Taking care of a foundered pony?

Some of the answers folks get here are downright frightening

**shiver**

Yes, let her have access to the paddock. Especially if the snow is soft and deep. You want the horse to move, as another has said. Plus the cold on her feet, coronets & pasterns is therapeutic, as well as the pliable pressure underfoot from the soft snow.

Check her digital pulses twice daily. Here's a link to an article that outlines laminitis aka 'founder' and provides a pic as to where they can be found.

http://www.stephenbrooksequine.co.uk/Spring-94.htm

There's a bundle of nerves on either side of the ankle that you can 'roll' under your fingers. Within that bundle is where you can locate the pulse. Be sure not to squeeze hard because you'll occlude the vein partially, making the pulse falsely 'soft'. Anything that's hugely prominent, especially through a thick layer of fur, warrants a call to the owner and/ or vet.

Good luck.

When you say the pony is foundered, do you mean that in the past the pony has foundered, but not that there is an episode of laminitis going on right now? In other words, the pony has downwardly displaced coffin bones and the hooves are being maintained accordingly? That is founder.

Assuming that is what you mean, then you don't need a vet.

If the pony is lame and tender with laminitis at present, you need to call the vet asap for treatment. Laminitis is an active process of enzyme damage and circulatory interruption causing the hoof itself to separate from the bone it envelops. This is an emergency situation requiring vet evaluation asap. The longer laminitis is active, the greater the risk of further sinking of the coffin bone, crushing the healthy tissue beneath it and in severe cases, even coming out through the sole of the hoof. So it is important to know if you are dealing with active laminitis right now.

Once an episode of laminitis resolves, then if the coffin bone has rotated downward, the pony is referred to as foundered even though the laminitis is no longer active. However, the residual damage inside of the hooves leaves the pony more vulnerable to repeated episodes of laminitis. A "slightly foundered" pony often means one who has slight downward rotation of the coffin bone from a previous episode of laminitis.

Assuming that this is a previously foundered pony, the stall and paddock should both be made available. It is best to allow for as much exercise as possible. The stall should be bedded and if the footing in the paddock is not too slippery or hard, it will be fine. I assume they already have this pony on a proper diet, and she has access to fresh water at drinking temperature.

Again, if this is an active episode of laminitis, you should remove all feed and the vet should be called asap. If this is the case, she will be standing with her weight borne on her heels positioning her legs forward to relieve the pain. The pony will be lame and "walking on eggs", the hooves will usually feel warm to hot, and the digital pulses in the pasterns will be bounding, although in cold weather, some of the signs may not be present. I would encourage her to lie down as much as possible, and not administer any medication without advice to do so from the vet.

By god KV is right. People here scare me sometimes.

is the pony foundering Now? if it is then you need the vet.

Do Not grain that pony. only plain grass hay.

Let her have access to the paddock, snow/cold/mud is great for foundered legs and hooves.

If this is something that has happened in the past to the pony. and your just worried about the snow coming, don't. Unless its horribly wet and cold, leave her out with the other ponies. Just keep a eye on them and make sure they have plenty of grass hay in a shelter.

if he is just slightly foundered let him have access to the paddock. The worst thing for a foundered horse is to just stand around. Watch his feed if you can mix non sweetend oats to his sweet mix make it half n half if you feed him sweet feed. And watch the amount of hay as well not too much! And let the owners know whats up if they don't know!

You should really give her access to a paddock this way she might lay down to relieve her feet. Also, the snow will not hurt her one bit, in fact, it will most likely help her since you should be cold hosing her feet anyways to prevent rotation and reduce laminae damage. You might also consider giving her a dose of banamine to help with inflammation and pain.

Reduce grain and provide her with good quality hay to keep her warm. Allow her to lay down if at all possible and call the vet if you notice the pony getting any worse.

yeah, get the vet to come by, ur responsible for the horses and if anything, its ur head is gettin chopped off, and no one else, lol, soooo yeah best to do that and the owner willl pay you back for any expenses anyways.

as for the stall and padock, put her in the stall, and dont feed until vet comes. just water.

... what does her owner say? This is the age of email and cell phones: if you tell me that she's unreachable, I simply won't believe you!

When pet sitting, it's always best to ask the owner what they normally do. That way you don't disrupt her routine, and you don't upset the owner by doing something that she wouldn't approve of.

i have been around horses seens i was three u need to keep it warm and give thes food than always do that for a week and a half and it should be back to normal

"take care of it", gotcha, they make good glue