Founder in Horses Is Like a 'Fever to the Feet'
Candice Dunnigan is an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Horsemen's Association. Seasonally she resides at Easterly Cottage.

Founder is one of the most serious words any horseman can hear. It's a word like "colic," which really can mean many things. So often the term is a catchall for anything having to do with horses' feet that seems quite serious. Many people use that term without really understanding what "founder" means, its symptoms, causes, and treatment. Founder, like colic, can happen anywhere, any time, and anyplace. It is one of the inherent weaknesses of the makeup of that beautiful and wonderful species called Equus Caballus.

An easy way to describe founder in a horse is to say that the animal is suffering from a "fever to the feet," and his hoof support is literally sinking. While the outside walls of the hooves of horses are hard, those next layers and internal ones are made up of very sensitive and delicate laminae. If the blood supply to these areas is disturbed, the result can lead to distortion, crippling, and/or death, which can happen rapidly if not taken care of at the first sign.

The symptoms of founder are important for any horseman to recognize. The horse usually is affected in one or both front feet, and will stand with his legs forward, stretched, front knees locked. He's trying to relieve pain. The affected foot, or feet, will be very hot to human touch, and if tapped, the horse will wince with pain. If the horse is made to move, he will, with reluctance. If the hind feet are affected, they will be thrust in a forward position (to get the weight off them). Breathing will be fast, heavy, nostrils dilated, and the horse's pulse rapid. If the horse is shod, it is best to remove the shoes as soon and as gently as possible, and add compresses of cool water to the feet. Some veterinarians recommend alternating warm water compresses, too. This is only an initial treatment, for founder can reoccur. The pain is real and intense.

Ray Card, a teamster for Mackinac Island Service Company, inspects the hoof of one of his horses, a procedure Island carriage and dray drivers often use to detect founder, or "fever to the feet," which is swelling inside the horse's foot.

The disease starts when bacterial toxins and excess lactic acid are released into a horse's bloodstream. These elements travel down the large digital arteries to the feet, where they then have nowhere to go. The increased blood flow causes a constriction of the many capillaries in the inner wall (laminae) of the foot. The large amounts of blood go down, but shunt the other blood and oxygen, causing the laminae to swell and put pressure on the hard outer walls, hence "fevering" the feet. Unless the situation is relieved, the tissues of the feet will wither and die. The foot, along with the heel, will sink from no support, and the large bone (coffin bone), which extends from the leg to the foot, can rotate or be detached from the hoof wall and drop down. This complication leads to laminitis, and it too can become chronic or acute. Founder and laminitis seem to go hand in hand.

What can cause a horse to founder? The answer can have many sides, simple or complex. A horse can founder in giving birth, after a workout, being improperly cooled out, having Cushing's disease, being on cortosteroids, or after having eaten grain, grass, or hay.

A grain founder doesn't usually occur until a horse has eaten a large quantity of grain at one time. By large I mean more than 20 pounds. Usually the symptoms may not occur until 10 to 18 hours later. If you know your horse has consumed this much grain, consult your veterinarian at once. Grass founder is common when horses graze on lush over-rich pastures, often with lots of clover and alfalfa in them. It can occur in the winter, feeding very rich hay.

Water founder happens when a horse drinks too much cold water all at once before cooling down. I feel it's akin to when a person eats cold ice cream, and gets a pain in their temple. Imagine this, but dramatically intense going all the way down to your toes, and continuing.

Postpartum laminitis often occurs with a bacterial infection in the mare's uterus, or retained placenta tissues. It has also been shown that high doses of cortosteroids used to treat other ailments (such as Cushing's disease) in horses can increase the risk if damage to the laminae in the feet.

The coffin bone of the foundered foot can actually rotate in as few as two days, but it may not occur until later. The damage of laminitis can also occur to the outer hoof wall. Horizontal raised rings are telltale signs of laminitis. Other complications are white line disease, a tendency toward thrush, a separation of the hoof at the coronary band, a damaged sole, or the complete loss of a hoof.

Getting a horse through the trials of founder takes dedication and commitment. Moving a horse to sand for footing, or soft bedding, and wrapping the bottom of the horse's foot (the frog) with gauze can help. Most veterinarians will prescribe a painkiller to administer, and will dispense with grain, offering small amounts of hay. The horse should have access to plenty of water. The horse should be carefully monitored, and X-rays should be taken over a two-week period or longer, to determine if there was damage to the coffin bone.

Corrective shoeing and special shoes, often with a center support, can help to get the horse "back on its feet." Founder presents a gritty challenge; however, armed with information, and support from your veterinarian and farrier, you and your horse can still pull through and have many good seasons ahead. A tip to remember: Always try to feel your horse's feet in your day-today grooming routine.