Humans and horses have a long history of interaction. In the course of their domestications, horses have been employed in a spate of sport competitions and recreational pursuits. They are used in work, such as agriculture and entertainment, as can be seen in fair grounds and carnivals. Many products are also derived from them, as with milk, hide, hair, and some such. With their gentle temperament and provided recreation, they are also much contributive to therapy. Their usefulness cant indeed be underestimated. Contributing to their well being and longevity is a small payback to the benefits and services they grant us. It would also serve well to look out for certain common ailments that plague them, such as navicular disease in horses.
The navicular bone is a canoe shaped structure located inside the middle of a horses hoof, at the back of the coffin bone and pastern bone. The related disease, which is also called caudal heel pain syndrome, involves the inflammation and degeneration of this particular bone and its surrounding tissues. Its more commonly occurring on the forelegs rather than the rear.
Its particularly worrying since it is one that considerably lowers a horses usefulness and productivity, and correspondingly, its market value and intrinsic worth. You cant put the flak on people whose foremost concern is profit, that which is perfectly acceptable and valid. You can see the point if the animal is being used as a workhorse or racehorse. Obviously, it will no longer be able to run the track or pull the load.
Much intuitively, the repeated compression of this bone is a leading contributing factor in cartilage degeneration. The flattening of the cartilage causes it to be less shock absorbing and springy. Its continued abuse would lead to navicular disease in the long term.
Also, when other animals become lame, like a dog or cat for example, theyre usually perfectly able to transfer their weight on their other limbs. For humans as well, its not a problem to append a remaining leg with prosthetics or some such. These solutions, however, are not at all applicable to our equine friends in general.
Its therefore not such a viable option to do surgeries or amputations. This is the selfsame reason why one doesnt see three legged horses just about anywhere. For intuitive reasons, prosthetics are also not the nifty solution it is for small animals such as cats and dogs. Anyway, the leg movements of their equine counterparts are so intricate and precise, and you can imagine the difficulty of reproducing a leg with all the specifications.
Since there is no pinpointed single cause, there is also no umbrella treatment for this disease. One would have to look for ways to manage the condition rather than cure it. Proper trimming and therapeutic shoeing can do the trick, as it provides visible relief to our equine friends. The former is pitched by those who believe that being barefoot is naturally designed as a blood pumping auxiliary so as to aid blood circulation in the lower extremities, that is, the legs. Corrective shoeing, on the other hand, uses a shoe that lifts and supports the heel.
There are also medications such as vasodilators and anticoagulants that improve the blood flow to the hoof, and there are anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain. Neurectomy, or denerving, is the last resort by which the palmar digital nerves are severed, and the horse therefore perpetually loses sensation in its foot. It goes without saying that the farrier, veterinarian, and owner should orchestrate their efforts so as to better the condition of the horse.
For a chronic ailment with no known cures, one can still mitigate the symptoms. Therapeutic hoofing is one such approach, in which a farrier makes customized horseshoes that is well suited to the horses condition, such that if the heel part is raised in comparison to the toes. Others would prefer removing the shoes, however, so as to increase the blood flow to the bones of the hooves. You can also pitch in some medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs or some such. Surgery that desensitizes the leg forever should be taken as a last resort.
The navicular bone is a canoe shaped structure located inside the middle of a horses hoof, at the back of the coffin bone and pastern bone. The related disease, which is also called caudal heel pain syndrome, involves the inflammation and degeneration of this particular bone and its surrounding tissues. Its more commonly occurring on the forelegs rather than the rear.
Its particularly worrying since it is one that considerably lowers a horses usefulness and productivity, and correspondingly, its market value and intrinsic worth. You cant put the flak on people whose foremost concern is profit, that which is perfectly acceptable and valid. You can see the point if the animal is being used as a workhorse or racehorse. Obviously, it will no longer be able to run the track or pull the load.
Much intuitively, the repeated compression of this bone is a leading contributing factor in cartilage degeneration. The flattening of the cartilage causes it to be less shock absorbing and springy. Its continued abuse would lead to navicular disease in the long term.
Also, when other animals become lame, like a dog or cat for example, theyre usually perfectly able to transfer their weight on their other limbs. For humans as well, its not a problem to append a remaining leg with prosthetics or some such. These solutions, however, are not at all applicable to our equine friends in general.
Its therefore not such a viable option to do surgeries or amputations. This is the selfsame reason why one doesnt see three legged horses just about anywhere. For intuitive reasons, prosthetics are also not the nifty solution it is for small animals such as cats and dogs. Anyway, the leg movements of their equine counterparts are so intricate and precise, and you can imagine the difficulty of reproducing a leg with all the specifications.
Since there is no pinpointed single cause, there is also no umbrella treatment for this disease. One would have to look for ways to manage the condition rather than cure it. Proper trimming and therapeutic shoeing can do the trick, as it provides visible relief to our equine friends. The former is pitched by those who believe that being barefoot is naturally designed as a blood pumping auxiliary so as to aid blood circulation in the lower extremities, that is, the legs. Corrective shoeing, on the other hand, uses a shoe that lifts and supports the heel.
There are also medications such as vasodilators and anticoagulants that improve the blood flow to the hoof, and there are anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain. Neurectomy, or denerving, is the last resort by which the palmar digital nerves are severed, and the horse therefore perpetually loses sensation in its foot. It goes without saying that the farrier, veterinarian, and owner should orchestrate their efforts so as to better the condition of the horse.
For a chronic ailment with no known cures, one can still mitigate the symptoms. Therapeutic hoofing is one such approach, in which a farrier makes customized horseshoes that is well suited to the horses condition, such that if the heel part is raised in comparison to the toes. Others would prefer removing the shoes, however, so as to increase the blood flow to the bones of the hooves. You can also pitch in some medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs or some such. Surgery that desensitizes the leg forever should be taken as a last resort.
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