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boon
Posts: 2
| I am looking at a horse who has issues with his navicular bursa, she is not technically navicular but she has gotten it injected more than once I believe. Is this something that I should steer clear of or is it manageable/not really a big deal?
Thanks :) |
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Expert
Posts: 1414
 
| My gelding needed to have his bursas injected. Over the course of 5 years we've done it 3 times. We also changed his shoeing which I think played a HUGE part in reducing the inflammation he had brewing in there. Yes it's scary at first but the majority of GOOD horses need some maintenance, this just happens to be what my gelding needs.
As long as the xrays are clean I wouldn't be scared off. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | My mare was lame for 6 months. Once we got the kissing spine under control it took us a few months to find out the real issue with her front feet. Finally injected her navicular bursas and then she went 3 rotations of natural balance shoes and then to regular shoes and has so far stayed sound. She does have clean x-rays. I wouldn't count the horise out yet. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | I wouldn't necessarily rule one out because of this, but I must say that you cannot expect any sort of true longevity with one who has already had the navicular bursa injected multiple times. I have a vet friend who was injecting his own horse's navicular bursa. He had injected 7 times over the years. The navicular bursa does not regenerate. Each time a hole is put into it via the needle for that injection, that hole remains. Over time, this does cause far more damage than many people think. |
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boon
Posts: 2
| GREAT to know! I really liked the horse but was a little worried! Thank you all so much for the feedback...I have never heard of this before now. She does have the natural balance shoeing and it has only been injected twice to see if it was the problem I believe.
Again thank you all so much! |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
 
| My experience has been that the injections are only going to prolong the career for a few years. It seems like mine initially lasted around a year, then the time in between just got shorter and shorter. I did corrective shoeing and injectible joint supplements along with the injections. Honestly, front foot issues would be a deal breaker for me. I have 4 standing in my pasture that are crippled. I spent a lot of money to maintain them, but there's only so much you can do to keep them performing. |
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 pressure dripper
Posts: 8699
Location: the end of the rainbow | My old mare stayed sound for 10 plus years with natural balance shoes and regular injections in the navicular bursa and hocks. The older she got the longer she could go between injections. And it was a torn tendon that finally retired her at 22. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | For a one or two time injection to get them over some acute inflammation I would be ok with. But I would NOT buy a horse that had chronic issues and had to have this done routinely. Remember... every time you inject the navicular bursa you are sticking a needle THRU the superficial & deep digital flexor tendons. Repeated sticks will eventually cause scar tissue to develop. JMHO |
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 It Goes On
Posts: 2262
Location: Muskogee, OK | WrapSnap - 2016-06-08 8:44 PM
The navicular bursa does not regenerate. Each time a hole is put into it via the needle for that injection, that hole remains. Over time, this does cause far more damage than many people think.
It's not that the navicular bursa is not regenerating- if this was the case you would have a direct hole into a synovial structure which would present a whole other set of very severe issues. The hole into the bursa itself closes rather quickly, just like with any other joint injection. What makes this particular injection much more risky is the fact that you have to penetrate the deep digital flexor tendon to access the navicular bursa. It's pretty much like poking a very small hole into the flexor tendon each time you inject- and while tendons heal they tend to heal with a tissue more of a fibrous (scar tissue) nature-- meaning repeated injections may cause ultimate damage to this tendon. This is why it is generally recommended only after exhausting other measures (coffin joint injections, shoeing changes etc.)
Edited by barrelracingchick16 2016-06-10 11:02 AM
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 Veteran
Posts: 189
| On average how much does this cost? |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | barrelracingchick16 - 2016-06-10 11:00 AM
WrapSnap - 2016-06-08 8:44 PM
The navicular bursa does not regenerate. Each time a hole is put into it via the needle for that injection, that hole remains. Over time, this does cause far more damage than many people think.
It's not that the navicular bursa is not regenerating- if this was the case you would have a direct hole into a synovial structure which would present a whole other set of very severe issues. The hole into the bursa itself closes rather quickly, just like with any other joint injection. What makes this particular injection much more risky is the fact that you have to penetrate the deep digital flexor tendon to access the navicular bursa. It's pretty much like poking a very small hole into the flexor tendon each time you inject- and while tendons heal they tend to heal with a tissue more of a fibrous (scar tissue ) nature-- meaning repeated injections may cause ultimate damage to this tendon. This is why it is generally recommended only after exhausting other measures (coffin joint injections, shoeing changes etc. )
I say this only after having watched a veterinarian friend who had injected his personal horse 8 times look at said horse "for scientific purposes" after its passing. Holes were most assuredly present. |
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It Goes On
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Location: Muskogee, OK | RunfastNTurn - 2016-06-10 1:58 PM
On average how much does this cost?
All said and done, including medication (generally HA+ steroid), radiographs (to ensure proper placement of needle into bursa), local anesthetic to block the horses foot from being able to feel the penetration and keep them as still as possible, and the actual procedure of injecting into the joint you can expect around $400-500 for both front feet. This will of course depend on what your veterinarian wants to use, some HA products are more expensive than others. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | RunfastNTurn - 2016-06-10 12:58 PM
On average how much does this cost?
I only paid $200 or so. I know it wasn't much more over that. Both fronts were injected. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1970
Location: N. Texas | My horse got it last year for a severe coffin bruise and navicular edema. It was the best injection ever and he went sound for a total of 5.5 weeks!! My vet refused to inject it again. He has since had os phos, two rounds of stem cells, and had surgery last
Week only to find that the coffin joint capsule had adhered to the bone! All better now!! But he still won't do the navicular bursa again.. Don't buy the horse. You can't replace feet and it won't last! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1481
Location: TEXAS | Jenbabe - 2016-06-08 9:43 PM My experience has been that the injections are only going to prolong the career for a few years. It seems like mine initially lasted around a year, then the time in between just got shorter and shorter. I did corrective shoeing and injectible joint supplements along with the injections. Honestly, front foot issues would be a deal breaker for me. I have 4 standing in my pasture that are crippled. I spent a lot of money to maintain them, but there's only so much you can do to keep them performing.
I agree... Deal breaker... One of ours is now a broodmare because after a few years nothing worked anymore.. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | My good rodeo horse has had his injected once. He was completely lame for about 3 days after the injections, and less than a year later, was sore again so we injected coffin joints that time and got much better results. I didn't like the idea of injecting through that tendon, and feel fortunate that we've been able to keep him performing at a high level with coffin joint injections every 9-12 months for several years. I think we've done his coffin joints three times now.
I'd be a little worried about multiple navicular bursa injections just because of potential damage to that tendon that others mentioned, and I wouldn't be very quick to inject the bursas on another horse. |
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