Horses with navicular have incorrect bio-mechanics. What’s the link between navicular and performance? The more often they land on their toes, the more inflammation and friction is created in the navicular area, and on it goes. Once the die is cast, a vicious cycle is spawned. They are mostly trying to avoid pain that exists in the back of the feet (from heel bruising or thrush), but the feet may be so deformed that breakover is sufficiently delayed to make heel first landing impossible. Navicular is basically caused by a horse erroneously landing on its toes instead of landing heel first, which creates enormous tension in the deep flexor tendon that in turn produces inflammation and soreness around the navicular bone. Eventually it progresses to clinical lameness. It is progressive starting with humble symptoms under saddle (such as a reluctance to travel down hill, unwillingness to work on one particular lead, a shifting stance when tied up etc, etc – there are many early warning signs that all is not well). Based on its effectiveness, a repeat dose can be administered three to six months after the initial dose to maintain soundness.įor more information on Osphos, visit Dechra Veterinary Products is a collective term used to describe lameness radiating from the back part of a horse’s foot centered on the navicular bone (often called navicular syndrome). Once the first dose has been administered, it can take up to two months to see the full effects of the bisphosphonates and a healthy re-modelling of the bone. It is an intramuscular injection, where the prescribed dose is split equally across three separate injection sites. The dose rate for Osphos is 1.8mg/kg, up to a maximum dose of 900mg (15ml). Osphos was approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) in December 2016, and is only available to be purchased through licenced veterinarians. Of the 86 horses treated with Osphos, 68 of them (or 74.7%) saw a success rate and the controlled group reached 3% indicating the effectiveness of the product. The study ran across 56 days and tested 114 horses, with 86 horses treated with Osphos and the remaining 28 treated with saline. The treatment of Osphos hinders bone resorption by binding to the bone minerals, and by exerting direct cellular effects on osteoclasts, it works to restore the natural balance.Ī clinical study has been conducted on Osphos and its effectiveness. The main effect of the non-nitrogenous bisphosphonates is to decrease bone resorption and bring the balance of osteoclast and osteoblast activity back to normal by reducing the activity of the osteoclasts. Osphos can be used to manage navicular syndrome as a result of the non-nitrogenous bisphosphonates. This disruption can result in excessive navicular bone resorption and/ or abnormal mineralisation that can lead to more of the bone being dissolved than is replaced, weakening the bone structure over time. The healthy process of osteoblasts forming bone and osteoclasts resorbing it is disrupted. Once navicular syndrome is present, and has started to affect the navicular bone structures, an imbalance in the bone remodelling process can occur. In an adult horse, up to 10% of its skeleton is being re-modelled at any given time, working to repair micro damages resulting from mechanical stresses and to preserve the integrity and strength of the skeletal system. The anti-resorptive properties are the key to encouraging a healthy bone remodelling process. The bisphosphonates have many positive effects including anti-inflammatory, anti-neoplastic, anti-resorptive and analgesic properties. To combat this degeneration, the formulation for Osphos has been developed based on the first generation, non-nitrogenous bisphosphonates. Osphos is highly recommended for performance horses showing signs of lameness that can be attributed to navicular syndrome in particular thoroughbreds and quarter horses.īone degeneration in the navicular bone is largely the root cause of pain and lameness detected in performance horses with the navicular disease. Dechra Veterinary Products’ Osphos is a clodronate injection formulated to control the clinical signs associated with navicular syndrome in horses four years or older.
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