The news that your horse could be affected by navicular disease is confusing. Because of scanty information, it may lead to neglect. Persistent research has revealed excellent ways of dealing with navicular syndrome. This ensures that the condition does not worsen out of neglect or inaction. It will keep your horse competitive and extend its lifespan.
Recognizing early signs is necessary so that treatment can begin in earnest. There are various options available depending on the particulars of each horse. The positioning of the navicular bone, which is also known as distal sesamoid bone, is likely to aggravate the condition. There are soft tissues around this bone that make the condition very painful.
The distal sesamoid bone is the surface on which the joint at the foot grinds during movement. This grinding is necessary since the hoof must change angle depending on movement. It is the back and forth bending that eats away the tendons. The tissue gets damaged and very painful for the horse.
Wearing-out of bones and tendons results in a lot of pain. Pain may result from other conditions and therefore confirmatory tests need to be carried out. The hoof may be injured during training, racing or normal activities. Inflammation will also cause lameness. Performing horses are usually exposed to this condition.
Some horse breeds experience the navicular condition more often than others according to veterinary records. The breeds with the highest number of cases are Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses and Warm Bloods. This condition emerges between 7 and 14 years.
The factors that predispose horses to the caudal heel pain include a conformation abnormality on the hoof, broken backward or forward hoof axis as well as under run heels. Contracted and sheared heels also expose the horses to this condition. Horses with disproportionately small hoofs and mismatched hoof angles are also prone to this condition.
Lameness will be detected on one leg before it spreads to the other. This mainly happens because each leg is affected to its own degree. You will observe that your horse makes shorter strides and will swap legs when the angle is tight or at a corner. It will place the infected leg on the inside.
During movement observe how the hoof lands. The normal landing is heel-to-toe but for an uninfected horse. It will be toe-to-heel if it is sick. In order to make clear observations, you may record the horse on the track and observe the video in slow motion. You will notice the swapping of legs and changed landing style.
The wedge and frog pressure tests are carried out for the purpose of diagnosis. In both tests, the horse is trotted in a straight line with one leg held in the air. If the hoof is infected, lameness will increase. Diagnosis requires other tests that act as confirmatory.
The veterinarian may opt for aggressive or conservative treatment depending on severity of the hoof. It is important to restore balance but this should be done gradually. Shoeing helps to reduce uncertain ground contact and gradually restore balance. The veterinarian may use anti-inflammation drugs. Un-nerving of hooves is done through surgery.
Recognizing early signs is necessary so that treatment can begin in earnest. There are various options available depending on the particulars of each horse. The positioning of the navicular bone, which is also known as distal sesamoid bone, is likely to aggravate the condition. There are soft tissues around this bone that make the condition very painful.
The distal sesamoid bone is the surface on which the joint at the foot grinds during movement. This grinding is necessary since the hoof must change angle depending on movement. It is the back and forth bending that eats away the tendons. The tissue gets damaged and very painful for the horse.
Wearing-out of bones and tendons results in a lot of pain. Pain may result from other conditions and therefore confirmatory tests need to be carried out. The hoof may be injured during training, racing or normal activities. Inflammation will also cause lameness. Performing horses are usually exposed to this condition.
Some horse breeds experience the navicular condition more often than others according to veterinary records. The breeds with the highest number of cases are Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses and Warm Bloods. This condition emerges between 7 and 14 years.
The factors that predispose horses to the caudal heel pain include a conformation abnormality on the hoof, broken backward or forward hoof axis as well as under run heels. Contracted and sheared heels also expose the horses to this condition. Horses with disproportionately small hoofs and mismatched hoof angles are also prone to this condition.
Lameness will be detected on one leg before it spreads to the other. This mainly happens because each leg is affected to its own degree. You will observe that your horse makes shorter strides and will swap legs when the angle is tight or at a corner. It will place the infected leg on the inside.
During movement observe how the hoof lands. The normal landing is heel-to-toe but for an uninfected horse. It will be toe-to-heel if it is sick. In order to make clear observations, you may record the horse on the track and observe the video in slow motion. You will notice the swapping of legs and changed landing style.
The wedge and frog pressure tests are carried out for the purpose of diagnosis. In both tests, the horse is trotted in a straight line with one leg held in the air. If the hoof is infected, lameness will increase. Diagnosis requires other tests that act as confirmatory.
The veterinarian may opt for aggressive or conservative treatment depending on severity of the hoof. It is important to restore balance but this should be done gradually. Shoeing helps to reduce uncertain ground contact and gradually restore balance. The veterinarian may use anti-inflammation drugs. Un-nerving of hooves is done through surgery.
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You can visit www.naviculardisease.com for more helpful information about Detecting And Treating Navicular Syndrome.
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