I think I may have a major problem

[Princelover101]

well everyone knows how i rescued the mare a few months ago well she is doing great and i need to post pictures, well today my farrier paid a visit to me today well i found out the mare may have navicular diease and she is only 6 and she has terribly bad heels and i feel so sorry .what really concerned me the most is when i rode her the other day she started limping when i first got on her and i started worrying. well then i called the farrier and he doesn't know what was wrong with her and he said i need a vet's opinion and so i am going to get one anyone know how much i'm gonna have to pay for a vet bill i'm extremely worried about her , i had the vet come out and he cleared her for breeding but her feet have worried me and put a stop to my breeding plans. helpful ideas would be great

[readytogo]

Got any pics? How long have you been using your farrier?
What do you mean by bad heels? Are they too high, or underrun?
Are they contracted? Is she clubby? What do you use her for? Has she been shod since she was 2?

[Princelover101]

Originally Posted by readytogo

Got any pics? How long have you been using your farrier?
What do you mean by bad heels? Are they too high, or underrun?
Are they contracted? Is she clubby? What do you use her for? Has she been shod since she was 2?

i haven't got any pictures yet my farrier just left ,the are underrun , she was a rescue so i don't have much background info on her other than she was abused. my family has used this farrier for more than 15 years

[GreyDot]

Take a deep breath. There's lots of good news along with the bad, which you already got. Yes, navicular syndrome can be absolutely devastating - but you don't yet know just how bad things are. First thing to do is to get her x-rayed, have a little look at the condition the bones and joint are in, and go from there. If she is indeed showing navicular changes, have your VET work with the farrier on lifting her heels artificially. A good shoer should be able to help her be a little more comfortable. There is also medication, such as Isoxsuprene (and something else, I think - can't remember off-hand), which does help horses with navicular by improving blood flow to the extremities.

Vet bills - hard to say, because it really depends on your area. I'd say you'll probably need a few x-rays, at least, which at my vet's runs $90 for the first two, and $35 for all subsequent. Then, the exam fee - and, if they come to you (if they have a mobile x-ray machine), the mobile fee. Roughly estimating, I'd guess you can expect a bill somewhere around $300-$350. But that's ROUGHLY guessing, and based on my vet here in AZ - not your vet's prices.

Two suggestions, for now: I wouldn't ride her until her feet are looked at by the vet, but I also would not, ever, breed her. It's of course possible that poor shoeing caused the navicular syndrome, but some horses are really pedisposed to it because of their foot shape. The fact that the vet cleared her for breeding simply means that she's reproductively healthy - but does not say anything about whether (a) she SHOULD be bred, considering that she may not have conformation to pass on, especially if she has navicular or, (b) her feet can even take the extra weight. You're wise to decide against breeding her right now - as for everything else, I'd wait to have her examined by a vet and have the feet x-rayed.

BTW, even with navicular, a horse can have many useful and productive years under saddle - so don't despair yet!

[readytogo]

I think weather a person shoes on not - Pete Ramey's web site is a must read.
GREAT INFO on there - alot of study and science to back it up as well.

[CatsTack]

Sometimes folks think cuz the horsey has heal pain it's navicular.
Underrun heels can cause a lot of pain for some horseys. It sounds like she needs a good trim. I'd find a barefoot trimmer, or talk to your current farrier 'bout barefoot trimming.

Good Luck

[Nor Cal Farrier]

Many people don't realize that a diagnosis of "Navicular disease" is only a description that describes pain in the Navicular area. There can be many different causes, changes in the Navicular bone itself, irritation of the tendon sheath, inflammation of the Bursa sac, etc... Your problem may very well be plain old neglect accompanied with long toes and the under run heels. This combination places a lot of stress on the Navicular area. Don't be so quick to panic until you have more info from your vet and farrier. You may be pleasantly surprised after some time, regular hoof care and good old fashioned TLC.

[EquineAlberta]

We had a mare come in here that had been a show horse, but her owners had always let her have under run heels. X-rays showed that this resulted in a change to her coffin bone! The solution was to correct her trim, and then put shoes on to keep weight off her sole/coffin bone. It was an immediate change/fix for the horse.

Karen

[Sassy]

Well I sure hope she is ok... Time will tell.

[nightvision]

Originally Posted by GreyDot

I also would not, ever, breed her. It's of course possible that poor shoeing caused the navicular syndrome, but some horses are really pedisposed to it because of their foot shape. The fact that the vet cleared her for breeding simply means that she's reproductively healthy - but does not say anything about whether (a) she SHOULD be bred, considering that she may not have conformation to pass on, especially if she has navicular or, (b) her feet can even take the extra weight. You're wise to decide against breeding her right now - as for everything else, I'd wait to have her examined by a vet and have the feet x-rayed.

Yes, good call holding off on the breeding! And on taking in a rescue horse