Degeneration of the navicular bone in horses is a common ailment in horses. Officially known as navicular syndrome or caudal heel pain, the degeneration and associated inflammation can cause significant lameness and can become disabling too. However, the syndrome is not terminal and if diagnosed early and treated well, the horse feels better.
To diagnose the disease early, horsemen should watch out for particular signs or symptoms. One of the signs is how the horse rests its weight while walking. A horse sick from caudal heel pain will rest its weight on the toe as it tries to avoid the painful and inflamed heel. It will also take longer to stop the stride while walking due to pressure on this toe.
A keen horseman will also notice that the sick horse shifts its weight continuously while standing to relieve pressure on the heel. Consequently, the pony develops a rough gait and shoulders become lame. When it walks, it does so in a lame way which goes away after rest. You may also notice a contracted and a much smaller heel or hoof due to poor circulation.
If you observe one or more of the above signs and symptoms, call a veterinary doctor right away. They will carry out tests to determine whether your horse is sick from the paining heel. The vet may use a hoof tester to tell whether the frog area is inflamed. It applies pressure on the area and if inflamed, the pony will feel pain and flinch.
Another tool for the diagnosis is a local anesthesia. The anesthesia works by severing nerve supply in the affected area and therefore relieving pain. If the pony has a paining heel, it will walk normally until the anesthesia wears off and the lameness comes back. If the syndrome was not responsible for the lameness, then the horse will still be lame even after the anesthesia.
There are several treatment options available for dealing with paining heels in horses. The options range from conservative to aggressive and involve medication, surgery and therapeutic shoeing. Since it is not easy to predict the response to treatment, veterinarians work from conservative methods up to more drastic measures gradually. As these treatments are ongoing, you will notice a positive response from the pony depending on the option that worked best.
Therapeutic shoeing relieves pressure on the heels and therefore pain. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylybutazone are prescribed. Vasodilators can also be used to increase blood flow to the diseased areas. Surgical treatment is more reliable and has been used for many years to treat caudal heel pain. The procedure involves severing the nerves around the back of its foot to stop sensation in that area. It provides pain relief but for a limited time because the nerves may re-grow.
It is hard to say which breeds are most affected but thoroughbreds and warm-bloods seem to have the highest incidence of caudal heel pain. On the other hand, the Arabian breed is rarely affected. Even though the disease does not always spell a desired outcome after infection, diagnosing it early enough and subsequent treatment helps the horse. The pony also gets back to its service fully, if luck is on your side.
To diagnose the disease early, horsemen should watch out for particular signs or symptoms. One of the signs is how the horse rests its weight while walking. A horse sick from caudal heel pain will rest its weight on the toe as it tries to avoid the painful and inflamed heel. It will also take longer to stop the stride while walking due to pressure on this toe.
A keen horseman will also notice that the sick horse shifts its weight continuously while standing to relieve pressure on the heel. Consequently, the pony develops a rough gait and shoulders become lame. When it walks, it does so in a lame way which goes away after rest. You may also notice a contracted and a much smaller heel or hoof due to poor circulation.
If you observe one or more of the above signs and symptoms, call a veterinary doctor right away. They will carry out tests to determine whether your horse is sick from the paining heel. The vet may use a hoof tester to tell whether the frog area is inflamed. It applies pressure on the area and if inflamed, the pony will feel pain and flinch.
Another tool for the diagnosis is a local anesthesia. The anesthesia works by severing nerve supply in the affected area and therefore relieving pain. If the pony has a paining heel, it will walk normally until the anesthesia wears off and the lameness comes back. If the syndrome was not responsible for the lameness, then the horse will still be lame even after the anesthesia.
There are several treatment options available for dealing with paining heels in horses. The options range from conservative to aggressive and involve medication, surgery and therapeutic shoeing. Since it is not easy to predict the response to treatment, veterinarians work from conservative methods up to more drastic measures gradually. As these treatments are ongoing, you will notice a positive response from the pony depending on the option that worked best.
Therapeutic shoeing relieves pressure on the heels and therefore pain. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylybutazone are prescribed. Vasodilators can also be used to increase blood flow to the diseased areas. Surgical treatment is more reliable and has been used for many years to treat caudal heel pain. The procedure involves severing the nerves around the back of its foot to stop sensation in that area. It provides pain relief but for a limited time because the nerves may re-grow.
It is hard to say which breeds are most affected but thoroughbreds and warm-bloods seem to have the highest incidence of caudal heel pain. On the other hand, the Arabian breed is rarely affected. Even though the disease does not always spell a desired outcome after infection, diagnosing it early enough and subsequent treatment helps the horse. The pony also gets back to its service fully, if luck is on your side.
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