I'm a avid stalker on the COTH forums. While I technically do have a name, I post like twice a year so I just say I stalk. A few days ago a post popped up on my radar about a horse with bipartite navicular. I was, of course, immediately intrigued. Since then, I have acquired the e-mail address of two other ladies who own horses with bipartite navicular! How cool! This makes three people total that I've spoken to with horses like Digby! One has not e-mailed me back yet (it is Memorial Day weekend, she's allowed to be busy I suppose) and the other has e-mailed me back a few times so far. We chatted a bit about our horses, what we've done with them, what we've tried, what's worked, what hasn't. It's just SO refreshing to find someone who is going through a similar problem! Turns out, this woman has a gelding with it and she de-nerved him with much success. I will definitely be mentioning her success to my vet when I call her early next week to let her know about Digby's soundness!
I'm not sure I want to go that route but it's definitely worth mentioning considering her success, isn't it? De-nerving isn't 100% guaranteed to work on any horse, even if the surgery is successful. It also has it's risks. The nerve can grow back thus making the horse lame again or a neuroma can develop. A neuroma is a large bundle of nerve fibers that cause pain at the site where the nerve cut took place. Not exactly ideal.
This is why I LOVE forums. I found people who have experience in something that is extremely rare that I would of never even remotely been in touch with. My vet wouldn't have talked to them, I wouldn't of, my farrier wouldn't of. Now I get to talk to someone who has a similar problem. We can commiserate and share successes! If I can find TWO people with bipartite navicular horses, I'm a firm believer that you can find just about anything online! :)
In other news, have a great Memorial Day weekend! Be safe and have fun!
