Founder in mare..

[ajcress]

Bought a mare 3 years ago. She was drugged up and I was not aware of her problems until I searched on her papers the previous owner. She had been foundered at least 4-5 years ago and her front feet are awful. I had 1 farrier comming out and he did great but relocated. I am stuck. she belongs to my 6 year old son and Is a wonderful horse. Does anyone know what I could try or even if someone else has been in this stiuation before. She has been x-rayed and there is no rotation at all. I know that she can be sound but her feet fall apart if she goes without shoes? PLEASE for Beauties sake HELP!!!!!!!!


Thank you in advance for any info. Everyone's help is always greatly appriciated

 

[Coco]

A friend of mine's horse foundered, our mutual farrier has sense been putting front shoes on her feet, guess that helps her some. You may want to check w/your next farrier on that...see if it would help out in your situation.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Try to contact your farrier, and see if he can recommend someone who can do what he was doing. He may even consult with your new farrier over the phone to help you out.

Otherwise, I suggest your new farrier and your vet have a consultation together and look at what can be done for your son's mare.



Jean

 

[bluerose]

If you find a barefoot trimmer... YES, your mare can go barefoot. Actually, a lot (some trimmers report 100%) of founder cases have returned to complete soundness and normalcy after transitioning to a barefoot performance trim.

http://www.equinextion.com
http://www.hoofrehab.com
http://www.hopeforsoundness.com
http://www.americanhoofassociation.org

What is the horse's current lifestyle and diet? Lifestyle and diet are HUGELY important in founder horses as they are usually metabolically challenged and need diet management.

 

[dreammaker8482]

I have had success with Farriers Formula helping. Its a daily supplement you can use. Barefoot trimmers are great if you can find a good one in your area. I had a friend whose horse had the same problem and they used glued-on shoes. It was a little more expensive, but it did provide the same support, just without the nails compromising the integrity of the hoof wall.

Good Luck!!

 

[EggCentric]

A few of our horses have foundered in the past,(not while in our care) none wear shoes. How severely did she founder? She may have a lot of dead hoof that needs to come off. Is she in pain? Limping?

She could just have brittle hooves. Are her hooves white? White hooves are softer. Ask your vet for the best thing to use to toughen up her hooves.

 

[patandchickens]

I'm a little confused here, you say she foundered 4-5 years ago, has she had any episodes since then do you think? It is quite possible btw that she *has* and you have not noticed... a mild bout of laminitis is not always enormously dramatic, even if you have done a good job of reading up on what signs to watch for and are paying close attention.

If it was just one bout of laminitis, years ago, with no rotation (which btw would technically make it just laminitis, not founder per se), it should not be having much of any effect on her feet now. If it was just that once, any feet problems she has now are almost certainly something else. If there's been no recent laminitis and she is actually sore, not just having her hooves chip up, then you NEED to have her evaluated again by a vet.

OTOH if she has had more episodes of laminitis since then, a) I hope she is being managed as a chronically laminitic horse i.e. NO GRAZING AT ALL FOR HER, give her a dirt or sand lot and feed hay on a matted area. And b) you will just have to find another good farrier to work with you, ask your vet for recommendations, etcetera. There is just no alternative to getting a good farrier coming out there.

FWIW, crumbly hooves are sometimes just inherent to the horse. Feeding a good hoof supplement with biotin, methionine and zinc in it often helps. There's no evidence I know of that other ingredients necessarily do any good, and you will have to look up what the minimum #mg of biotin per day you need to be feeding. Do NOT just go by the dosing instructions on the bucket of supplement, some give an unnecesssarily high recommendation to get you to buy more, and some give an unhelpfully low recommendation to make you think they're more economical. Another contributor to shelly crumbly hooves is sometimes a diet too low in protein. She may need more higher-protein hay, e.g. very good grass hay instead of more-mature grass hay, or an alfalfa mix instead of straight grass hay. If she has had more than the one bout of laminitis she should probably not be getting grain, but if she *is* getting grain (or pellets, whatever) you might consider moving to one with a higher % protein.

(edited to add: another contributor to cracking breaking hooves is frequent wet/dry changes in her environment. Does she by any chance go out in a muddy paddock? If so, anything you can do to correct the problem so that she is never standing in mud will also help her hooves).

Hope this helps, good luck,

Pat

 

[LynneP]

Pat has covered this topic very well and if the cause is nutritional the hoof will repair over a year whether she had laminitis or not. You can also improve crumbly hooves with creams and lotions that can be hand-rubbed or brushed on the hoof and you should get a farrier to recommend what is best for your climate and turf.

Some breeds are more prone (what is she?) and if you have a horse exhibiting signs of metabolic syndrome, you'll have to restrict grain but feed the best blend available, as pat has described.

You need to find the best farrier possible, as Pat has emphasized and so exactly as instructed.

 

[wynedot55]

founder is horses is bad news.you need a good ferrier to keep her feet trimmed properly.an some horseshoeer put corrective shows on their feet.an some recommend going barefoot.once a horse is foundered they have trouble the rest of their lives.a man that knows how to deal with foundered horese is what you need.

 

[bluerose]

Myth central here guys... hate to break it to you...

1. White feet are NOT softer than black.

2. Standing in mud (as long as it is clean mud- ie, not mud created from urine/manure but water) is typically good for the foot, just not for keeping shoes on as it does weaken the clinches. However, that being said, if the hoof is extremely soft and the lamina are very poorly attached, hanging out in water isn't the greatest of ideas. I would also bet that if this is the case thrush/yeast is involved, which requires treatment... and NOT with a commercial product that kills healthy tissue (ie Koppertox, ThrushBuster, or a bleach mix), but something like active unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar and some Tea Tree Oil added- or a soak like Clean Trax or White Lightning (but be very careful with a soak treatment if the hoof is very soft).

3. Hoof supplements do very, very little to help and really only serve to 'petrify' the foot- so yes, it helps the horn be harder but NOT healthier... A good trim, lots of movement and heel first landings, and a low sugar diet is the way to good hoof health. ESPECIALLY so in a potentially metabolically challenged horse.

Oh- 4. Shoes are not required and are often detrimental to the healing of founder horses- nails add even more stress to a very stressed hoof.

Metabolically challenged horses *in particular* should have very strict diet management: low NSC hay, no or very restricted grazing, low NSC 'grain' (or no grain at all), restricted treats, etc.

What breed is the horse? Age? Has she been checked for Cushing's or insulin resistance or does she show any of the typical signs (very cresty, fat pads especially over the rump, excessive sweating, thick hair coat that doesn't shed easily)?

What is her diet and lifestyle? (ie, amount of turnout, amount of stalling, exercise) Is she currently shod?