Understanding Navicular Syndrome In Horses

By Iva Cannon


If you happen to breed horses, part of the things that you need to do is make sure that you don't only care for them, but that you know the likely conditions that they might suffer from. They are subject to certain diseases that are specific to their breed alone. Knowing what these conditions are and how to address them would really be important.

Sometimes, a horse may be affected by a condition that will cause it lameness. This condition is often considered heel pain or also known as navicular syndrome in horses. This is a degenerative condition that affects the navicular bone and the surrounding soft tissues. The lameness may be slight to moderate, though rarely severe.

Condition's like these are considered to be more common in horses than in ponies. They are also more common to those animals who happen to have a foot conformation that is similar to thoroughbreds. For instance, the animal concerned may have long toes, or has a low and collapsed heel.

A horse that has this problem will show signs of lameness on the forelimb. Owners need to remember too, that this is not limited to one single leg alone, it can be exhibited by other legs too at a different time. Most would address the issue with snit-inflammatory medicine and rest. It does have a tendency to recur.

Imaging shots need to be taken though once it has been confirmed that the lameness of indeed coming from the horse's legs. An x-ray image is taken on the area were it is suspected that the condition is present. This allows professionals to successfully ascertain the extent of the condition and what treatments to try out.

Know that there are several options that you can choose to take advantage of as far as getting the condition treated, you would want to use this chance to find the right people that can be trusted to help your horse get back into its top shape again. Knowing what to consider when choosing a veterinarian to rely on is very important.

Choose the professional that you will be referring to too. You need one who happens to deal with horses. This helps them know exactly what they must do to get the animal's condition successfully addressed. Check their credentials to so you are sure that they are the right people for the job.

Their level of experience should be considered too. See if you are dealing with providers who have the most experience in the field. They would have a better idea of what it is that they are supposed to do to make sure that the condition is successfully as evidenced by the number of years that they have remained active in the field.

Among the many solutions that vets would suggest would be the use of a properly controlled exercise program to help the horse heal. Most professionals would also suggest giving the horse a rest from work too. Then, letting it undergo an exercise program may be a good idea to pursue too.

This is a lifelong condition. As such, appropriate care and attention should be accorded to the afflicted animal to ensure that it does not get worse. The symptoms however, can be minimized though. Most of the time, with appropriate steps taken, the animal can be back into its athletic function again.




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