>Pardon my ignorance but what is a "neurectomized" horse?
>I have not been able to find a reference to this term .
>Thank you,
I'm sure that Dr. Newell has/will answer you..... But since you posted
to the list, I thought I'd offer.
If a horse has a chronic lameness that doesn't respond to conventional
therapy, pain control may become the treatment option. The nerve is cut
to prevent pain receptors from contacting the brain to complain. (neuro
- nerve; ectomy - cutting) At the same time, the foot is no longer
able to tell the body when it is stressed or injured, hence the
controversy.
Would you want to ride a horse for 100 miles, to find that he had
injured the foot quite severely but didn't feel it? If he doesn't show
foot pain, how is it judged for fitness to continue? What if the unfelt
injury is so severe that it causes future problems? Should the horse's
owner even CONSIDER competing a horse that was so sore to require a
neurectomy?
Neurectomies are appropriate (IMHO) when pain control is the goal for
pleasure horses and pasture buddies, not competing athletes.
Linda Flemmer
Chesapeake, VA