Founder, help!

[mrichmond]

Founder, help! My mini, Ziggy got into some chicken scratch night before last he seemed to be OK yesterday, but today he’s lame on all four legs. I have been cold hosing him for two hours now. Have no Butte or banamine. It’s impossible to find a vet. I have someone who can haul him to the vet a little further out tonight. In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions? Spoke with one vet who suggested aspirin but I’m hesitant because of gut issues already from the chicken scratch.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I made a mud puddle for mine to stand in; I set a small sprinkler and it made cool mud. No wading pools available this time of year. Soft surface to walk on and to lie on.

I never heard of aspirin for horses. Glad you have someone who can get him to the vet this evening. I would suggest banamine instead of bute from the vet. Sorry to hear this.

 

[mrichmond]

I tried the wading pool. Worked for 15 min or so, now I’m back to hosing.

 

[Willow Flats]

Sorry to hear this. I was told ice water when my horse had a laminitic flare. Keep hosing until you can get him to the vet and I'll be praying for Ziggy!

 

[Capriole]

I am so sorry! Poor little guy....I hope he's going to be ok.

This is probably too late....if you know anyone that has Previcox .....(when Prince got into the front yard and ate the grass) the vet said to give him 1/8 of a tablet (He weighs about 325 -350)
He wasn't showing any symptoms, but, I was panicking. We had some (that's all we had) because Farah gets 1/4 tablet daily for her arthritis. What we have is actually for dogs...but, it's the same as the Equioxx for horses.

 

[HersheyMint]

I'm so sorry. I hate when get into stuff they shouldn't. Saying prayers he will be better soon.

 

[Abby P]

Another thing that can help if you catch it immediately and know it was a "got into something" situation is activated charcoal. But, I think it has to be tubed in, which requires a vet. It may be too long past the incident now for it to be helpful anyway. The good thing is it was isolated, you know what the cause was and it has been removed, and definitely you are doing the right thing with icing/cold hosing.

Some horses are really helped in the acute phase with styrofoam taped onto the feet - I'm not sure, however, exactly what type you'd want for a horse that weighs so little - I only have experience with big horses and for them you use the board stuff that is used to insulate houses under the siding. Not sure though if a mini would be big enough to compress that type the way it needs to be to do its job. Boots with some kind of soft padding might help - maybe the vet will be able to apply something if you get there tonight. Fingers crossed he feels better soon!

 

[MaryFlora]

Yes, mrichmond you can use aspirin as per vet suggestion. As an anti inflammatory it helps relieve the pressure in the hoofs. If you give your mini one aspirin in an apple slice it should help a little along with the cold water. If you can contact the vet who recommended aspirin you could verify dosage As he/ she may recommend a more accurate dose. I have used it in the past for this situation as it is easily available and the nearest bute is 35 miles from here, during business hours.

There is a product, Aniprin, for horses and other animals, which I purchased to keep on hand for emergencies and have used safely.

Prayers!

 

[HersheyMint]

How is Ziggy doing?

 

[mrichmond]

How is Ziggy doing?

He’s doing much better today. He can actually walk today. He’s on Banamine and Gastrogard and the vet showed me how to make wedges out of styrofoam insulation. Monday, he’ll switch to bute. In the meantime, I bedded his stall really deep, so he’s comfortable. He doesn’t have diarrhea any more and has his appetite back. The vet said he could have free-choice hay, but no grain. I’m not sure how I’ll keep weight on him as he’s not an easy keeper. I need to find something that is low starch, yet high enough in calories to keep the weight on him.
Short video of him with Theo while I was picking out his stall.

 

[Abby P]

So glad to hear he's doing better today! Sounds like you're doing all the right things.

Does he like alfalfa? If so then a mixture of alfalfa pellets and beet pulp, well-soaked, is a great way to keep weight on for a horse that can't have grain. Just make sure to get the beet pulp without molasses so that the sugar is low. You can also add flax or rice bran for a little extra fat, if needed. But really, a nice second-cut hay may be an even better place to start - provided the other horses he eats with can have it too (my pony would quickly turn into a beached whale on second cut).

