Owning a horse can be a huge responsibility. An individual who plans to own one, should know how to care for it. Moreover, he or she should also be prepared for unexpected extra expenses. This can be due to illness or injury. The navicular disease is a condition of the navicular bone and soft tissues at the back part of the foot of a horse. It affects the front legs.
A horse owner can check for this disease symptoms. However, it is only advisable for a professional to do it. Some symptoms include: shortened strides and lameness. Lameness in horses with this disease, is normally severe when they are constantly at work. It lessens when they get some rest. Another sign is when the horse constantly shifts weight to relieve pressure on the heel.
There are some reasons speculated to cause this disease. One of these is, if your horse does not receive regular farrier care which can be proven by unbalanced hooves. Horses that are mainly affected are those that do parade work and those working in rough terrains. This disease normally causes little oxygenation at the hooves.
One treatment method is referred to as shoeing. This involves taking care of the hooves of the horses using the various shoe designs that exist. Each shoe is for a particular horse. The shoeing method enables there to be an equal base on each side of the hoof. You will notice that the horse does not struggle to move around or support its weight. It will also always land on its heel first when moving.
The second method is the administering of drugs. It addresses the decreased blood flow aspect of this condition. The animal could also go through structured exercise within a particular time. This trains it on shifting weight to the back legs which are used to less pressure. Given time the horse may register some improvement.
Your last move should be to let the horse undergo surgery. There are two methods used here. The surgery could either involve the cutting of a ligament or a neurectomy. The latter procedure involves cutting the nerve that detects pain in the navicular bone. This is not a permanent cure. A horse owner will have to repeat it to maintain soundness.
In spite of the above procedure being advantageous, it has its downsides. First, there could be a regrowth of nerve endings leading to the pain that used to be felt. This causes the animal to become lame again. Neuromas could also develop at the end of cut nerves also causing pain. However, these after-surgery complications can be dealt with.
Always monitor your horse to know when it is acting off. If it has difficulty going downhill and moving while on hard ground you should definitely investigate further. You are likely to miss some of these signs so when in doubt look for a veterinary. Your horse will eventually be back in shape and back to its original activities. If best care is taken, dealing with this disease is not a problem. Once symptoms are detected do not waste time, consult an expert.
A horse owner can check for this disease symptoms. However, it is only advisable for a professional to do it. Some symptoms include: shortened strides and lameness. Lameness in horses with this disease, is normally severe when they are constantly at work. It lessens when they get some rest. Another sign is when the horse constantly shifts weight to relieve pressure on the heel.
There are some reasons speculated to cause this disease. One of these is, if your horse does not receive regular farrier care which can be proven by unbalanced hooves. Horses that are mainly affected are those that do parade work and those working in rough terrains. This disease normally causes little oxygenation at the hooves.
One treatment method is referred to as shoeing. This involves taking care of the hooves of the horses using the various shoe designs that exist. Each shoe is for a particular horse. The shoeing method enables there to be an equal base on each side of the hoof. You will notice that the horse does not struggle to move around or support its weight. It will also always land on its heel first when moving.
The second method is the administering of drugs. It addresses the decreased blood flow aspect of this condition. The animal could also go through structured exercise within a particular time. This trains it on shifting weight to the back legs which are used to less pressure. Given time the horse may register some improvement.
Your last move should be to let the horse undergo surgery. There are two methods used here. The surgery could either involve the cutting of a ligament or a neurectomy. The latter procedure involves cutting the nerve that detects pain in the navicular bone. This is not a permanent cure. A horse owner will have to repeat it to maintain soundness.
In spite of the above procedure being advantageous, it has its downsides. First, there could be a regrowth of nerve endings leading to the pain that used to be felt. This causes the animal to become lame again. Neuromas could also develop at the end of cut nerves also causing pain. However, these after-surgery complications can be dealt with.
Always monitor your horse to know when it is acting off. If it has difficulty going downhill and moving while on hard ground you should definitely investigate further. You are likely to miss some of these signs so when in doubt look for a veterinary. Your horse will eventually be back in shape and back to its original activities. If best care is taken, dealing with this disease is not a problem. Once symptoms are detected do not waste time, consult an expert.
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