Grass founder

A bit I wrote a year ago. I thought I would post it right now because of the winter frost setting in it is a dangerous time for foundered/prone to founder horses. I hope someone can benefit from it.
BCS= Body condition score.
If theres any other words in here you would like to know please feel free to ask.

Whenever I copy/paste something out of word it messes up the format so excuse bad paragraphing.

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Twelve little ponies graze contentedly in a hilly green
pasture during a perfect spring day. It may seem like the dream image to a
little girl or horse lover but where the green grass grows, disaster can
strike.
Founder, right next to euthanasia is a word horse owners
hope will never be associated with their equine health record. We go to every
precautionary measure from muzzles to grass less paddocks but do we really know
the villain behind this menacing disease?
Founder, the aftermath of
laminitis. It can start innocently enough; a horse eats the wrong grain, reacts
to medicine, is worked on hard ground or in our case, eats grass.
Laminitis and founder are often used interchangeably but
they are two very different diseases closely related to one another.
Laminitis occurs when blood flow is
interrupted (short term, constant or infrequent) to the sensitive and
insensitive laminae (the tissues that connect the coffin bone to the hoof wall)
of the horse’s hoof, causing them to separate. When the horse develops
laminitis the laminae experiences decreased blood flow, nutrient supply, oxygen,
edema, and death of the tissues in the laminae. Causes for the edema in the
laminae are blood clotting, swelling around the blood vessels, and restriction
of the veins, that in turn cause the blood to be deterred away from the
capillaries in the laminae. (Beadle,
1999) There are two main types of laminitis, acute and chronic.
Founder and laminitis are often
confused, founder cannot happen without the horse developing laminitis first
and the laminar tissues weakening. When the horse founders the coffin bone
tears away from the lamina and rotates. From there the bone can tilt downward
until it penetrates the sole of the horses hoof. Generally, severity of
rotation in the coffin bone is measured in degrees. 10 being moderate and 40 being severe. Beyond 40
degrees the bottom of the coffin bone will become vertical and penetrate the
hoof sole. Over time a vertical coffin bone can deteriorate and the toe portion
of the bone can become flat. When the coffin bone begins to rotate, pressure is
placed on the toe of the hoof creating the “elf shoe” deformed look in the hoof
if veterinarian and farrier care is not called upon. When the coffin bone detaches itself from the laminae it never
completely regains it’s former attachment and allows the horse to become prone
to founder again. (Avisar, 1996)
Founder almost always occurs in the
front feet and it’s easy to see why. A horse’s body was built front heavy with
a long thick neck and big head. At adulthood the horse typically carries 60% of
his body weight on his front limbs, putting pressure on sore feet with founder.
Founder can be thrown upon a horse
in many ways. As caretakers we should know what the signs are and when to call
the vet. Any case of laminitis or founder is an extreme emergency. Without a
hoof you have no horse so take preventative measures and call the vet early.
The horse will usually come in from the pasture or out of the stall lame. Digital pulses on each foot will feel as if
they are pounding, heat can be felt, and the horse will be extremely sensitive
to hoof testers in the toe area. The horse might shift his weight from one leg
to another and walk with very stiff limbs. In extreme cases the horse will not
stand square and will attempt to put more pressure on the hind legs by leaning
in an attempt to find relief. Some horses lie down on their sides as this is
the only way they can relieve the constant pressure being placed upon their
sore feet. A horse that has developed chronic laminitis will have rings
parallel to the coronary band and bleeding or an enlarged white line area on
the sole of the hoof. If the case has been left long enough the coffin bone may
drop and penetrate the sole. In cases of neglect, death can be quick to follow.
Grass founder is a very puzzling
disease, there are still holes in research today. It is essentially the same as
grain founder but with different ingredients. Easy keepers are thought to be
more at risk for grass founder as well as overweight, under worked horses. Do
not exclude very fit well fed athletes, any horse is at risk. Numbers of grass founder cases increase in
the spring and fall; right when growing starts and stops with temperatures
fluctuating.
There was a time when grass founder
was thought to be caused by very rich green grass. Now we learn fall grass can
give horses even more of a risk as it starts to brown and attempts to store
nutrients to keep itself alive before the winter frost sets in. Research has
shown a starch like carbohydrate to be the delinquent. This carbohydrate is known
as fructan.
Fructan is stored by grasses and
hays for times of need like an overcast or sunny
day with cool temperatures. The carbohydrate is used by plants when
photosynthesis of their cells slow or cease. Cloudy days or temperature drops
make growing conditions for grasses less ideal so they store fructan for these
times. When the sun comes out from behind the clouds or day breaks fructan
production commences. Since the weather in spring and fall can change from warm
to cool rapidly within days or hours the levels of this carbohydrate are
highest to help the plant survive. (Christie, 2007)
Cutting hay during times of
environmental stress such as anovercast
day or when photosynthesis is not
optimal will leave your hay with very high levels of fructan. When the hay is
cured the levels stay consistent.
It is almost impossible to test your grazed grasses for levels
of fructan because these levels go up and down during the day and vary day by
day depending on the weather and where the sun is in the sky.
Fructan is digested in the hindgut,
fermenting rapidly and causing an excessive amount of lactic acid buildup. The
lactic acid kills the bacteria in the hindgut, which releases endotoxins into
the blood.Endotoxins are essentially the dead bacteria. When fructan
ferments the bacteria multiply so rapidly that they die off quickly because of
the increased acid content in the hindgut. (Thomas, 2003)
Endotoxins effect the
cardiovascular system, which in return shuts off the run of oxygen and
restriction to the feet. This results in laminitis, the weakening of the hoof
structure, and ultimately the rotation of the
coffin bone or founder.
There really is no proven way that
will help all horses recover from grass founder. However, first removing the
foundered horse from grass and any grain or concentrates altogether, is a good
method until he is sound. Cool season grasses such as timothy, fescue, and
clovers are at a higher risk of larger fructan levels. Although fructan levels
are lower in warm season grasses it does not mean the horse cannot founder off
them or that they have no fructan in them. Keeping previously foundered horses
off grass during spring and fall when temperatures fluctuate is a must as well
as never turning a horse out that foundered in the same paddock that gave him
the condition in the first place; he will likely founder again. If that paddock
is the only one accessible to you, grazing muzzles are an inexpensive way of
preventing grass founder.
Some farriers can apply corrective shoeing and others are
experienced in the areas of the natural trim, which has recently been shown to
work in some cases even better than shoes.
Take the horse or pony off all grain and call the vet immediately if you suspect any
signs of laminitis or founder. X-rays of the foot can be taken to determine if
the coffin bone has rotated and what treatment should be applied. Some pain
medications can be applied to temporarily relieve pain but they only cover up
symptoms, not treat them.
It is recommended to feed hay with
10% of fructan or less. This is one more reason it is very important to get a
hay analysis. Alfalfa is a good alternative by itself or mixed with grassy hay
to make up the protein and calories the grain once supplied to the horse.
Some supplements on the market
today help the horse keep the weight on without the risk of too much
carbohydrates, starches, or sugars added to the diet. They could be added if
the horse has a hard time keeping on weight without a concentrate or grain. Too
many calories can be counterproductive in the healing process. Once the horse
has healed it is recommended to put him on a low starch, high fat diet to help
prevent a repeat episode.