 

[mrichmond]

Thank you for the suggestions! They ate an alfalfa/timothy mix over the winter. It was nice hay. What they have now isn’t great, but the other farmer wasn’t available. I’ll have to see if he is now. During my last trip to the feed store, they were out of so much. I’ll have see if they have beet pulp when I’m fit for public appearance. We’ve had a concurrent Covid scare that is apparently just a nasty upper respiratory thing. Always fun to try to take care of your babies when you’re sick too, right?

 

[chandab]

Triple Crown Senior is pretty low sugar/starch, so may be an option to help with weight; listed at 11.7% sugar/starch.
Non-molasses beet pulp is a pretty good option, should be soaked.
Something more than just forage should be in the diet, as no forage is complete. If you don't want to go with a feed, then a ration balancer or vitamin mineral supplement to fill in the gaps left by all forages.

 

[Standards Equine]

Of note, Omeprazole is the medical ingredient in Gastro-Guard. I will buy Omeprazole from Amazon.com because we can't buy it over the counter in Canada, and dose it according to weight for my horses. Saves hundreds of dollars and does the same job.

Hoping your little dude is recovering well, @mrichmond. Sounds like a case of laminitis, not actually founder. Founder is rotation of the coffin bone inside the hoof. Laminitis is painful swelling of the laminae inside the hoof wall. Often people say founder when they mean laminitis. And you can certainly have a laminitic horse that is not foundered.

Best wishes!

 

[mrichmond]

Ziggy is doing much better, thanks! The wedges along with the meds are helping him. We’ve been really sick as well, so it’s great that he’s improving despite us. Both boys are eating primarily hay, with a handful of grain at each feeding.
Both of us tested negative for Covid, but we have all the symptoms. Go figure. I need to order feed from Tractor Supply since they still have curbside pickup. I need to return feed we got from Rural King as it’s too high in starch, but that means going in. I sure don’t want to share whatever this is with anyone.

 

[mrichmond]

Of note, Omeprazole is the medical ingredient in Gastro-Guard. I will buy Omeprazole from Amazon.com because we can't buy it over the counter in Canada, and dose it according to weight for my horses. Saves hundreds of dollars and does the same job.

Hoping your little dude is recovering well, @mrichmond. Sounds like a case of laminitis, not actually founder. Founder is rotation of the coffin bone inside the hoof. Laminitis is painful swelling of the laminae inside the hoof wall. Often people say founder when they mean laminitis. And you can certainly have a laminitic horse that is not foundered.

Best wishes!

Yes, I understand what you mean on the laminitis vs. founder. I was in a huge panic, so overstated the worst. The vet said he may have had some rotation, but because his feet were so painful, didn’t want to put him through the walk to our closest power source. He said lets give him a few days. My barefoot trimmer will be out on the 1st, so I’ll see what she thinks. He’s really walking pretty well, so I’m hopeful.
I don’t blame you on the omeprazole. The vet said it could run $45 a day or more for a big horse.

 

[HersheyMint]

I'm so glad Ziggy is feeling better. I sure hope everyone in your family will be feeling better soon. Sending get well wishes to you all

 

[mrichmond]

I'm so glad Ziggy is feeling better. I sure hope everyone in your family will be feeling better soon. Sending get well wishes to you all

Thank you! He’s definitely better. He took one look at the piece of apple with his bute in it and ran from me. I couldn't catch him. Little stinker. I’ll try again later.

 

[Abby P]

Ha ha, if he can run away, maybe he doesn't need the bute any more! Glad to hear he's doing better and I hope you feel better soon too!

 

[Standards Equine]

@mrichmond so sorry to hear you're under the weather!! I hope you recover as quickly as Ziggy is! And yes, I completely understand the panic of the moment. Dealing with emergency situations like that is never fun but it sounds like you've got a great head on your shoulders and a knowledgeable and capable team supporting you. Best wishes!!