Net wisdom needed on nerving
Penny E. Breyer
the wisdom of the net for more experienced opinions on what
to do.
Here's the problem: My mother's 11 year old Quarter Horse, Tex,
has been diagnosed with navicular. She has been trying everything
(wedge pads, bar shoes, etc.) and he is still dead lame. Someone
has suggested nerving him, which (I believe - correct me if I am
wrong!) involves cutting the main nerve in his foot so he can
be ridden without pain. This is a pretty drastic step, so my
mom has asked me to see if anyone could give opinions or relate
similar experiences and decisions made.
The horse's history: Previously to the navicular, Tex had not been
lame even one day since my mom bought him two years ago. He is a
very, very hardy horse - a hard worker in the ring, but flighty on
the trails. He is really friendly and loves attention. He was
never a school horse, and really only got ridden 3-4 times a week.
He wasn't really in training, but my mom's eventual goal was to do
Training Level dressage with him.
Right now, he is spending six months with 18 hour-a-day turnout in
a large field, with no riding, in the hopes something will have
improved. If, at the end of the six months, he is still lame,
probably one of two things will happen. Either we will go ahead
and nerve him, and continue riding him for pleasure OR we will
try to set up an arrangement with someone so he could stay on
their property as a sort of companion horse if they only have one
horse and couldn't afford to buy another. Either way, we would retain
ownership of Tex.
Unfortunately, Tex is too young to be retired, and we really can't
afford to keep a horse we can't ride. So, a decision must be made.
Can anyone give some much-needed advice on this? If we do nerve him,
what would his limitations be? Is there a possibility he might hurt
himself if he suddenly spooked and lost his footing? He is a very
surefooted creature now, but has been know to turn tail and run for
the barn in terror at the sight of leaves moving in the trees :-)
and occasionally takes riders for an impromtu swim in the Brandywine
river! And also, would a nerved horse be allowed to compete in
shows? Would the nerved foot require any specific treatment or
attention?
We dearly love Tex, and only want the best for him. He seems sort
of puzzled by the lack of riding now, but he is obviously in pain
when he trots. We need to do something, but we just don't know what
the best option is. Thanks a lot!!
Penny Breyer, her mom Kay, and Dahl's Last Decision (aka Tex!)
send email to: pe...@virginia.edu
Dennis O'Connor
pe...@fulton.seas.Virginia.EDU (Penny E. Breyer) writes:
] Summary: Thumbs up or down on nerving for navicular?
Thumbs down especially if you plan to keep riding the horse.
Nerving will stop the pain, but that will lead to more
rapid deterioration of the foot and eventually the horse
will need to be put down.
The usual treatment for navicular is frequent ( 4 week )
trimming and corrective shoeing by a competent ferrier.
A horse at my wife's alma mater ( SUNY Cobleskill ) was
navicular but was used as a school horse many hours a
day 5 days a week, UNLESS she missed a trimming.
Long toes severly agravate navicular. For this reason,
pasturing the horse where it might not get trimmed
often enough would be a real disservice to the horse.
If your vet and ferrier think the ailment isn't too
far gone, keep the horse active but frequently reshod !
--
Dennis O'Connor doco...@sedona.intel.com
E. Allen Arrington
>Hello everyone! Faced with a horsey dilemma, I too turn to
>the wisdom of the net for more experienced opinions on what
>to do.
>
>Here's the problem: My mother's 11 year old Quarter Horse, Tex,
>has been diagnosed with navicular. She has been trying everything
>(wedge pads, bar shoes, etc.) and he is still dead lame. Someone
>has suggested nerving him, which (I believe - correct me if I am
>wrong!) involves cutting the main nerve in his foot so he can
>be ridden without pain. This is a pretty drastic step, so my
>mom has asked me to see if anyone could give opinions or relate
>similar experiences and decisions made.
>
>Penny Breyer, her mom Kay, and Dahl's Last Decision (aka Tex!)
>send email to: pe...@virginia.edu
>
Don't nerve Tex... yet. Nerving is the last resort and there are other
treatments that can help. My QH, Mason, was diagnosed with navicular 2
summers ago and since that time has had long periods of being sound with
some short lame stretches (the lame times seem to occur just when something
fun is planned). Anyway, we have had him on isoxuprine hydrochloride (10
20mg pills am and pm) and bute basically since he was diagnosed. The
isoxuprine is a vascular dialator (sounds llike the right terms...in short,
the medication helps to increase the bloodflow to the navicular bone).
Mason has responded well to the medication. We have tried to wean him off
the bute and reduce the osoxuprine with some success (we started with two
bute am and pm and have reduced that to one bute am only). Mason also has
pade on both front feet. We have also used Cortisone shots into the ankles
(to jump start Mason after a bout of lameness). We generally have Mason's
feet trimmed avery 6 weeks. A big key is work; keep the blood flowing; if
he is off so that you cannot ride, turnout is great (just keep an eye on
his feet).
Good luck!
E. Allen Arrington
Trooper, 1st Kentucky Cavalry, Co. C
Mounted Memorial Unit
and Mason (a darn fine horse)
Bliss B Siman
finally diagnosed with a navicular type lameness. That is, his problem was in
the navicular area, but not classic navicular syndrome. I went through every
thing that the previous posters listed. Everything including shipping to Tufts
University for a nuclear scan, Bute, Isoxyprine (sp?) and injections of a
lubricant, can't remember the name, into the bursa. Shoeing, you name it.
Nothing helped for any length of time. Since I love this horse I was going to
simply turn it out--he was 9 when this began--pay $200 for the rest of his
life and probably mourn him for the rest of mine. But my vet, the vet at Tufts
and good friends insisted I was silly. Nerving now is done very, very carefull
y with only that much nerve being cut as to cut off the pain to the area of
problem. In my horse it is a very small area. One has to be careful to keep
the feet very clean because in the area that has been nerved, he wouldn't know
that he had a problem if he stepped on a nail, let's say. I didn't want to do i
t because I thought it was cruel, but I was told by many that with this horse
simply turning him out would be cruel because he loves to work, loves people
etc. Well, the surgery was done, and done twice unfortunately, but the horse
has recovered fully. He has now been in work for about three months, is
slimming down, and seems very happy. He moves a little differently due to his
bar shoes, but otherwise there is no change. I am, I admit, more careful of
him than I was before, and I worry about him, but I am glad I did it. What
will I do with him? Well, I have been told I could do anything with him, one o
f my vets has a nerved horse that events, but I won't event him as I had
planned. He is a good dressage horse at lower levels, he's fun to ride in
general, and I will jump him for fun when he gets fit enough. So I would not
as others have said, nerve a horse easily, I would do everything else first, bu
t I would do it again if I had to. That is, I wouldn't do this horse again but
I would take the same steps as I did if, god forbid, this ever happened again.
Since I am a librarian, I did a literature search on navicular and may still
have the bibliography if you want it. I would also be glad to share more of
my experiences if you want to contact me personally. It was terribly traumatic
since this horse was very special, but we have survived. I hope that you will
do as well.
Bliss Day (212)447-3373; Eve (212)864-7383