mercredi 21 novembre 2018

A Discussion On Navicular Disease In Horses

By Michael Schmidt


Among the first species domesticated by the ever enterprising human race are horses. They have been so for at least four thousand years before the common era. And now, fast forward to a couple thousand more years, theyre still very much useful and endearing to people the whole world over. They are quintessential in many operations unique to the human enterprise, from sports, work, hobbies, to simple pet owning and caring. It is therefore imperative to look out for certain diseases and conditions that impinge on the health and well being or our quintessential helpmates, such as navicular disease in horses.

The ailment most stereotypically associated with these animals is undoubtedly lameness. Really though, when one has been taking care of steeds for a long time, this is a kind of condition that one learns to accept and anticipate to some degree. Its as if its only a matter of time before one encounters this pervasive disabler.

So far, no one has been able to pinpoint one definitive cause of this syndrome. As anyone may guess, however, there are many theories pitched in by scientists, veterinarians, and horse owners alike. Indeed, its occurrence and recurrence are more common in some breeds and circumstances than in others.

For equine lovers and fanciers, lameness is worrying in more ways than just a horse perceived usefulness, ability to work, and whatnot. As it is, this condition is quite set apart by the kind suffered by animals of other kinds and species. For others, this condition is actuated by a fractured or broken bone. Horses bones, however, are not the type to break or fracture, but those that shatter to little pieces. Therefore, youd quite agree that its not the type that one can cure with some nifty surgery.

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.

The conformation of a body of a horse is such that transferring weight to other limbs is not at all viable, which anyone can pretty much picture out. Prosthetics are also out of the picture, since the horses movement is so precise and intricate that it cannot be imitated by some technology at the moment. As mentioned, bone shattering is usually more severe on these steeds than they are on others. One cant therefore blame owners for thinking that putting their animal to sleep is the best recourse to end its suffering.

A very specific instance of lameness causing disease is the navicular syndrome. In fact, this insidious ailment is responsible for the third largest contributive factor on the disability of horses. The bone of contention is a canoe shaped structure in the middle interior hoof of the horse. In fact, the appellation navicular comes from a Latin word meaning small boat, or something like that.

Anyway, down to the nitty gritty details. Equine experts are still not able to account for the cause of the onset of this disease. It seemingly springs from nowhere and develops slowly but surely. However, it is much more prevalent in warm blooded horses, the equestrian jargon that subsumes racehorses as opposed to workhorses. Also, it is much more observed in heavy animals and those with irregular configurations in their hooves, such that if theyre irregularly shaped, have little hoof to weight ration, or so and so.

The problem must be nipped in the bud. There is a nearly one hundred percent improvement in horses that are immediately treated within months, as opposed to those who have been corrected in a year or more. One mustnt wait for the degeneration to advance, to the point that the horse is irreversibly lame. With the progression of more months or years, the horse may be nonresponsive to treatments and there is nothing that can be done about its condition.




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