For horses with severe navicular disease unresponsive to conservative management, surgical options offer potential pain relief and return to comfort.
Surgical options for navicular disease present a genuine welfare dilemma. Neurectomy eliminates the chronic pain that severely lame horses experience, allowing a return to comfort. However, loss of sensation creates new welfare risks: horses cannot detect foot injuries, penetrating wounds, or hoof problems that would normally trigger protective responses. Catastrophic tendon failure has occurred in post-neurectomy horses. The welfare judgment involves weighing chronic severe pain against the risks of reduced pain sensitivity. Careful ongoing hoof monitoring, limitations on type and intensity of work, and appropriate shoeing can manage the risks associated with neurectomy in selected horses. Where horses cannot maintain adequate welfare with or without surgery, humane euthanasia may be the most welfare-positive option.