If you spot limping in your horse, it is likely they are suffering from caudal heel ache. All breeds are equally affected. The ache is more common in horses which have abnormally conformed heels, under-run, and mismatched hooves. It is impossible to completely cure deformation. Specialists recommend several Navicular disease treatment procedures to ease the pain. These vary from conservative techniques such as therapy and medication to more aggressive methods like surgery. Below paragraphs expound on each of them.
Once an owner has established abnormal characteristics in their animals, it is important to find out whether hooves are in proper size and angle. If the area connecting coffin bone and short pastern have a crack, normal hoof angle is affected. This should be the first cause of lameness. Corrective therapy must be done gradually to obtain a nearly normal alignment. Similarly, heels which have contracted and are under-run must be corrected. Caudal hoof pain may also be reduced by trimming toes as much as possible.
If the size of toes does not require trimming, then specialists can try padding affected area to raise angular positioning. Ideally, if back and front hoof areas lie flat, more pressure will be exerted on flexor tendons. As pressure increases, blood circulation reduces. Ultimately, horse movement is affected. Padding reduces tension by maintaining normal pastern-heel axis. It works gradually depending on how much angular distortion had happened. Additionally, some horses do not respond positively to this form of therapy.
If therapeutic curative measures do not work, a different methodology is the use of medication. There are numerous medications depending on the cause of lameness. Medication involves the use of anti-inflammatory medicines such as Bute. Dosage is determined by two factors. First, specialists must have diagnosed the causes of pain. Next is their work schedule. To minimize medication, administer drugs only on days surrounding working periods. However, only a specialist can work out a specific dosage.
Differently, Isoxsuprine can be used instead of Bute. When a horse has caudal heel pain, it means blood flow is not normal. Since blood vessels are squeezed around the heal area, a reduced amount of blood circulates freely causing deep pain. Isoxsuprine dilates these valves to increase blood circulation. Not all States approve this form of medication as it has not been proven to work effectively. Other drugs in this category are Pentoxifylline and Metrenperone. They are yet to be used clinically.
If therapy coupled with drugs fail to relieve a horse of heel pain, the last option is surgery. Pain is felt through nerve endings on affected regions. Cutting these nerves tends to reduce pain during movement. Surgery has progressively improved from a simple cutting of nerves using a blade to more developed procedures using laser equipment.
Nerving tends to lose meaning since nerves continue growing even after being cut. At this point, no other form of management works better. An only alternative to help your animal survive comfortably is through easing pain. Neurectomy eliminates pain but does not cure the condition. Therefore, before resolving to this, ensure your veterinary is aware and all other therapies have been tried.
Even though surgical procedures on nerves have longer effects compared to others, they are not permanent. Owners must perform it over and over again to eliminate growing nerves. Some horses develop other serious complications after surgery.
Once an owner has established abnormal characteristics in their animals, it is important to find out whether hooves are in proper size and angle. If the area connecting coffin bone and short pastern have a crack, normal hoof angle is affected. This should be the first cause of lameness. Corrective therapy must be done gradually to obtain a nearly normal alignment. Similarly, heels which have contracted and are under-run must be corrected. Caudal hoof pain may also be reduced by trimming toes as much as possible.
If the size of toes does not require trimming, then specialists can try padding affected area to raise angular positioning. Ideally, if back and front hoof areas lie flat, more pressure will be exerted on flexor tendons. As pressure increases, blood circulation reduces. Ultimately, horse movement is affected. Padding reduces tension by maintaining normal pastern-heel axis. It works gradually depending on how much angular distortion had happened. Additionally, some horses do not respond positively to this form of therapy.
If therapeutic curative measures do not work, a different methodology is the use of medication. There are numerous medications depending on the cause of lameness. Medication involves the use of anti-inflammatory medicines such as Bute. Dosage is determined by two factors. First, specialists must have diagnosed the causes of pain. Next is their work schedule. To minimize medication, administer drugs only on days surrounding working periods. However, only a specialist can work out a specific dosage.
Differently, Isoxsuprine can be used instead of Bute. When a horse has caudal heel pain, it means blood flow is not normal. Since blood vessels are squeezed around the heal area, a reduced amount of blood circulates freely causing deep pain. Isoxsuprine dilates these valves to increase blood circulation. Not all States approve this form of medication as it has not been proven to work effectively. Other drugs in this category are Pentoxifylline and Metrenperone. They are yet to be used clinically.
If therapy coupled with drugs fail to relieve a horse of heel pain, the last option is surgery. Pain is felt through nerve endings on affected regions. Cutting these nerves tends to reduce pain during movement. Surgery has progressively improved from a simple cutting of nerves using a blade to more developed procedures using laser equipment.
Nerving tends to lose meaning since nerves continue growing even after being cut. At this point, no other form of management works better. An only alternative to help your animal survive comfortably is through easing pain. Neurectomy eliminates pain but does not cure the condition. Therefore, before resolving to this, ensure your veterinary is aware and all other therapies have been tried.
Even though surgical procedures on nerves have longer effects compared to others, they are not permanent. Owners must perform it over and over again to eliminate growing nerves. Some horses develop other serious complications after surgery.
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