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  Discussion on Grass founder?
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New Member:
Darlene

Posted on Thursday, Apr 8, 2004 - 8:31 am:

Hello, My 4 year old quarter horse mare got into the feed barrel a week ago when the neighbors left the gate down to the barn. There was about a gallon of feed in the barrel. I have been feeding her, but only a small amount to keep them coming up to the barn. She is also on orchard grass pasture. Yesterday when I went to see about them she was showing lameness in her front hooves. Was it the feed or was it the pasture? My question is what do I do now?
Member:
Gafarm

Posted on Thursday, Apr 8, 2004 - 9:47 am:

First thing to do is get her off pasture and totally off any concentrates (grain). There are several different schools of thought on treatment after that. Some say to put them in a dirt paddock with other horses to keep them moving and others say to stall them in deep bedding and give bute to reduce inflammation in the feet. My choice has been the latter of the two since I am not able to give 24/7 turn out in a dirt paddock. Primary focus right now should be to reduce heat and swelling in the foot so standing them in a cold creek or soaking the feet in cold water will give them some relief. Have your farrier come evaluate her feet ASAP but discuss options before making any trims! The old school of thought was to trim down the heels to reduce pressure on the coffin bone but most farriers agree that causes too much pull on the tendon which may actually cause more rotation. Read all you can and be well informed on treatment options. There are many excellent articles on this site. Check just above the heel bulb on the outside of the foot for throbbing pulse which will tell you how badly the foot is actually inflamed on the inside. In a normal horse the pulse is hard to feel but on a badly foundered horse you can some times actually see the throbbing. In your case you are lucky to know the cause (combination of grain and pasture) since many never discover the cause.
Member:
Erika

Posted on Thursday, Apr 8, 2004 - 10:22 am:

Hi Teresa,
Sorry to hear what happened. It is a terribly painful ordeal for the horse! It's probably too late to take certain measures since it was a week ago already, but if there is another accident with feed access, PLEASE call your vet immediately. There are things you can do that will prevent a lot of damage.
One thing you can do immediately upon grain overload is to use a syringe to get a good quantity of mineral oil into the horse. That will hurry the grain out before it can ferment for long. Secondly, a shot of acepromazine (tranquilizer available from your vet) will help keep circulation going. DMSO intravenously can also dramatically help prevent further problems. All these except the mineral oil involve your vet, of course, but very prompt treatment can save the health of your horse, if not his life!
Laminitis tends to recurr in susceptible horses so please watch him like a hawk with the grass all year. I have had unfortunate episodes in the fall when we are all less vigilant than the spring.
Good luck on returning your horse to health. Be careful of riding too soon-a lot of damage can occur from torsion while the foot heals.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Apr 8, 2004 - 11:22 am:

The above recommendations are all excellent and there are more in the article associated with this forum. I strongly recommend you get your veterianarian and farrier in this quickly so as to maximize the chance of recovery.
DrO
Member:
Darlene

Posted on Friday, Apr 9, 2004 - 11:05 am:

Thank you for all of the advice. I put the mare in a stall on hay and water, starter her on bute and ACE (recommended by my vet). Today I took her to the vet and he said I should have no permanant damage and could let her back on pasture monday. Thanks for your quick response to my questions, I am sure it made a great difference.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Apr 9, 2004 - 10:48 pm:

Great news Teresa,
DrO
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