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Important Knowledge On Navicular Syndrome

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By Toni Vang


There are certain kinds of diseases that affect horses while remain unknown in donkeys and ponies. One such example is the navicular syndrome. This condition is a major cause of chronic forelimb lameness in horses, especially those used for athletic purposes. The condition is degenerative and involves loss of medullary architecture, bone sclerosis, traumatic, fibrillation, and enthesiophyte formation. The disease was discovered long ago and continues to be a problem to date.

The condition never results from a disease entity rather from complex pathogenesis. However, biochemical and vascular components have been linked to it by researcher in that field of study. Additionally, heredity has been added to causes because after disallowing affected stallions from breeding, cases seemed to degrease in number. The appearance of the disease in horses that are 8 to 10 years in age makes it characteristic in mature horses.

The process of disease and the degree of lameness are influenced by how the distal limb is conformed. Excess pressure on the hoof-pastern, under run heels, and long toes are among the key causes of this illness in horses. Excess pressure is placed on the flexor tendons and the navicular bones when the aforementioned factors occur. Additionally, those factors also cause the navicular bursitis and the fibrocartilage to be damaged.

The disease progresses through stages and the latter stages are normally worse. During early phases of disease, intermittent lameness is observable, but there is no observable head nod because the disease is normally bilateral in nature. Intermittent lameness becomes more visible when moving the animal in circles. Another additional symptom one can observe at this stage is shortened strides. Circular motion can make the situation worse for the animal.

Age and breed of an animal are some of the factors based on when making a diagnosis. Performing a lameness examination should show a characteristic to palmar digital nerve anesthesia by the animal. Some studies only revealed 11% of positive results from hoof testers, making the test to be regarded as not sufficient in all cases. Anesthesia of navicular bursa seems to be the most effective and precise diagnosis process. However, owing to the amount of pain involved and the complexity of the injection, this process is not performed during lameness examination.

In cases where the condition has gotten worse, achieving total cure is not possible because the disease is chronic and degenerative in nature. However, the problem can be managed quite well in some cases. Administration of NSAID and utilization of corrective shoes are some of the commonest treatment options used. Phenylbutazone is more commonly used over other NSAIDs. However, GI and renal injury are some of side effects of phenylbutazone, and should be used cautiously.

The efficiency of drugs is also limited and in cases where lameness is severe, rest is the most recommended idea. Besides drugs, measures of foot care are also helpful. The hooves could be trimmed and shoed to restore the normal balance and alignment of phalangeal. The efficiency of the shoes can be determined after two weeks.

Seeking medical assistance the minute the problem is discovered is advisable. Total disability could result if one delays. Animals that are not treated on time undergo a lot of pain.




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