Diagnosis Navicular Syndrome - Where To From Here?
You could already have got the not so great news that your own horse has navicular disease. This just isn’t something a horse person needs to hear. Even so, it is not necessarily all bad news for for your horse; if you address it the right way…
Navicular Disease in horses is a severe problem of the feet (hooves). Signs that your horse could have this disease include tripping, standing with one or two front legs stretched forward, always switching weight from one side to the other and reduced stride. The cause of this is the horse is enduring pains.
And so what are your options going forward?
What are the therapies out there and what is the prognosis?
Navicular disease is simply not able to be cured. However, it can be treated. By using good quality treatment, you can actually prolong the useful life of your horse (by this I mean carry on with riding or working).
Let’s go through the four primary treatment possibilities: Enhanced horse shoeing, drugs, photonic therapy and Neurectomy (frequently referred to as ‘nerving’ or ‘de-nerving’).
Horse shoeing
When a horse’s shoes are not fitted correctly, it might place tension on the navicular and cause pain. A Farrier can help you to devise a shoe that will benefit. This is normally the first thing that horse owners will take and this will carry on throughout your horse’s existence. Please note that quite a few people think that getting rid of the shoes is a better choice. I would suggest you speak to your vet and farrier about that.
Medication
The most frequent kind of medicine for navicular syndrome is an analgesic called bute. It can be applied by mouth by mixing up a paste with diet. Frequently this is done in conjunction with horse shoeing.
Photonic therapy is a sophisticated form of acupuncture that is applied using a red flashlight in place of tiny needles. An Australian vet has developed this procedure and is building a formidable following. The treatment lessens pain for the horse.
Nurectomy - De Nerving
A neurectomy is a surgical procedure to cut nerves within the horses feet. This is generally only utilized a s a last option simply because the horse will lose feeling in the foot and the nerves can grow back in time.
The prediction and results to various treatments for every horse may differ. You may decide to utilize the first three treatments alone or at one time. If these alternatives don’t work for you then your remaining possibility is a neurectomy. This is a major action and will call for mindful consideration dependent on your situation.
I hope this article has summarized your choices in a beneficial manner. I wish your horse the very best. 
