Saturday, 24 November 2018

The Signs And Therapeutic Remedies For Navicular Horses

By Cynthia Peterson


The equines are mostly prone to challenging health issues that affect their hoof area due to their vibrant activities they are subjected to. These issues constitute to the navicular horses ailment which is a deteriorative condition that affects the scaphoid bone at the feet region. It assumes a saucer shape and is located at proximate of both the coffin and pastern bones. The malady affects the bursa and the deep digital flexor tendon thus leading to a lame condition and inflammation as well.

The inflammation is triggered by laceration as the horse ages while the lameness is mostly seen in nags. The syndrome affects all equine breeds but with varied extremes. The intensity is high in some breeds whereas in others is mild or insignificant. The intensity of the ailment is also influenced by excessive weight and minimized hooves sizes. These features place some horses at a higher risk of navicular syndrome and other related foot maladies.

Poor hoof care also fuels the chances of developing the ailment. This centers around the increased use of inappropriate pastern angle that mismatches the hoof shape and its angle. This mismatch is havoc and causes overstretching of the deep digital flexor tendon. As a result, pressure builds up over the scaphoid bone, the bursa, and other proximate structures. Delays in regular hoof trimming and resetting of shoes also pose the same risk of impacting pressure on that bone.

The navicular disease mainly affects both front feet but in varied extremes thus resulting in one foot experiencing more pain than the other. This aspect is useful since it enhances easy examination of the same condition. The condition is easily noticed during striding where the horse navigates tight circles with difficulties. This is achieved by examining the foot landing styles.

Radiographing of the affected heel bones may be vital in diagnosing the caudal heel pain syndrome. However, decades of radiographing have failed to show a clear relationship that exists between bone changes and heel pain. Amazingly, developers have pioneered the magnetic resonance imaging which is a more useful process in outlining problems in soft tissues structures surrounding the scaphoid bone.

The syndrome is managed with the aim of easing the pain and minimizing tension in the DDFT. This approach is done by offering the horse a resting period either in a stall or a customized paddock. This enables the painful points to rest and recover. The equines should be reared at an optimal body weight to avoid tension creating at the tendons. Regular hoof cutting should be adopted to establish correct angles of hooves and pastern.

In addition, appropriate shoeing exercise is also essential in the remedy since it improves the horse comfort through balancing. Hormonal steroid medications are also channeled on some breeds. In some cases, the pain may be obstinate and uncontrollable, this forces the veterinarians to adopt the neurectomy therapy. It involves getting rid of nerves leading to the affected area. As a result, it makes the horse not to feel bruised cavities, lameness and other related conditions.

Therefore, the navicular syndrome is usually featured by a slew of adverse signs that lead to discomfort of equines. They can, however, be well ameliorated by the use of therapeutic approaches. They tailored to offer a comfy state by relieving inflammation on the painful area.




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