Management Of The Navicular Syndrome

By Dora Reed


This is a horse illness also commonly known as the navicular disease. It is a serious illness among horses as it can disable their mobility. The front feet are usually the target organ. Navicular syndrome affects the tissue and bone in the feet. Thus rendering the horses ability to move and carry things vulnerable. In acute cases this disease can lead to lameness of the animal.

A number of causes have been associated with this disease. Compression tendencies are one of these causes. Excessive compressive forces acting upon the ligaments and other tissues make them to degenerate. With time they lose form and the animal starts experiencing trouble while moving. Continued deformation causes the cartilage to erode and hence pain is felt.

Tension is also another known cause for this terrible syndrome. The tensile forces experienced in the feet cause the ligaments to strain. The ligaments attempt to deal with the excessive strain by thickening so as to be stronger. This thickening in turn raptures the blood flow system in the foot. With this reduced blood supply the feet start to deform and causing movement issues.

The weight of the horse is another factor to consider. This is so especially for animals with small feet. The excessive weight increases the burden for the small feet. And this increased burden creates conditions for hoof deformation. Horse shoeing is also a critical decision as the wrong shoes could cause the syndrome. Trimming should also be done with extreme care because it too can cause the disease.

The signs of this condition include pain in the feet. This is due to the degeneration that occurs at these feet. To overcome this pain, these horses adopt to a tiptoe kind of movement. As the disease develops these animals become lame and are unable to move. The lameness is mild at first but if it is not treated in time, it gets worse.

So far no one treatment can be used to cure this disease. However a good number of effective treatments can be used. Trimming is advised for affected animals. A well-trimmed and shaped hoof can be all it takes to set the horse free. With proper trimming, the tension is eased and hence the disease is managed. This is a very effective yet highly affordable remedy.

Regular exercising of the horses is also very crucial. Here the animal is allowed to have frequent light runs so as to keep fit. There is also the application of corrective shoes. These are shoes used to correct the feet size and shape. They enhance blood circulation in a foot. It is also healthy for the horses to sometimes go without the shoes. This allows for good circulation too.

There is also medication in place for this illness. One of the medicines used is the vasodilator. This medication increases and regulates blood movement in the feet. Anticoagulants are also used to treat the illness. These too enhance the flow of blood hence preventing the illness. Surgical remedies are used as last resort solutions due to the risks involved.




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