"Chemical denervation" by undetectable substances isn't uncommon in the horse world, unfortunately. Anything for the win for some folks. Venom has been used to inject sore hocks in performance horses, to deaden high tails on western pleasure horses, to temporarily chemically "nerve" navicular hunters, etc.
Regarding injecting sore hock joints, I think any anesthetic effect is more than overweighed by cobra venom containing hyaluronidase, which cleaves beta 1,4-glycosidic linkages. Seeing that those linkages are a structural component of the articular cartilage in my horses' joints, I don't want them cleaved (damaged).
There was also a research study regarding crushed sciatic nerve damage in cats, indicating that injecting cobra venom intramuscularly into the cats injured leg reduces the degeneration of nerve fibers and enhances peripheral nerve regeneration and functional recovery from the induced nerve injury initially, but repeated use ended the conductive ability of the nerves. Which equals permanent paralysis.
The only reason for using this particular substance, versus anything else known to be pharmacologically efficacious for the purpose at hand, is to avoid detection of a prohibited substance while enabling the horse to compete. To cheat. There is zero therapeutic advantage to it's use.
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