The Navicular area is the region on the front feet near the hooves of the horses. Navicular disease in horses is not a terminal illness. It can actually be compared to an athlete who has bad feet. The bad feet do not mean that the athlete cannot run ever again. It can be cured helping them to get back to their normal level of performance. This disease can also be cured. This article looks at some facts about this ailment including the causes and 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 various physical tests that can be done by anyone to detect if their horse suffers from this disease. First, when landing, the horse will try to bring the foot only slightly forward so that it rests more on the toe then the heel. Hoof testers can also be applied and the horse will respond to pain. The affected foot usually has smaller hoofs than the opposite one because it has been bearing less pressure 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 possibly the easiest way of handling this ailment. The horseshoes used ought to be able to stabilize the hooves well from all sides. The disease can also be cured by the use of medications that widen the blood vessels helping the stream of blood to rise around the navicular region. Most horses react well to this cure but in diverse 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.
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 various physical tests that can be done by anyone to detect if their horse suffers from this disease. First, when landing, the horse will try to bring the foot only slightly forward so that it rests more on the toe then the heel. Hoof testers can also be applied and the horse will respond to pain. The affected foot usually has smaller hoofs than the opposite one because it has been bearing less pressure 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 possibly the easiest way of handling this ailment. The horseshoes used ought to be able to stabilize the hooves well from all sides. The disease can also be cured by the use of medications that widen the blood vessels helping the stream of blood to rise around the navicular region. Most horses react well to this cure but in diverse 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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