In horses, medical conditions that create pain around the animal’s navicular bone and structures are referred to as navicular syndrome. Other health practitioners refer to it as palmar heel pain. The main source of pain in this condition is the back bottom of the front feet. Even though heel pain can develop on any horse, Quarter horses are more susceptible according to research done by experts. Those that are thoroughbred have an even higher risk of developing the painful condition. You should also be on the lookout if you have horses that have big bodies and small hives.
Some of the common symptoms of the navicular syndrome include standing with a pointed front foot, short and choppy strides when walking, stumbling, and tenderness on the front side of the feet when walking on hard ground. Only a licensed professional vet can accurately determine whether a horse has the navicular syndrome. For this, an MRI in addition to other medical imaging methods is used by the vets. Finding the true cause of the navicular syndrome enables the vet to prescribe the most effective treatment for the horse in the long run.
Every horse owner should know and practice the basic horse-keeping standards if they wish to lower the risk of their horses developing the navicular syndrome. These practices include providing consistent hoof care, nutritional meals, consistent exercise, and good footing. One of the most common recommendations from professional vets for horses dealing with heel pain is therapeutic trimming. A professional vet may also propose additional medical therapies for your horse which should be systematically applied on the navicular bursa and coffin joint to manage inflammation. There is still no cure for navicular syndrome up to date. However, it can still be effectively managed by reducing stress, inflammation, and pain in the affected areas. With the proper treatment, a horse with navicular syndrome might still be ridable.
Hiring a professional vet who has experience dealing with the navicular syndrome is a logical solution for horse owners facing this problem. Experience is, in fact, one of the main factors you should consider when making a hiring decision. However, finding a reliable and experienced professional vet can really be daunting especially for horse owners who are doing it for the first time. Here are a few things horse owners should have in mind when choosing a professional vet in their specific areas.
Start by leveraging the internet if you want to hire the best professional vet in your city. Most professional vets already have official websites. These sites have all the information about the professional vets and the services they provide. Some professional vets also go a step further by providing useful resources on their websites for prospects and horse owners looking to learn more in general. Leveraging the internet to find and hire a reliable professional vet in your city is a good idea simply because you don’t have to invest too much time. A horse owner can also ask for recommendations from other horse owners when looking for a reliable vet.