mercredi 14 novembre 2018

A Discussion On Navicular Disease In Horses

By Michael Schmidt


Humans and horses have a long history of interaction. In the course of their domestications, horses have been employed in a spate of sport competitions and recreational pursuits. They are used in work, such as agriculture and entertainment, as can be seen in fair grounds and carnivals. Many products are also derived from them, as with milk, hide, hair, and some such. With their gentle temperament and provided recreation, they are also much contributive to therapy. Their usefulness cant indeed be underestimated. Contributing to their well being and longevity is a small payback to the benefits and services they grant us. It would also serve well to look out for certain common ailments that plague them, such as navicular disease in horses.

Of all the ailments and some such complaints associated with these animals, lameness is perhaps predominant. This condition is one that is suffered by a huge fraction of the equine population. This turned out to be the condition which horse owners and fanciers are most in the lookout for.

Its particularly worrying since it is one that considerably lowers a horses usefulness and productivity, and correspondingly, its market value and intrinsic worth. You cant put the flak on people whose foremost concern is profit, that which is perfectly acceptable and valid. You can see the point if the animal is being used as a workhorse or racehorse. Obviously, it will no longer be able to run the track or pull the load.

Even when one is a horse lover and fancier, and is very much willing to take care of a horse that he or she can no longer cater to leisure but still takes up food and lodging, there are still caveats. That is because equine lameness is more serious than is warranted in other species. If, in other cases, bones snap or break apart, in horses, they shatter, that which you cant just put together, even with a nifty surgery.

Also, when other animals become lame, like a dog or cat for example, theyre usually perfectly able to transfer their weight on their other limbs. For humans as well, its not a problem to append a remaining leg with prosthetics or some such. These solutions, however, are not at all applicable to our equine friends in general.

To know whether or not your horse has this syndrome, its important to pay attention to the way its walking. For example, their gait is typically toe to heel, rather than heel to toe. The painful heel will also be often pointed and forwarded slightly than the other foot, so that it might bear lighter weight. Horses with this condition have difficulties in turning bends, going downhill, or walking on hard surfaces.

A very specific instance of lameness causing disease is the navicular syndrome. In fact, this insidious ailment is responsible for the third largest contributive factor on the disability of horses. The bone of contention is a canoe shaped structure in the middle interior hoof of the horse. In fact, the appellation navicular comes from a Latin word meaning small boat, or something like that.

There are also medications such as vasodilators and anticoagulants that improve the blood flow to the hoof, and there are anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain. Neurectomy, or denerving, is the last resort by which the palmar digital nerves are severed, and the horse therefore perpetually loses sensation in its foot. It goes without saying that the farrier, veterinarian, and owner should orchestrate their efforts so as to better the condition of the horse.

In a chronic disease with no known causes and yet no proffered treatment, it would serve horse owners and lovers to act with utmost circumspection. It would do to be the responsible owner of a lame horse by employing recourses and techniques that would take no genius to contrive. For example, less work and more rest. Theres also the right apportioning of food, since obesity would not bode well for a sensitive hoof thats nevertheless supporting weight. All in all, common sense is the operative word here.




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