Clinical efficacy of clodronic acid in horses diagnosed with navicular syndrome: A field study using objective and subjective lameness evaluation.

This research studied the effectiveness of clodronic acid for treating horses diagnosed with navicular syndrome, a common cause of forelimb lameness. It found that clodronic acid, when administered intramuscularly, reduced lameness in some horses.

Introduction to Navicular Syndrome and Treatment Approach

• Navicular syndrome refers to a common condition in equines that causes lameness in the forelimbs. The lameness is linked to pathological changes in the navicular bone, located in the hoof.
• The researchers in this study administered a treatment based on bisphosphonates (a type of medicine) for managing this syndrome. Clodronic acid, the specific bisphosphonate used in this experiment, has the potential to alter the rate of bone turnover and could, therefore, provide relief for horses suffering from navicular syndrome.

Research Methodology

• The study included 11 horses, all of which exhibited clinical and radiographic signs associated with navicular syndrome. Five out of the eleven horses underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as well.
• All animals were treated with clodronic acid at a dose of 765 mg per horse. This treatment was administered intramuscularly in three separate injections.
• The horses were evaluated for lameness and put through accelerometric evaluations (measurements of their movement) before and at 7, 30 and 90 days following the treatment.

Study Findings

• From the total of 11 horses, six displayed a noticeable clinical improvement after the clodronic acid treatment.
• On average, the found reduction in lameness score was by two degrees for these six horses, representing a significant improvement.
• Additional data from accelerometry on these six horses indicated a positive enhancement in several aspects of their gait: increased velocity, increased stride length, improved stride regularity and dorsoventral (top to bottom) displacement of the centre of gravity. Furthermore, a decrease in stride frequency indicated smoothness in gait.

Conclusion

• The findings from this study emphasize that intramuscular clodronic acid could be potentially beneficial in reducing lameness in some horses suffering from navicular syndrome. This gives further support to the potential role of bisphosphonates in the management of equine lameness conditions related to unusual bone turnover, such as navicular syndrome.