frames are usually large. They are therefore more predisposed to lameness which it is believed to most commonly occur between the ages of 7 and 14 years. The weight of the rider is most certainly also a factor but thoroughbreds and American Quarter horses, opposed to ponies, have an increased chance of this syndrome as they have a higher weight to foot ratio.

To discover the symptoms of lameness in ones beloved horse is always distressing and it is therefore important to recognize the symptoms at the very early stages as this will give a definite advantage to an earlier recovery. It is generally believed that one front foot may be more painful than the other and this can be seen if the horse tends to switch from one leg to the other. The condition will be exacerbated if the animal is worked on a very rough or hard surface and should therefore be avoided.

Those in the know believe that thoroughbreds have small feet in relation to their larger bodies and they therefore have a higher tendency to contract this condition. Research shows that this becomes evident from the ages of seven or more years. It is the contention of most in the equestrian field that ponies have a higher defense against this condition as they are not usually thoroughbreds.

It is very fortunate that so much research has been done to alleviate and cure this painful condition and it is comforting to know that with patience and correct treatment, the animal's condition can be restored to its usual healthy state and horse and rider can once again enjoy the harmony of this recreational sport.




About the Author:



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Considerations When Shopping For Gluten Free Weight Loss Supplements

Fitness for the lazy : express exercise.