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we have horse that was in early stage of foundering

3K views 22 replies 6 participants last post by  payette 
#1 ·
we bought this dunn mare from far away from our home and she first off had a crack in her hoof so we told the people we want signed that we had two weeks to visit a vet or else we could bring her back. well so we took her in the other day the vet said she was 10 to 12 years old. and well we found out she has foundered. she has that quarter crack in her foot almost up to her cornet. but the vet as well told us she is foundered. well thats great what do we do???? the way the vet could tell is foundering is when they start to get a bow in there foot she has it and she is also sore in her toes. we know exactly what foundering is from or what it is but we dont know if we should keep her it could be very costly and it could turn out to be good or it could turn to be bad...
-she cannot be on pasture food anymore certain amounts of hay
-has to be shoed every 4 weeks, may need to have a certain shoe.
-not sure how bad her quarter crack will turn out, if it will heal or not.
-her age is right in the middle, could be good could be bad


what should we do
 
#2 ·
Send her back, she sounds like already there are issues and I am sure the issues will get worse as time goes on. No pasture, feed hay, shoe every 4 weeks, etc. Plus without exrays and her toes being sore I would worry about coffin bone rotation and that is not a good thing to deal with.
 
#4 ·
ya that is true. plus if its going to turn out to be bad we dont want to be stuck with her. it was for my aunt she really likes her... we payed 1000 for her. should we keep her but try to get some of our money back to take her in again
 
#5 ·
I can understand deciding to keep her, but not for $1000. That's just a rip off when you could buy a perfectly sound horse thatll pass a vet check for that much. Personally, I would send her back. In the long run that's most likely the better choice. Not to mention one health problem often leads to another.
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#7 ·
ya true!!! for those that do horse shoeing and deal with foundered horses. what would you do if they want let you take her back??? cause we talk to her and she is kind of fighting us.... so what is the best way to treat a foundered horse with a quarter crack
 
#10 ·
You have never heard of barefoot? Who do you think would shoe the mustangs?

Barefoot is the healthiest way for a horse to live - After all, that is how evolution designed them. If they have feet that can handle it (A combination of genetics and care history) then barefoot will make your horse happier and more comfortable.
 
#12 ·
true that.... its just we do a lot of rodeoing and hard running. i race so i have to have my horse shoed. cause unless theyre off the mountains like mustangs there feet are generally tender. i just thought you always had to have shoes on foundered horse as our vet said. cause inside there foot the vet said there is a lot of build on the tissue and the toes get curved. that is why there is a bow in her foot, and its an early stage so we figured if we could get that trimmed and shod right it could go away, they said to shoe the front every 4 weeks and the back every 8 or whatever.
 
#13 ·
I do campdrafting, barrel racing, other gameing events, and lots of stockwork in rough country on all my barefoot horses. I ride fast, I turn fast, and I wouldn't have my horses barefoot if I had to compromise what I do on them.

'You have to shoe to perform' is absolutely false and is old fashioned thinking. There are horses at the high levels of just about every discipline that compete sucessfully barefoot.
 
#14 ·
o im sure there are, but ill stick with the shoeing cause thats what was told that needs to be done.... i just need to know how to cure it so that her feet do not get worse. and have a bigger bow in it
 
#15 ·
Yep, what wildspot said! There is a transition period where a horse may be sore after having shoes removed for the first time, but just about any horse's feet will "toughen up" with time and conditioning. Barefoot is a great option! Especially for foundered horses, particularly if the founder is caught early, and is not a longstanding cronic condition.
 
#17 ·
more then likely plan is to take her back :( i feel bad for my aunt though, finally found her a decent riding horse but now has ruined feet. my aunt usto high school rodeo ever since we sold her horse its been a battle. every horse has bucked her off that weve bought her and she fell in love with this one. ugh life is such a pain sometimes
 
#18 ·
*Shrugs* Whatever floats your boat. However I do not ever believe it is best to stick with something because you were 'told that's what should be done' - I believe you should get out there and educate yourself on all the options so you can make a better informed choice for your horses. I believe we owe them that much.

If I listened to what 'should' be done my horse would still be bucking because his kidneys were so sore due to grain intolerance and being fed sweet feed. Someone suggested getting him off grain, so I did the research, gave it a go, and now he is out winning.

Shoeing when not need can actually hinder a horses performance and cause long term soundness issues.

I believe treating laminitic horses with shoes is a 'stop gap'. The aim should be to return the hoof to normal function, not just lessen the pain. That can't be done with shoes, only with correct trimming, supporting with boots and pads, and allowing the hoof to heal itself like it was designed to do. Shoes may make the horse more comfortable in the short term - but that's it.

Think about it. Laminitis/founder is when the laminae are compromised for any reason - the laminae are the little fibres that hold the inner structures of the hoof to the outer wall and provide support. If they are compromised, the inner structures loose their support, which is how the P1 bone, or the coffin bone, can rotate or in extreme cases, drop and protrude through the sole. So what does a shoe do? In theory, it supports the hoof. However it only supports the outer wall - Which is already seperated from the innder structures due to the compromised laminae. So you are holding the wall off the ground, which leaves no support for the sole or innner structures - They are free to keep dropping without the support of the laminae. The frog isn't touching the ground so it isn't pumping blood to the damage laminae to help them regenerate.

If you use boots and support pads, then the whole sole of the hoof is protected and supported. This means that further dropping of the internal structures is prevented, and the frog is contacting the ground (Or the pads) so can return to pumping blood to the damaged laminae to help them regenerate.
 
#23 ·
Wild Spot presumably meant hoofboots (like easyboots) with insole type padding. Also, I have to agree with her 150% that the best thing we can do for our horses (and heck- for our lives in general!!) is make the effort to educate ourselve in order to make the best decisions we can. Accepting what is, simply because it is the staus quo, is an incredibly dull and uninformed way to live. Best of luck with your horse!
 
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