Sunday, June 30, 2019

Points On Navicular Disease Treatment

By Raymond White


This is a type of syndrome that mostly affects horses whereby the front foot bone and the tissues surrounding it becomes inflammated and degenerated. Severe navicular syndrome leads to lameness and the horse or the affected animal is unable to walk. There is no known cause of this syndrome however, there are different theories and some major causes of this disease. This editorial expounds further on navicular disease treatment.

Hoof care is basically the commonly used method of curing. It is however a subject of debate as for example corrective shoeing is only purposed to be beneficial for some time, as the effects are only temporal. Others debate that removing the shoes off the horses is the best treatment and best way to manage the disease as it will allow increased blood circulation in the foot.

The tendon on bone becomes eroded due to continuous compression normally along the flexor tissue. Experts have researched and concluded that the syndrome is similar to osteothritis and therapeutic regimes used for osteothritis are also recommended for the disease. In some severe cases the erosion of the cartilage may increase to the point where the bone underneath becomes exposed and visible.

The other major contributing factor of this syndrome as aforementioned, is poor trimming and shoeing. Inappropriate shoe selection and attachment have over the years been known to cause lameness. Domesticated horses are fitted with horse shoes and if the wrong selection is made then this may affect the bone on the foot hoof of that animal. Several horse keepers trim their horses hooves while it is advocated that their hooves are designed that way to allow blood circulation.

Another type of treatment that has been advocated by experts is exercise. Horses that have the syndrome need less extreme schedule of work. The horse fitness can be retained through swimming or walking slow long distances. Making them do all manner of jumping and galloping will only increase the symptoms of the syndrome. Hoof care experts and practitioners have recommended the exercise of these animals on terrains that are subtle so as to strengthen the hoof structures.

In this account it is important to point out that veins are more susceptible to compression as compared to arteries. As a result blood flowing to bone would be more obstructed as compared to the blood that is flowing from bone itself. This tends to cause pressure build up within that bone area. As that bone does not get sufficient nutrients due to the pressure and decreased blood supply so it extracts the nutrients from within.

Another major cause that was mentioned before is extoses. This is basically excess tension on bone ligaments. This leads to the ligaments attaching themselves to the bone consequently forming a canoe shape. The tension increases and the ligaments are unable to hold up together therefore tearing. Henceforth, with the ligaments tearing the navicular bone is exposed and the disease slowly starts to form.

Surgery is usually the last option if the disease is severe and no other medication has worked. Surgeries of the bones can be done to eliminate the lameness that is associated with the syndrome. Neurectomy procedure can be done on the horse and as stated above it should be the last resort due to its adverse effects. The procedure is performed on both front feet and difficulties that may result to this is the infection of the wound.




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