Navicular infections are probably the main causes of lameness of the front limbs of many horses in the present day. This infection leads to navicular pain that mainly limits the way the affected horses perform. The main reason why this happens is not very easy to prove because pinpointing the exact source of the pain has been hard for many researchers. Over the past years, many horses have been misdiagnosed as many vets categorize front limb pain as being cause by navicular syndrome.
The navicular region is an area around the hooves of their anterior limbs. This area may sometimes be affected by an infection that causes irritation and therefore lameness which reduces their performance. This is however not a terminal illness and cannot disable a horse completely. It is just a syndrome that can easily be prevented or treated.
There are various other reasons why horses may be lame hence there are some specific tests that help to determine if navicular syndrome is responsible for the pain. There are some physical tests that must be done in addition to the radiographic ones so that the illness is not mistaken for another.
There are several major signs that may help to determine if a horse gets lame. For example, they land in some unusual way since they want to exert more pressure on the hind feet than the anterior ones. Other bodily tests that may be used comprise the use of the hoof testers. These testers will help to detect how the horses react to pain. They may also check the bulk of their hooves since the ones with this illness have minor front hooves because they try hard to decrease the pressure put on them.
Anesthesia can also be a good medicine used to detect if a horse has this illness. Once the anesthesia has been injected on the feet, the will become numb and the animal will not be capable of feeling anything. This means that they will stop acting weirdly because they are not distressed anymore. This will prove that pain is the main reason for their unusual behavior.
After diagnosing this illness, there are various measures that must be taken immediately. The first and the most logical thing to do is to correct their shoeing. The shoe should be able to balance all sides of the hooves so that none of them has more pressure than the other. After this the horse should be given some medicines that will help its blood vessels to open up.
After the medication has been given, various physical tests can be done on the horse to help increase the blood flow of the front limbs. Better blood flow will help the horse to have better balance that will exert the same pressure on all limbs. These exercises should be done an hour every day of the week.
Not all horses respond to treatments the same way. Some of them may even resist all the ones mentioned above and in such a case, other options should be considered. For example, the horse can undergo a surgical procedure that will help remove the unwanted ligaments that are the main cause of the nuisance.
The navicular region is an area around the hooves of their anterior limbs. This area may sometimes be affected by an infection that causes irritation and therefore lameness which reduces their performance. This is however not a terminal illness and cannot disable a horse completely. It is just a syndrome that can easily be prevented or treated.
There are various other reasons why horses may be lame hence there are some specific tests that help to determine if navicular syndrome is responsible for the pain. There are some physical tests that must be done in addition to the radiographic ones so that the illness is not mistaken for another.
There are several major signs that may help to determine if a horse gets lame. For example, they land in some unusual way since they want to exert more pressure on the hind feet than the anterior ones. Other bodily tests that may be used comprise the use of the hoof testers. These testers will help to detect how the horses react to pain. They may also check the bulk of their hooves since the ones with this illness have minor front hooves because they try hard to decrease the pressure put on them.
Anesthesia can also be a good medicine used to detect if a horse has this illness. Once the anesthesia has been injected on the feet, the will become numb and the animal will not be capable of feeling anything. This means that they will stop acting weirdly because they are not distressed anymore. This will prove that pain is the main reason for their unusual behavior.
After diagnosing this illness, there are various measures that must be taken immediately. The first and the most logical thing to do is to correct their shoeing. The shoe should be able to balance all sides of the hooves so that none of them has more pressure than the other. After this the horse should be given some medicines that will help its blood vessels to open up.
After the medication has been given, various physical tests can be done on the horse to help increase the blood flow of the front limbs. Better blood flow will help the horse to have better balance that will exert the same pressure on all limbs. These exercises should be done an hour every day of the week.
Not all horses respond to treatments the same way. Some of them may even resist all the ones mentioned above and in such a case, other options should be considered. For example, the horse can undergo a surgical procedure that will help remove the unwanted ligaments that are the main cause of the nuisance.
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