How To Treat Your Horse For Navicular Disease
It’s possible that you’ve been given the discouraging news that your horse suffers from navicular disease. This is not something that a person who owns a horse wants to take in to consideration. On the other hand, if you give your horse the care that it needs, this is not the end of the road for him…
The horse disease known as navicular disease is a devastating ailment that affects the feet (hooves). Stumbling, standing with one or more front legs extended forward, continuously shifting weight from one side to the other, and a shorter stride are all signs that your horse may have navicular. The fact that the horse is in discomfort is the explanation for this situation. The question now is, what are your next steps?
What kinds of treatments are there, and how is the patient expected to respond to them?
The illness of the navigator’s canal cannot be cured. On the other hand, it is treatable. If you give your horse the proper care, you may make his working years last longer (by this I mean continue riding or working). Let’s take a look at the four most common types of treatment: Neuectomy, which is also known as “improved horse shoeing,” medicine, photonic treatment, and de-nerving or “nerving” horses are some of the advancements that have been made.
Horse shoeing
If the shoes on a horse are not properly fitting, it may cause the navicular to be painful due to the pressure that is placed on it. A Farrier is someone who can assist you in creating a shoe that will be of assistance to you. This is the first step that horse owners will normally do, and it is something that should be done consistently throughout the life of your horse. Be aware that there are some individuals who think that taking off their shoes is the preferable alternative. I would advise you to discuss that matter with both your veterinarian and your farrier.
Medication
Bute, which is a kind of painkiller, is the medicine that is used the most often to treat navicular disease. It is taken orally by combining a paste with food in order to deliver it. In most cases, this procedure is performed in combination with shoeing the horse.
Therapy Using Photons
Acupuncture’s more modern offshoot, known as photonic therapy, replaces the use of needles with a red light torch to provide the treatment. This method was first developed by a veterinarian in Australia, who is now gaining a significant following. The horse will have less discomfort as a result of the therapy.
De-nerving by use of a nurectomy
A neurectomy is a surgical treatment that involves cutting the nerves in the foot of the horse. Because the horse loses sensation in the foot and the nerves may come back over time, this treatment is normally reserved for until all other options have been exhausted.
The outlook and degree of improvement that may be expected from the different therapies differs from horse to horse. You have the option to do each of the first three treatments separately or all of them at the same time. If none of these treatments are effective for you, the only other choice is to have a neurectomy performed. This is a significant move that will need to be carefully considered in light of the circumstances you now find yourself in. I have a hope that this post has provided a helpful summary of the possibilities you have. I hope that everything works out well for you and your horse.