Horses. What Are Some Alternative Treatments For Navicular Syndrome In Horses?
Horses. I Once Had A Horse That Had Intermittent Lameness And The Vet Wasn't 100% Certain Why, Even After X Rays And Nerve Blocks. They Suspect It Was
Horses : What Are Some Alternative Treatments For Navicular Syndrome In Horses
I once had a horse that had intermittent lameness and the vet wasn't 100% certain why, even after X rays and nerve blocks. They suspect it was navicular disease. Was there anything I could have done to minimise or prevent the lameness to that he could carry on to live a relatively normal life? I am just curious. ~~~ PONYKID ~~~
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There are some very good suggestions in the Answers column....do remember that Navicular disease is to the point of over diagnosis, it seems that vets, if they don't have a solid diagnosis, will automatically go to navicular disease ....you may have several things going on at one time. A strain of the deep flexor tendon, or other soft tissue involvement, pedal osteitis which is an inflammatory reaction in the coffin bone brought on by frequent exercise on too hard surfaces, or changes in the coffin bone surfaces (arthritis). A good pathological farrier is absolutely critical in the care of a navicular horse or one that is suspect. An owner must be meticulous about scheduling trims or resets and never letting that horses toe get too long. You can "roll" a toe on a horseshoe which brings a lot of relief to a navicular horse.. Also remember,...some horses will xray and show no change in the navicular bone and be quite lame; others will show changes in the navicular bone and never take a lame step.
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Answer 1with my experience (i have a very good trainer who teaches me anything he comes across that i could learn) no. it is irreversable and all you can do is make the horse comfortable. it's dangerous to ride a horse with navicular because they're legs suddenly give out sometimes. the horses with navicular that come through our barn leave normal lives but they slowly deteriorate and are only handwalked, turned out, and played with. all you can do is make them comfortable. im sure you loved that horse to death and you did everything in your power to make him/her comfortable and happy so dont worry.
Answer 2I have never had a horse that was navicular, but I have had friends who had. I think whether the horse can be ridden or not should be decided by you and your vet. As for alternative treatments, I've known people to use the eggbar shoes for extra support. It just depends on the severity of the lameness. I might consider doing a couple of things. You may well have a good ferrier, but I might try to find one that specializes in lameness (founder, navicular, etc). They will be more expensive, but sometimes they can be cheaper in the long run. Also, if you are within 2 or 3 hours of a university, you might consider taking your guy to a university for a 2nd opinion. Your vet is probably very good, but most universities have all the equipment to do any type of tests needed. If you were at all inclined to take him to a university, I would first call ahead and ask to speak to one of the attending Dr.'s, explain your situation, tell them the work your vet has already done, and then ask them what things they would recommend doing. They should be able to give you a rough idea of cost at that point. Believe it or not, universities are sometimes cheaper than your own vet simply because they are a teaching hospital. Sometimes it's a wash, but if you factor in all the money spent on "trial and error" things done- it can sometimes be steps ahead. Also, your vet should also be willing to talk to the vet at the university and provide copies of the xrays and any other results already gathered. Also, I'm not positive- but I believe that navicular is typically a genetic condition- so if it is navicular then I doubt there is anything you could have done. Now, I have known some cases though where horses were misdiagnosed w/being navicular when they actually had a laminitic founder that perhaps there was no rotation, but just something to keep in mind. Just some options. Good luck with your guy. It sounds like you are trying everything you can.
Answer 3I had a horse that was diagnosed with navicular when he was 9 years old. He was 3/4 Quarter Horse and 1/4 Thoroughbred. His conformation predisposed him to the disease. He was but built like a QH (stocky body and tiny feet). Once he was diagnosed, we dropped some weight off of him and tried to keep him on the lean side, plus he had special orthopedic shoes (egg bars for contracted heels, rocker toe to ease break-over, and 3 degree wedge pads to ease the pressure). He had to have his feet done every 6 weeks like clock-work or he'd go lame. We managed him that way very successfully until he passed away in 2005. Of course, he had good days and bad, but mostly good and I continued to ride him throughout his life.
