INTRODUCTION
A horse owner calls the clinic,requesting an exam on his five-year-old quarterhorse gelding,which has been showing signs of lameness for two days.
On physical exam, the veterinarian noted that the horse is pointing his left front foot (heel is off the ground). A nerve block is done to determine the location of the injury.
Radiographs are also taken and it is determined that the horse has degenerative changes in the navicular bone. The horse is put on phenylbutazone and referred to a farrier for proper shoeing.
The owner asks you if the phenylbutazone will fix his horse's lameness. Will it? Do analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs cure disease? Can they cause additional problems for the animal?