Friday, April 27, 2012

Navicular The Dreaded Cause To Pony Lameness

By Heather Toms


I have seen vets fight with the words disease and syndrome when referring to the navicular condition in horses. Is the navicular condition a disease or a syndrome? I don't have a reply to a question I am not quite able to make sense of, but I know this from personal experience: navicular is easily the single most common cause of equine lameness. This condition is a protracted lameness of the forelegs accompanied by plenty of pain in the distal sesamoid and attached structures (the navicuar apparatus).

The significant issue with this condition is that the perfect cure hasn't been found because the root factors behind the condition are still not well known. Analysts aren't able to stimulate navicular conditions in laboratories. The condition is usually degenerative, that means it becomes worse with the passage of time.

Perhaps that's why vets like the word syndrome, because they are able to avoid the more unfortunate images connected with the word disease.

While conventional wisdom considers the navicular condition to be a single disease, this opinion is debatable. There are a massive range of symptoms, and to me it is seems more reasonable that there's more than one cause for this affliction. There's robust proof that horses afflicted by some other seemingly unrelated conditions exhibit the same clinical MRI signs as horses with navicular.

The holistic view does not consider the navicular condition to be a disease. It works on the idea that horses have implicit capabilities to cure themselves of most conditions, given the right environment to do it.

The navicular condition is the result of a re-occurring series of events, where soft tissue first undergoes change because of environmental change. Then changes occur to the hoof. The hoof capsule begins to look deformed because pain causes the horse to switch the way that he keeps his foot.

Veterinarians sometimes suggest specially shaped corrective shoes for treatment. They also prescribe anti inflammatory medication of a non-steroid nature along with medicines for boosting blood supply. Usually as last resorts, vets also perform neurectomy, a medical technique that severs the nerve to the foot's back. This procedure brings temporary relief .

Standard medication ignores the significance of the horse's Inner Arch Apparatus. Treating navicular requires consideration of the entire, with focus on the root causes, not the symptoms. Discomfort management is a vital element of holistic approaches, and this is accomplished with homeopathic measures and pads of cell foam.

Correct trimming that can achieve a balance between the hoof capsule and the Internal Arch Apparatus is crucial, as is the application of stimuli like exercise and pressure to reinstate correct structure.

An awareness of proper foot structure helps with proactive approaches. Carry out observations of your pony while he's completely healthy; take proper note when he is moving under the saddle both in straight lines and in curves. Form a clear mental picture of a sound horse and its movements. Just to be certain (as a comparision if needed in time to come), have X-rays taken of your pony while he's sound, so that you have a reference point for later if things should go wrong.




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