Clinical efficacy of clodronic acid in horses diagnosed with navicular syndrome: A field study using objective and subjective lameness evaluation.
Authors: D. Argüelles, A. Saitua, Antonia Sánchez de Medina, J. Muñoz, A. Muñoz
Journal: Research in veterinary science
Summary
Navicular syndrome remains a significant cause of forelimb lameness in horses, with underlying pathological bone changes driving clinical signs; bisphosphonates such as clodronic acid have been theoretically advocated to modulate bone turnover, yet clinical evidence supporting their use has been limited. Argüelles and colleagues evaluated intramuscular clodronic acid (765 mg administered across three injection sites) in 11 horses with clinical and radiographic evidence of navicular syndrome, using both subjective lameness scoring and objective accelerometric gait analysis at baseline and 7, 30 and 90 days post-treatment. Six of the 11 horses (55%) demonstrated clinical improvement, with responders showing a mean two-grade reduction in lameness score alongside measurable gait improvements—specifically increased velocity and stride length, enhanced stride regularity, reduced stride frequency, and improved weight distribution through the thoracic limbs. These accelerometric findings corroborate subjective improvements and suggest genuine biomechanical changes rather than placebo effect, though the modest response rate and small cohort warrant cautious interpretation. For practitioners, this represents a potentially valuable adjunctive option for managing navicular cases, particularly given the non-invasive intramuscular route; however, identifying which horses are likely responders remains challenging, and further investigation into patient selection criteria would substantially improve clinical utility.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Clodronic acid may help reduce lameness in some horses with navicular syndrome, but expect variable response with roughly 50% of cases showing clinical improvement
- •Objective gait analysis (accelerometry) can identify which horses are truly responding to treatment, improving on subjective lameness assessment alone
- •This treatment option addresses bone turnover pathology in navicular disease and could be considered alongside or instead of conventional management strategies
Key Findings
- •Clinical improvement observed in 6 of 11 horses (55%) with navicular syndrome following intramuscular clodronic acid treatment
- •Responder horses showed mean reduction of 2 degrees in lameness score at 90 days post-treatment
- •Accelerometric analysis in improved horses demonstrated increased velocity, stride length, stride regularity and reduced stride frequency
- •Intramuscular clodronic acid (765 mg/horse) appears useful for lameness reduction in approximately half of horses with navicular syndrome