Posted by M. W. Myers, D.V.M. on November 30, 2003 at 21:12:42:
In Reply to: Re: navicular horses posted by M. W. Myers, D.V.M. on November 20, 2003 at 22:46:43:
: : Do you think a horse with navicular ( syndrom/ disease) can be helped by going barefoot, as many owners testify, after exhusting all conventional shoeing methods without success.
: That depends on the case and the ability of the local veterinarians and farriers to handle it. I noted your key word of "conventional" shoeing methods. Frankly, most of the older "conventional" methods are useless and some are harmful. The actual proper correction is done with a correct trim and correct shoe set rather than a "shoeing method".
: The majority of the cases I see that "have tried everything" have not even tried a single newer modality and often used harmful "treatments".
: M. W. Myers, D.V.M.
As an additional note, please beware the statement that "shoeing masks pain". Since incorrect shoeing causes so much pain there is not even a logical argument that nailing an appliance on a hoof serves a "masking" purpose. In actual fact, when correctly applied, the shoeing protocol so rapidly normalizes bloos flow and weight distribution in the hoof so far beyond what is possible with a trim alone, the healing process is greatly accelerated and the pain reduction is a real phenomenon and indicative of healing and not "masking". This "masking" statement is akin to leaving a cast off a broken limb to allow it to "heal naturally" and not mask the pain. Note how silly this really is.
An even more frightening concept is the one in which the "horse will get worse before it gets better". What happens in reality is that the load distribution is now incorrect for the situation and the pain is telling the horse to limit his movement while nature attempts to repair the damage that has been done. Pain is part of injury, not part of healing. Simple logic.
M. W. Myers, D.V.M.