IV Tildren for Navicular Syndrome

The efficacy of administering the injectable bisphosphonate medication for horses (Tildren) in two different ways was evaluated for the treatment of navicular syndrome. Twelve horses diagnosed with bilateral navicular syndrome were randomly assigned to receive Tildren either systemically by intravenous injection or by using regional limb perfusion, where the drug is “back-flushed” directly into the blood vessels of the lower limb so that it is delivered to the lower limb and hoof in a more direct, concentrated manner. Effectiveness was evaluated using a force plate to measure peak vertical ground reaction forces (pVGRF) and by observers who scored the lameness before and after treatment.

Average pVGRF were increased after 4 and 6 months for the horses systemically treated with Tildred by intravenous injection, indicating an improvement in the lameness caused by navicular syndrome. A similar effect was not seen for horses treated with Tildren administered by regional limb perfusion. Subjective lameness scores were improved at one point (120 days) for horses treated with regional limb perfusion. None of the horses were reported sound at any point in time. The efficacy of Tildren for treating navicular syndrome still seems uncertain, and there seems to be no advantage to using regional limb perfusion at this time.

— Whitfield CT et al. AJVR; 77:167-173

Disinfecting the Horse’s Foot

This study compared three different protocols for disinfecting the foot using iodine tincture and povidone iodine. The hooves were trimmed, then bacterial counts were obtained from cultures taken after a…