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[RC] Navicular? (Long) - Benedikte Whitman

Hi all,

Just had a look through the archives but decided to float this question since 
there is so much 
knowledge here.

My 18 year old CTR hrse has been "off" for a while with unspecific issues.  At 
her ride in May 
she came up slightly lame although it resolved with massage, overnight rest, 
and she was 
sound the next day again.  In the last two months she has been a little gimpy 
and I took her to a 
chiro who worked on her.  Her pelvis was rotated and her shoulder joints out of 
alignment 
(which is probably what was wrong in May as someone pointed that out to me 
then).

Fixed that but in the last 2 - 4 weks has still been noticably gimpy on her 
right front.  
Definately walking off on it, standing with it out in front of her or just 
keeping the knee slightly 
flexed so there is not full weight on it.

On Wednesday I noticed that she was slightly swollen on the inside right front 
and that it was 
hard to the touch instead of spongy as I expected.

Took her to the vet today and had her xrayed -  first the pastern/fetlock - and 
there is a 
definate swelling on the bone in that area and my vet said it was a bone 
bruise.  

Then we did a nerve block on both sides of the foot, in the rear third, and 
after that she was 
fully sound even at a trot - no head bob, nothing.

My vet said that this also brought up the possibility of navicular since that 
exact result could be 
from that probelm and he xrayed for that.  (BTW - remove your Ground Controls 
if you are 
exraying the bottom of the foot.  The really interfere with the process).

The xrays looked clear - none of the enlarged openings where the blood vessels 
go through the 
bone, a very slight shadow that may / may not be a lesion or may be due to the 
GC inteference.  
No clear roughness or disintergration of the bone - in short nothing to support 
that diagnosis.

Since the bone bruise will not resolve probably for a number of months, we 
really won't have 
any better information until that clears and we see if the lameness goes away 
as well.  In the 
meantime, my vet has advised that we treat it as though it is an early and mild 
navicular case so 
that if it is, it isn't another six months untreated before we are sure.

He has put her on 2 grams of bute a day, and 40 Isoxsuprine Hydrochloride 
tablets a day.  He 
also wants me to have her shod in a slight wedge next time to lift her heels.

My questions are, is there a serious issue with treating her for the disease if 
it turns out that 
she does not have it?  She is a corral horse so self exercises every day, they 
have free feed hay 
all day so her tummy never is empty, so I hope ulcers will not be a big threat.

Also, is there anything else I can do that would streamline the choice to one 
or the other or is 
my only option to wait out the bone bruise?

Finally, is there anything I can do to help the bone bruise reslove any faster 
- soaking, walking, 
not walking?

The horse was a high level show horse in the first part of her life, brood 
mare, and then pasture 
queen, so she really does not have a lot of miles on her, and as an older show 
horse, she was of 
the era when they still had bone, nice sized feet, etc. so that is not 
immediatelt identifiable as a 
problem.

Any thoughts, help, or experience you can share would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Benedikte


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