Monday 25 March 2019

The Navicular Disease Treatment Options

By Carol Bell


There are many causes associated with heel illness. However, it has not been possible to come up with a solid cure. Instead, veterinaries recommend several management activities to ease pain and allow animals to walk comfortably. Navicular disease treatment management options are divided into non-medical, medicinal and surgical procedures. Sections below briefly explain what each entails.

Slightly affected animals can manage with simple therapy which involves proper shoeing. The broken axis between coffin and pastern bone is a major reason for lameness. It affects how the pastern is aligned to the heel front and back. Gradual realignment reduces pain temporarily. Otherwise, trimming may be done to abnormally long toes to reduce break over.

Suppose trimming does not work, practitioners opt to raise feet angle through padding. Raising does not only reduce pressure on flexor tendon but also helps to align heel to the pastern. This does not happen just once since horses vary. Specialists pad gradually observing the effects created. If they feel a position seems comfortable, padding is stopped. However, padding does not always work depending on lameness cause. For some animals, instead of improving padding causes more lameness. At this point, veterinary officers stop and recommend other forms of management.

When limping is more intense, medication should be applied besides physiotherapy. Experts recommend dosages depending on causes of the ailment. Bute is an anti-inflammatory medicine which has proved effective over a long period of time. Even though a combination of therapy and Bute works well, one must administer the right dosage proportions. If possible, only administer when needed especially during work hours when pain is extreme.

Differently, Isoxsuprine can be used instead of Bute. When a horse has caudal heel pain, it means blood flow is not normal. Since blood vessels are squeezed around the heal area, a reduced amount of blood circulates freely causing deep pain. Isoxsuprine dilates these valves to increase blood circulation. Not all States approve this form of medication as it has not been proven to work effectively. Other drugs in this category are Pentoxifylline and Metrenperone. They are yet to be used clinically.

Besides medication and therapy, surgery works to relieve extreme pain on heels. Digital Neurectomy is a common surgical operation that involves transecting nerves on the lower the pastern part. Operation techniques have greatly improved over time. Initially, it would be done with a simple cutting blade. Today, the transection is highly mechanized through use of laser machines.

The last option when every other medication has failed is Neurectomy. Unlike other management procedures, Neurectomy only aims at reducing pain. Hooves continue degenerating from inside with time. For this reason, it can only be adopted if all other medications do not work.

Not even the nerving provides a long lasting solution. Markedly, it may end up to more complications. As an owner, supplement therapy with other medications depending on condition of your animal. With proper management, the affected animals can operate more comfortably as pain is eased.




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