Rafter H Veterinary Services, LLC

06/08/2025

Two other drugs that have been used to treat horses with navicular disease are isoxsuprine and pentoxifylline. Both drugs act to dilate blood vessels and may decrease the viscosity, or thickness, of the blood but the way they may potentially help a horse with navicular disease is not really known. A few studies have looked at the effects of each of these drugs on horses with navicular disease, and some have demonstrated some benefit to these horses. The effects are quite variable between horses.

05/08/2025

As temperatures and bug populations remain high, it is critically important that horse owners take steps to protect their equine friends (and their families) from mosquito bites. If you live in a region where mosquito populations persist well into the fall months, your veterinarian may recommend additional fall booster vaccinations against EEE/WEE and WNV (West Nile Virus).

If you don't know your horse's vaccination history or you are unsure whether they have received a certain vaccine, it's not too late to start from scratch with an initial series of inoculations followed by the appropriate boosters, as recommended by your horse doctor.

So, what is Eastern Equine Encephalitis?

EEE is a severe, viral disease affecting the central nervous system, and is transmitted to equids (and humans) by infected mosquitoes. There is no cure for EEE, and the mortality rate is 75-95% (in horses). Prevention through vaccination is key.

Contact your veterinarian for more information and learn more about EEE with the following resources:

USDA Equine Arbovirus Dashboard: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/equine/arbovirus-dashboard?fbclid=IwY2xjawL93phleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoZWhDbm9DQXJkUDJ2UXQ4AR4LQFqAZgJ-l6okRNSB5gb3W22O2wch3hTNfUrdWkYu5vr4vsPs5dO8_fchtg_aem_AJ5BEuDhbfiGxQTJgInt4A

Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC): https://www.equinediseasecc.org/eastern-equine-encephalitis

AAEP EEE Guidelines: https://aaep.org/resource/eastern-equine-encephalitis-eee/?fbclid=IwY2xjawL93rRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoZWhDbm9DQXJkUDJ2UXQ4AR53Fr5KFEMaKqGIwpZV4z428WzO0A1N4K8_PoKQ6D4QKlzJqNkHJ6YDd6qnqg_aem_fitQxeORLIU_v3AW-kzK1Q

31/07/2025

Did you know that you can have pet food auto shipped to
your door? It’s true! Sign up today at ProPlanVetDirect.com !

30/07/2025

Rest is an often-overlooked part of treating most causes of lameness in horses, including navicular disease. Time out of work decreases the stress placed on the navicular apparatus, allows soft tissue inflammation to resolve, and allows remodeling of the affected bones to take place. A period of rest as part of a treatment program can have a positive impact on the eventual outcome.

29/07/2025

The Health Risks of Fleas and Ticks.

The risks of fleas and ticks are more than itching. They can cause serious health issues for your pets. Get the facts!

23/07/2025

With a syndrome that has many potential causes, and potentially many different structures involved, there are many potential treatments for navicular disease. In most cases, the approach to treating a horse with navicular disease may include several different treatments used together and can vary between horses. In many instances, the goal of a treatment program is not to cure the disease but to manage the disease by making the horse more comfortable and able to return to some level of activity.

18/07/2025

I know lots of you have been asking so finally:

Congratulations Brooke and Jack!

Kinlee Blue Hill
Born 7/18

Mom and baby are doing good!

16/07/2025

How is navicular disease diagnosed? There are a variety of methods veterinarians can use to diagnose navicular disease. It begins when a horse’s owner or trainer detects a lameness, usually a front leg lameness. A thorough history often reveals that lameness started as mild and intermittent and, over time, has increased in both severity and consistency. While variable and not 100% specific, horses with navicular disease often have some degree of lameness in both front legs with a gait described as “short and stabby”—especially on tight turns—and a tendency to land toe-first.

