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Discussion on Navicular Disease
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Message |
    
Susan Faulconbridge
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2000 - 6:02 pm: |   |
After 12 months of box rest and various potions and lotions for suspensory ligament problems I have discovered today through radiograph that my horse is suffering from navicular disease ( in both front feet).He is 15yrs this Sept and is a Hanovarian X Anglo Arab gelding. On the radiograph it showed a smudged line along the back of the nav bone plus some pitted parts on the actual bone. can anyone with this vague description(sorry) tell me what the prognosis may be? |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jun 7, 2000 - 8:43 am: | |
Hello Susan,
Though the description is a little vague, I'll bet I have much worse radiographs of perfectly sound horses. By themselves changes like I think you are describing are not diagnostic for navicular see: The Horseman's Advisor: Equine Diseases: Lameness: Foot and Sole Problems: Navicular Disease / Syndrome for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this problem.
DrO |
Christine C. Mills
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2000 - 6:58 pm: | |
Did he go sound with a nerve block of the navicular area? That plus radiographs are usually the means of diagnosing navicular.
Did the vet grade his lameness? Did he/she offer any comments regarding the degree of occlusions, etc.?
Why I ask is that if you took symptomless horses and radiographed the navicular area, many would have suspect radiographs. It is important to do the nerve block, flexions, etc. to get the whole picture.
If it is truly navicular, it does not heal, but can be managed with shoeing changes, perhaps some bute or isoxsuprine, etc.
My mare was diagnosed with navicular about 4 years ago at our local vet university via evaluations, exam, nerve blocks and radiographs. We did some management changes and she is going sound and has been in steady work the last 3 years. My guess is that her problem was in the navicular area, but soft tissue and it healed.
This site is peppered with details about what we did, etc.
If memory serves, we shortened her shoeing cycle and used wide web shoes with trailers, then added pads for a while in front when she did not stay sound as I brought her very slowly back to work. I also did a homeopathic regimen at the same time and she did have what I would label as a "healing crisis." After some time in light work, I moved her to my trainer's and we've not had a problem. She is back in regular shoes and on a 5-6 week shoeing cycle. No meds. A little glucosamine daily. I did not use isoxsuprine and very little bute.
Her symptoms were on/off lameness that appeared an hour or two after work and remained a couple of days. The notes I scribbled down suggested it was bilateral and sometimes one leg was off and then another. It was more noticeable walking down grades/hills. Originally, we thought it might be EPM or a shoulder injury. (She did have EPM antibodies in her blood.) Imagine my surprise when the did a navicular work up instead of a spinal tap at the vet school, LOL.
Since then I've read A LOT and, depending on the condition of the radiographs, would consider using Hildrud Strasser's techniques and finally, perhaps nerving her. There was a fellow that had a web site about feeding horses a supplement called, hmmm, gallinet or something.
For more information on treating lameness without shoes and Hildrud Strasser's techniques, try:
http://www.members.screenz.com/gretchenfathauer/default.htm
Oh, and Dr. O has some article's on naviculare on his site.
Good luck.
She and I were lucky. |
Elizabeth Donahue
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2000 - 8:42 pm: | |
Well, Here's my experience: QH mare, diagnosed at about 3yrs. through usual tests and radiographs. She's a heavily muscled, wide - bodied model with tiny ballerina feet. The exact recipe for disaster. The main treatment, in the beginning, was to slowly raise her heels and roll her toes. This gave us a number of good years ( although her showing career was cut short ). Her right front was affected, but we had to take care with the left because that is where she would rest her weight whenever possible. Hot shod, every 4 to 6 weeks ( or as soon as she grew enough foot ) with degree pads filled with silicone came next. Then bar shoes with filled degree pads in summer and heeled regular shoes in winter ( when we rarely rode) to give her frogs and soles some exposure. Then bute. Finally, no riding. Just shoeing, shoeing, bute, bute. "Lawn ornament" status.
Three years ago, we moved from a mountainous area to the flat, sandy, shore area. By this time, she'd been on bute for about 10 years. Her right side was built up to about twice the size of her left ( musculature ). On the flat sand, she began to move around a lot more. We began riding gently. Her new farrier put an even more drastic angle on her and rockered her front slightly. She began to run around her paddock, farting and bucking. Then she began bucking while under saddle ( she'd forgotten a lot of her manners ). Having arthritis myself, and getting good results with magnets on my own sore joints, I ordered a pair for her front feet. I feel they helped to bring her even farther along. With the soft sand, flat terrain, tens of thousands of acres of flat STRAIGHT trails, great frequent shoeing, bute, magnets ( no nerving yet or isoxsuprine - I don't think it was around when she was diagnosed - some people used warfarin back then )I would have to say she's gone from a 1 to about a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. She's happy again, her muscles are fairly even, she's willing to take either lead at the canter, and she has her figure back again.You just never know. I doubt your horse would ever be show - worthy again, but rideable, yes. There are so many things you can try today to ease navicular.
It all depends on your plans for the horse, and how much you want to put yourself out. And, for heaven's sake, make sure your horse isn't overweight. |
Christine C. Mills
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jun 7, 2000 - 2:28 pm: | |
Oh, the stuff I was trying to think of was gallium nitrate ... no first hand experience, though. |
Liz Richards
New Member
Username: Lrichard
Post Number: 1
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 29, 2004 - 10:03 pm: | |
I see that no one has talked about navicular disease in 4 years, but I'd like to get the discussion going again if anyone is interested, please? I have a very young 3 year old that has some signs of navicular disease on his radiographs. Has anyone heard of a horse that young developing the disease? He's showing other signs of conformation defects, but I'm really concerned about navicular since I've already had to put down an 8 year old gelding from the disease. Any information would be greatly appreciated. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 10709
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jun 30, 2004 - 6:39 am: | |
Whoa Liz, you are just in the wrong section for navicular disease. This question was more about diagnostic interpretation of a radiographic finding involving navicular disease. We have an article specifically on navicular that has been updated in the past 60 days and many much newer discussions, we get posts about navicular disease almost daily in various parts of the advisor. To access the article and many such discussions go to Equine Diseases » Lameness » Diseases of the Hoof » Navicular Disease / Syndrome.
DrO |
Liz Richards
Member
Username: Lrichard
Post Number: 2
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, Jul 3, 2004 - 8:19 pm: | |
I'm sorry, I'm new to this site and just joined this. Thanks, and I'll visit the more current articles. |
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