Friday, April 24, 2015

The Basics Of Navicular Pain

By Alta Alexander


Re-occurring set of signs is what is called syndrome. The other name used for navicular pain is navicular syndrome. This condition mostly affects horses. A horse with this syndrome can be nursed and treated back to its initial level of performance. Most horse owners tend to believe that horses suffering from this disorder are useless but this is not true. Timely diagnosis is crucial for efficient treatment.

Identification of the cause of the problem is based on radiographic views and clinical symptoms. By going for the signs it means that a vet focuses on what is visible during examination while radiographic views involve x-rays snaps of the hooves. X-ray photos are crucial because they help in ruling out other probable causes of lameness. During inspection the vet goes for particular signs like if the animal lands on its heels instead of toes.

Thoroughbreds and quarterhorses are examples of horse breeds commonly affected by this condition, though other breeds may also be affected. These two breeds are prone to this disorder because they are huge and stand on comparatively small feet. This means they put a lot of pressure on their feet. The condition occurs mostly between seven to fourteen years, although it can develop at any age.

Physical signs include one hoof being relatively smaller than its opposite front counterpart. This comes about as a result of the animal bearing less or no pressure on that hoof for a long time. The other reason for contracted hoof is poor blood circulation. When standing affected animals usually shift their weight continuously. By doing so they relieve pressure, which causes pain on the heel regions. Placing weight on toes contributes to lameness appearance in the shoulders.

A hoof tester is used together with other techniques. The tool puts strain over the frog areas and the horse winces because of pain if the hooves are diseased. The medic notes the response of the horse when the tester is applied on its fore and back limbs. The other technique is about injecting anesthesia, which temporarily stops pain. The pain might be originating from navicular parts should the animal walk in normal manner after injection were it was previously lame.

There are many ways of rectifying the problem according to the degree of infection. Isoxsuprine is commonly administered under drug therapy. It expands or widens blood vessels causing better blood circulation to the troubled parts. There are higher chances of most horses responding to this treatment. Isoxsuprine functions for a particular duration after which it is administered again.

Unresponsive cases can be tackled using chemical blocking agents as the expense of surgery. The agent makes the nerve under question useless for a period between 4 to 2 months. It is given periodically at the same spot to animals that are unresponsive to drug therapy. It is advised to delay surgery as long as possible because of further complications connected with it.

To finish, the disorder is not untreatable. It comes about as a result of combined factors such as trauma and poor blood flow among others. Horse owners must protect their horses from developing this condition because it does not go away once it sets in. They must not overfeed them. They must make sure the shoeing is proper and consult professionals if in doubt.




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