Tuesday 24 November 2015

Navicular Disease And Some Of Its Outcomes

By Mattie Knight


The disease begins with inflammation of the bursa between the navicular bone and the tendon of the deep digital flexor. It is a common cause of lameness in horses. If the navicular disease is treated with the prescribed drugs this condition can be contained and horses return to their healthy conditions.

One of the main symptoms of this sickness is where the horse places its weight on toes most of the times. The horse does this to hinder pain and pressure on the scaphoid bone. Another sign is that the horse delays to stop the strides it takes. Horses who are victims of this illness keep on shifting their weight when standing to reduce pain on the heel area. This makes the horses to place most of their weight on the toes making the gait hard resulting to pain mostly on the shoulders. Such condition disappears after the animal rests. Presence of long toes and under slung heels is another symptom found in horses with navicular sickness.

Interference with blood vessels surrounding the navicular bone is a major cause the navicular ailment. Damage appears to the deep flexor, tendon and the tissues causing pain. This illness is often found in horses between five years and above but the ailment can be controlled using different measures.

Determination of scaphoid bone illness is conducted by veterinarians through physical observations and by use of x-rays. Physical determination is where a hoof tester is placed hard on the forward legs of a horse. Presence of navicular condition makes the horse to flinch when the tester is placed. The tester is as well placed on the hind legs to compare how the horse reacts. X-rays are mostly employed to cancel out the other causes of lameness in horses.

Treatment of illness can be done through several ways. The foundation of treating any horse with the above mentioned symptoms is correct shoeing. This means following the essential tendency of balancing the hooves front to back as well as sideways. The most common problem in horses bearing this ailment is presence if long toes. To correct this problem the long toe is trimmed.

Another way of treating this illness is drug therapy. The most successful drug that has been severally is isoxsuprine. This treatment helps in dilating blood vessels which improves circulation of blood in the scaphoid bone. Studies have shown that eighty percent of horses treated with this drug have responded well.

Exercising of horses by riding them at intervals of thirty to sixty minutes six times a week is a recommended way of dealing with scaphoid bone complaint. This highly improves blood circulation in the navicular bone. With this technique, horses are trained to use their back legs in supporting most their weight. The last way of dealing with navicular illness is through operation. Horses who fail to respond using drugs, exercise and correct shoeing, surgery is recommended.

In summary the disease is not fatal. With the mentioned ways of controlling it, infected horses can return to their healthy lifestyles. Masses should be educated on how to control the ailment to save horse species.




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