Category: Degenerative
Today’s case is of a 16 year old gelding who presented for lameness in both front feet.
πππππ«ππππ¬ are the most important condition affecting the π₯ππ§π¬ of the eye, which orients light entering the eye onto the retina. Normal lenses are perfectly clear, but in cataracts they end up becoming cloudy!
ππ’π© ππ²π¬π©π₯ππ¬π’π is an extremely common condition in large and giant breed dogs, and results in π₯ππ±π’ππ² (looseness) of the hip joints.
Wobblers syndromeβs proper name is πππ«π―π’πππ₯ π―ππ«ππππ«ππ₯ π¬πππ§π¨ππ’π π¦π²ππ₯π¨π©πππ‘π², and it is a common cause of ππππ±π’π (irregular gait due to neurologic issues) in horses. The main problem in Wobblers is compression of the spinal cord due to an irregular shape or positioning of πππ«π―π’πππ₯ π―ππ«ππππ«ππ (the bones in the neck).
Navicular syndrome is basically when the navicular bone starts to degenerate. Typically, this means that the cartilage that sits on top of the bone, and sometimes even the bone itself, gets worn down. To try and compensate for the wearing, and desperately try to maintain the normal function of the structure, the body produces extra bone in irregular patches and nodules called π¨π¬πππ¨π©π‘π²πππ¬. These can help, but sometimes they end up making things worse! The osteophytes can cause damage to the deep digital flexor tendon, leading to scarring that can sometimes even attach the tendon to the bone. Since the tendon is supposed to slide over the bone, this leads to complete loss of function of this area.