Various diagnostic methods can include:
• Physical examination-findings may show the horse has hoof conformation that fits into the type often associated with navicular disease
• Hoof testers- use will often find pain across the heel part of the hoof(ves)
• Nerve blocks- blocking the posterior digital nerves (heel nerves) should improve or eliminate the lameness in most cases. Often blocking one leg leads to the horse being lame in the opposite front leg.
• Radiographs- includes view to highlight the navicular bone and is the most common imaging technique used to diagnose navicular disease and can reveal a wide variation in change involving the navicular bone and the structures connected to the bone
• Ultrasound- not as commonly used as other imaging methods, it can provide information about changes in the deep digital flexor tendon that runs down the back of the pastern, underneath the navicular bone, and into the hoof.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)- has become the “gold standard in diagnosing navicular disease because of the ability to image both the soft tissue and bony structures of the navicular apparatus.
• Less commonly used procedures include nuclear scintigraphy, thermography, computed tomography (CT).

The diagnosis of navicular disease is not always straightforward. For example, there are horses that are lame on one or both front legs, go sound with the appropriate heel block, are painful across the heels with hoof testers, and have normal radiographs. Other horses have what most would consider abnormal looking navicular bones on radiographs and never take a lame step. Because there is not one diagnostic test that is always accurate for diagnosing navicular disease, in most instances several different diagnostic tests are performed, and the information is put together to reach a diagnosis.

09/07/2025

Typically, navicular disease affects mature riding horses, but can be seen in young horses early in their training careers. While any breed of horse, in any riding discipline, can be affected by navicular disease, there are certain breeds that are affected more often. It is common in Quarter Horses and has been associated with narrow, boxy, upright hooves that are small relative to the horse’s body weight. Thoroughbreds and thoroughbred crosses with flat feet and low, collapsed heels are also commonly affected. Many European warmbloods also tend to have narrow, upright feet and can develop navicular disease.1

The consistent feature is that all these hoof conformations lead to increased force being applied to the foot and the entire navicular apparatus. Interestingly, there has been recent work demonstrating certain lines of some warmblood breeds are prone to navicular disease, suggesting that these horses have a heritable or genetic tendency to develop navicular disease, while other breeds, like Arabians and the Friesian, have a lower tendency to develop the disease.

1 Dyson S, Murray R, Schramme, et al. Current concepts of navicular disease. Equine Vet Educ 2011;23(1):27-19.

04/07/2025

Rafter H Veterinary Services will be closed on Friday, July 4th, 2025 for Independence Day. Normal business hours will resume on Monday, July 7, 2025.

03/07/2025

As bones and other structures are exposed to forces, they adapt to better handle those forces—similar to how muscles will get bigger and stronger when workload is increased. To adapt to the forces, the navicular bone must “recreate” itself by going through a process called “remodeling.” Remodeling is an intricate, highly regulated process where the bone uses two types of cells—osteoblasts and osteoclasts—to sequentially resorb and then reform the bone in a delicate balance to form a “new” bone that is better adapted to the forces it experiences as part of normal function. Osteoblasts build new bone after osteoclasts have resorbed old or damaged bone. Due to a variety of reasons, when this process gets out of balance, the osteoclasts remove bone faster than osteoblasts can create new bone. The result is a bone of lesser quality. When the navicular bone is involved, navicular disease can be the result.

02/07/2025

Important Reminders before the Holiday:

Medication Refills: Contact the clinic as soon as possible for any necessary medication refills, especially for anxiety related to fireworks, to ensure you have them in time for the holiday. Prescription refills are typically processed within 24 hours.

Appointments: Schedule appointments needed before the closure.

Pet Safety: The Fourth of July can be stressful for pets due to loud noises like fireworks. Take precautions to keep pets safe and comfortable during celebrations. Make sure their identification tags are up to date and create a secure environment.

Thank you for choosing RHVS to care for pets.

Wishing you and your furry friends a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Sincerely,

The Team at Rafter H Veterinary Services