May 14th, 2008-

I have found a great article on Navicular Disease and diagnosing via MRI- and it made me want to write a little about the finding.

Navicular disease was normally only based on a clinical diagnosis- but can now be identified via MRI.

This is a great help to us in the Horse Care professions, as we can now
have a view of the problem, and what is going on to help us correct or
 give relief MUCH earlier on than with the common radiographs that is
 so widely used to diagnose hoof and leg problems! 

Previous attempts at visual imaging through  X-Rays have showed
little evidence of Navicular disease in horses that were clinically
diagnosed with disease, unless they were in critical end-stage disease, so the
new found diagnosing through MRI's is a GREAT Breakthrough, and will
definitely aid in diagnosing any Navicular problems much earlier on for a quicker,
easier recovery. 

-Amber Lopez

 If you would like to read the actual article-

Can be read at hhtp://www.thehorse.com  ----- March 16 2007, Article # 9145

article titie is 'MRI Provides New View of Navicular Disease''
article by Nancy S. Loving, DVM

May 15th, 2008

Typically, when a horse has thrush- it should be fairly easy to treat..  But why do our horses get thrush?
Do horses in the wild suffer from the same problems?
Horses in the wild rarely battle infections of any sort in their hooves. Why is this?
And why is thrush a common problem with our domesticated equines?
Is it because our horses are normally in dirtier, less sanitary environments such as small pastures or confined to stalls?

I believe that's only half of it. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that horses have lost the natural working ''shedding'' mechanism that they would have, had they lived in the wild.

Most horses of today have had a poor diet, been shod or incorrectly trimmed their whole lives- causing a hoof shape that does not work in the same manner that a natural hoof would.. 

The working hooves of a wild horse have their own ''natural shedding mechanism'' that a lot of our domesticated horses no longer have.  This is because the correct form is no longer there with our horses because of the improper trimming, wearing of shoes, and poor diets!

This ''Natural Shedding Mechanism'' works by pushing any buildup of materials out of the solar area of their hooves. This is done by the downward pressure of the coffin bone, flattening the sole when a horse stands or walks. This can only be achieved with the proper hoof shape or form.

When our horses no longer have that properly working mechanism, the hoof sole seems to get packed with mud and manure from the horses pasture and stalls, and it becomes harder for the horse to shed that buildup like they would do naturally, if that working mechanism was still there.

That is when the bacteria is allowed to eat away at the frog, causing what we call ''thrush''.

...Just some food for thoughts.