Answer 4A lot would depend on if you wanted to take the surgical route or not and how much you were prepared to pay. You can try corrective shoeing, bute, isoxoprine, cortisone shots, warfarin and gallium nitrate. The most common treatment is corrective shoeing with bute and isoxoprine but the others have their place and gallium nitrate is a fairly new treatment which is supposed to show remarkable improvement. The most drastic solution is a neurectomy. A small piece of the two nerves that penetrate the navicular area is cut below the fetlock. This numbs the entire foot and can make the horse somewhat dangerous to ride as they do tend to trip and stumble - you wouldn't want to gallop or jump a de-nerved horse.
Answer 5My friend owns two horses (for easier explaining, i'll tell you their names - Hershey and Popper). Hershey got navicular about two years ago. She sent him to a special vet clinic near the barn, and within 6 months, she could ride him again, but just at the walk. Now he is competing soundly again (barrel racing, other speed events, english and western pleasure). Last year, Popper had some lameness issues and ended the show season early. They sent him to the place again in Jan. 07 and they fixed his feet too. He didn't have actual navicular, but some very serious problems with the inner structure of his feet. The place is somewhere in Minnesota, I'm not exactly sure where. They have a very experience farrier, who is also a liscensed vet speciallizing in lameness, who works on the horses whenever they need it, all the horses there are different. They really are miracle workers. My instructor, the vet and the farrier all thought Hershey would need to be put down. They NEVER thought he'd be able to run the barrels again. So YES, you CAN treat Navicular. I'm sure it was a pricey treatment, but with the outcome, it's defenitly worth it!
Answer 6You ask about alternative treatments for navicular syndrome - I have a horse that was diagnosed with 'navicular disease' 6 years ago. He's as sound as a bell - but not through so-called corrective shoeing involving egg bar shoes or raising the heels with wedge pads to reduce the strain on the deep digital flexor tendon (which actually increases it by making the direction of pull more direct!), nor by drugs such as 'bute, isoxuprine, warfarin or injections of corticosteroids into the navicular bursa - nor by severing the nerves or any other invasive treatment - none of which cure the problem - and most of which make it worse and cost a fortune as well. All of these 'treatments' simply allow the owner to keep using the horse while the damage continues. So how was my horse CURED permanently of this 'disease' - which incidentally IS NOT GENETIC? Actually it was very easy. I removed his shoes. He had severe contraction, high heels and ingrown bars; the heels and bars were lowered and the heels eventually decontracted - and voila! the navicular disease was no longer. Sore heel syndrome - as it is called these days by most knowledgeable vets - is almost always caused by contracted heels and inpushed bars - which are almost always caused by shoeing and/or bad trimming and/ or inadequate movement. In fact these things are the cause of most problems in the modern horse - certainly of those in the locomotor system. So, if you ever get a horse that develops sore heels in future - remove its shoes and find a good barefoot trimmer.
Answer 7There are some very good suggestions in the Answers column....do remember that Navicular disease is to the point of over diagnosis, it seems that vets, if they don't have a solid diagnosis, will automatically go to navicular disease ....you may have several things going on at one time. A strain of the deep flexor tendon, or other soft tissue involvement, pedal osteitis which is an inflammatory reaction in the coffin bone brought on by frequent exercise on too hard surfaces, or changes in the coffin bone surfaces (arthritis). A good pathological farrier is absolutely critical in the care of a navicular horse or one that is suspect. An owner must be meticulous about scheduling trims or resets and never letting that horses toe get too long. You can "roll" a toe on a horseshoe which brings a lot of relief to a navicular horse.. Also remember,...some horses will xray and show no change in the navicular bone and be quite lame; others will show changes in the navicular bone and never take a lame step.
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