Sunday, October 25, 2015

All You Need To Know About Navicular Syndrome In Horses

By Mattie Knight


Today, many people love to keep horses for sports. Maintaining these animals is not easy as they suffer from different conditions. If you keep these animals, you could have come across them facing difficulties walking. There are many causes of Navicular, but in most cases, it could be Navicular syndrome in horses making their life difficult.

The primary cause of this condition at present is not known. However, any damage related to the Navicular bone might occur as a result of interference with the supply of blood. Trauma is also known to cause this problem. Damage might happen to the deep tendon and ligament that lead to pain and lameness. The young ones are not prone to this disease. In most cases, those which are more than five years are affected most.

There are many signs that the horse is suffering from this disease. It is widely known that the front feet are affected. This leads to lameness making walking to be a bigger problem. For stallion that tries to walk, they do so in difficulties and walk slowly. Lameness often occurs when the animal is exercised in small circles and on hard grounds. It is also common to see one foot affected than the other.

A veterinarian does diagnosis and treatment. Here, they look at the health history, the signs, radiography and the nerve blocks on the feet. If lameness comes and goes, this is a good sign that Navicular condition is coming. Affected animals place their feet first on the ground to support the weight on their heels. A proper treatment to alleviate pain involves injecting anesthetic into the nerves.

When the stallion suffers from the disease, they shy away from it because they do not know the best way to treat it. In the recent years, scientists have done their part to learn about the syndrome. Today, veterinarians and owners know the different conditions that affect the anatomy. Some can be cured, but others will not. Recognizing the early signs helps to choose options that treat the problem.

Today, this condition is not terminal. Proper treatment that begins early, with the best care practices helps to manage the animals and restore their health back. In fact, proper treatment is known to return them to their previous health. This disease is similar to that of a track athlete with a bad foot. Even in any case, one needs proper diagnosis and treatment to eliminate the condition.

The best thing to do when symptoms appear involves calling a veterinary officer to offer treatment. Though treatment is done, curing it sometimes proves difficult. The veterinary officers carry out corrective trimming and shoeing. These procedures level the hooves and give balance. Sometimes, rolled toe egg bars are used to encourage early break. There are medicines injected to correct the problem.

The best way to help these animals is to do early prevention. Since different foot shapes are affected, it is good to maintain foot balance and heel support. This prevents foot lameness. A fetlock flexion testing is also carried out. If the problem is worsening, the veterinarian will have no option but recommending foot surgery to help restore the health.




About the Author:



0 comments: