Horses are not just for leisure but also can be treated as your pet. Just like any other animals, horses need vitamins, supplements, healthy food, and care from their owners.
Regardless if you use your horse for sports, personal or commercial, there will always be a possibility that your horses will get diseases despite the effort to take care of the animal.
One of the most common and yet alarming types of disease that is common to horses is the navicular disease. Once the owner discovers this disease that infected their horses, this is really devastating to them.
But what is navicular disease on horses exactly and how do you prevent it and is it even treatable?
Navicular disease is a common disease that horses suffer. It is an inflammation or degeneration of their navicular bone which normally targets their front feet. The worst part of this is when it is a severe case, the result may lead to the horse’s disability such as lameness. The lameness can be intermittent or it can be chronic. Other symptoms of navicular disease are shortened stride, unbalanced feet and even bilateral disease effect. This greatly affects the performance of your horse.
The healing process of a navicular disease depends on the severity of it. Basically, treatment for this type of disease is not curable at all whether it is chronic or degenerative. This is a manageable disease but still it is not applicable to all horses. Some may be able to manage it but there are also those that cannot.
Treatments for navicular disease can be in the form of corrective shoeing or the so-called NSAID administration. The only person who can recommend and perform either of these methods are experts – your veterinarian.
There are different approaches in treating navicular disease. There is a medicine to control the inflammation. There are also medicines that can alleviate the pain. It is important that you immediately seek medical assistance instead of doing it on your own based on research.
Horses with this type of disease can still be ridden but on a case to case basis. If your veterinarian gives you clearance to do so, you may but with additional warnings. If you insist on riding your horse without any consent from the vet, this will worsen the disease and might cause total disability of your horse.
There are many ways to help your horse prevent acquiring the disease and there are also ways for it to be treated at an early phase. If you see irregular signs of weakness from your horse, you need to immediately seek medical help. This might be a mild sprain or worse, a navicular disease. At an early stage of signs, the vet can assess the current status of your horse and can recommend treatment that will help your horse. As an owner, it is your responsibility to ensure the welfare and health of your horse to be monitored properly. Early signs can lead to severe cases if you ignore it. Consult a vet immediately.