Saturday, November 24, 2018

Essential Details About 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.

Another conforming factor that increases the chances of a steed developing the syndrome is the use of an incorrect pastern angle that does not match with hoof angle. The mismatch causes the deep digital flexor tendon to be stretched excessively as it runs over the navicular bone. This creates an increased pressure on the bone as well as the cushioning bursa and other surrounding structures. The pressure is also caused by delayed hoof trimming and shoes resetting.

The caudal heel pain typically affects both front feet but in varied degrees making one foot to be more painful than the other. This feature is essential since it easily unveils the condition for easy visibility. It is vividly observed through short-striding in both limbs majorly when the horse is navigating tight corners or circles. This results to the foot landing in a toe-to-heel posture which is contrary to the normal heel-to-toe landing.

Uniquely, the veterinarians have induced a radiographing approach in managing the condition since it can never be completely healed. This process is used in diagnosing the syndrome although it has failed to outline a clear relationship between the heel pain and the bone changes. This has led to the use of an upgraded approach; the magnetic resonance imaging which has the ability to show problems affecting the soft tissues surrounding the scaphoid bone.

The ailment is usually managed with the view of reducing the pain and tension around the tendon and other surrounding structures. This is made a reality by sequestering the horse with a layup period in the paddocked stall. This allows the affected structures to recover. Another alleviating strategy is by rearing the equines at the correct body weight to avoid stress within the tendon tissues. Regular hoof trimming should also be incorporated to maintain the right pastern angles.

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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment