Grass founder

[Calico Farm]

Not sure if I put this in the right spot, but, I have a friend that thinks her horse has grass foundered. I have had horses over 25 years and luckly never had one founder. My question is, does the horse gradually get lame, say over 2 weeks time or is it sudden?

 

[annanicole18]

from my limited experience they can seem fine or a little sore and you just brush it off as aching bones in a horse if older or the upset of a previous injury. they can be fine in the morning and on the verge of collapsing by the afternoon. thats just the way that i have seen it happen in all the horses that i have worked with in the past five years.

 

[Bronco Hollow]

Pretty much depends on the horse and the severity.. could be hours perhaps a couple of days. Rotation of the coffin bone can happen in as quick as 12 hours.

As of note, they have made great gains in treating foundered horses with special clogs. I can't speak of farriers in other areas, but she needs to carefully choose one that may not be her regular one or even one that is local. To treat correctly with the advantage of good outcome, she needs to work in tandem with a vet, radiographs and a skilled farrier.

Good luck to your friend, wishing her all the best for recovery.

 

[ducks4you]

Never had a grass founder thanks to my vet, who tells me in the Spring when she's been treating clients WITH grass founder. Her advice to me is to keep my horses off of lush, fast growing pasture when there is heavy rain. We're in temperate, centrail Illinois, where usually fast growth occurs in the spring, so I have a one acre fenced in pasture that I keep them off of at those times, April through early June. My other three acres (fenced in) grow clover, dandelions and some weeds. Since they are not as fast growing, the horses keep them nibbled down, so I don't have a problem with grass founder there.