Navicular syndrome is possibly the most common cause of font limb lameness in horses today. This lameness is caused by navicular pain and it usually limits the performance of the affected horse. The main cause of this syndrome is hard to prove because it is not easy to pinpoint the source of this pain. In the past years, the cases of true navicular illness have reduced but most veterinarians categorize this as every pain in the front limbs.
The navicular area can be located in the front limbs of horses at their hooves. At times, this region gets affected by an infection that leads to the horse experiencing some distress that makes them work very poorly. Nevertheless, it is never a terminal illness and thus cannot disable or even kill the horse. It is simply a mild illness that one may easily avert or treat.
There are various other reasons why horses may be lame hence there are some specific tests that help to determine if navicular syndrome is responsible for the pain. There are some physical tests that must be done in addition to the radiographic ones so that the illness is not mistaken for another.
In order to know if a horse is experiencing lameness, its owner will realize that it stumbles when moving and also lands in a weird way that puts more pressure on the hind legs. When this has been noticed, there are various physical tests that must be carried out. For example, hoof testers can be used to examine the animal and check out its reaction to infliction. The size of hooves can also tell if the animal is affected because the front ones are likely to be smaller because of the less pressure usually exerted on them.
Anesthesia can also be a good medicine used to detect if a horse has this illness. Once the anesthesia has been injected on the feet, the will become numb and the animal will not be capable of feeling anything. This means that they will stop acting weirdly because they are not distressed anymore. This will prove that pain is the main reason for their unusual behavior.
After the infection has been correctly detected, immediate medical actions should be taken. Correct shooing is the best thing to do. The caregiver should make certain that the shoe is balanced on all sides of the hooves and that all sides have equal pressure. Later some medications can be given to the stallion to ease their pain.
After the medication has been given, various physical tests can be done on the horse to help increase the blood flow of the front limbs. Better blood flow will help the horse to have better balance that will exert the same pressure on all limbs. These exercises should be done an hour every day of the week.
Not all horses respond to treatments the same way. Some of them may even resist all the ones mentioned above and in such a case, other options should be considered. For example, the horse can undergo a surgical procedure that will help remove the unwanted ligaments that are the main cause of the nuisance.
The navicular area can be located in the front limbs of horses at their hooves. At times, this region gets affected by an infection that leads to the horse experiencing some distress that makes them work very poorly. Nevertheless, it is never a terminal illness and thus cannot disable or even kill the horse. It is simply a mild illness that one may easily avert or treat.
There are various other reasons why horses may be lame hence there are some specific tests that help to determine if navicular syndrome is responsible for the pain. There are some physical tests that must be done in addition to the radiographic ones so that the illness is not mistaken for another.
In order to know if a horse is experiencing lameness, its owner will realize that it stumbles when moving and also lands in a weird way that puts more pressure on the hind legs. When this has been noticed, there are various physical tests that must be carried out. For example, hoof testers can be used to examine the animal and check out its reaction to infliction. The size of hooves can also tell if the animal is affected because the front ones are likely to be smaller because of the less pressure usually exerted on them.
Anesthesia can also be a good medicine used to detect if a horse has this illness. Once the anesthesia has been injected on the feet, the will become numb and the animal will not be capable of feeling anything. This means that they will stop acting weirdly because they are not distressed anymore. This will prove that pain is the main reason for their unusual behavior.
After the infection has been correctly detected, immediate medical actions should be taken. Correct shooing is the best thing to do. The caregiver should make certain that the shoe is balanced on all sides of the hooves and that all sides have equal pressure. Later some medications can be given to the stallion to ease their pain.
After the medication has been given, various physical tests can be done on the horse to help increase the blood flow of the front limbs. Better blood flow will help the horse to have better balance that will exert the same pressure on all limbs. These exercises should be done an hour every day of the week.
Not all horses respond to treatments the same way. Some of them may even resist all the ones mentioned above and in such a case, other options should be considered. For example, the horse can undergo a surgical procedure that will help remove the unwanted ligaments that are the main cause of the nuisance.
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