Founder Facts

• For
  prevention avoid letting horses graze in the late afternoon/evening, when
  temperatures drop below 40 or the morning to follow a temperature drop.
  Overcast days also pose a threat.
  
• Brown
  grass in the fall poses a very high risk, as fructan has saved up high
  levels in an attempt to live out as long as it can until the winter frost.
  Wait until grass has browned all the way down to the roots before allowing
  horses to be turned out on it.
  
• Putting
  grazing muzzles on horses that are high risk or have foundered before are
  very good and safe precautionary measures. Also turning out in a paddock
  without any grass is a good preventative choice.
  
• When
  hay is cured fructan levels stay the same. It is possible your horse may have foundered off the hay
  instead of grass. Local feed stores usually can send samples of your hay
  to test for levels of fructan.
  
• Every
  case of founder is different. Every case will require a different
  treatment. Some work, others don’t. Ask your vet and equine nutritionist
  what nutrient requirements your foundered horse will need and any special
  things you should be adding to his diet.
  
• Research,
  research, research! If your horse founders, chances are you are in for a
  long and heartbreaking battle. Do as much research on methods of treating
  founder as you can. Talk to other people who have had foundered horses,
  contact specialist farriers and veterinarians. The more you know, the more
  you will be able to help your horse.
  Any little bit can help but when it comes to your horse’s feet,
  take all precautions.
  
• Gradually
  introducing your horse to grass can make the risk of grass founder
  smaller. Start with 10 minutes and add 5 minutes each day until the horse
  can be let out to graze for the desired amount of time. Remember, once
  horses are let free in a grass filled paddock it can be hard to coax him
  to come back inside. Hand grazing initially is a good insurance plan.
  

References


Ralph E. Beadle,
DVM, PhD 1999
[i]Professor of Veterinary Medicine[/i]


http://evrp.lsu.edu/06laminitis.htm


(to
find the year the article was written right click and view page info)




Yehuda Avisar, DVM 1996




published in ANVIL Magazine, October
1996


http://www.anvilmag.com/farrier/frandlmt.htm




Sarah Christie 2007




Horse illustrated magazine march 2007


“confounding grass founder”





Heather Smith Thomas 2003


Grass founder part
1 and 2


http://www.horsecity.com/stories/071403/hea_grassfounder_HB.shtml










The Fructan Jingle
by Katy Watts


When you wake at
crack of dawn
Graze your pony on your lawn
But sugars rise in afternoon,
For foundered ponies, this spells doom


When frosts cause fructans to increase
Your ponies grazing now must cease.
Hold off a day, or maybe more,
Or else your pony may get sore.

Fantastic article Sydney thanks for the info! I knew bits of this, but not the whole lot so cheers!

Great article!

Fanny is overweight and an easy keeper. Your article has really made me stop and think.

I am interested in getting some natural supplements for Fanny, so I contacted a lady in Alberta (Riva's Remedies), and I'd mentioned to her that Fanny was overweight and an easy keeper, and that she'd always been pastured for the entire summer for the past six years (on 30 acres of pastureland). This lady replied to me, and one of the supplements she recommended was a probiotic, because of all the grazing Fanny's used to. After reading your article, I'm wondering if the probiotic is to counter the fermentation that goes on in the gut - to help the good bacteria in the hindgut.

This past summer, Fanny got barely any grass because of overgrazing, but the place I'm moving her to has ample grass. The grass here is still fairly green.

Great topic, and a really good read. I completely agree that owners have to educate themselves as much as possible. I'd also add that it's a good idea to monitor your horse daily or at least a few times a week - find out how warm your horses hoofs feel normally for a start then you can monitor for any changes. See if he has started wincing or dropping when he walks over stones. Learn how to find the digital pulse. With most healthy horses you will not find a pulse at all. But for some (mine included) there will always be a mild pulse. Find out what is normal for your horse.

Regarding the fructans, there are people who argue just as strenuously against the fructans theory as it was proposed after an experiment where horses were constantly overfed fructan rich feed until they foundered. But of course you can overfeed a horse Mars bars and he will eventually founder!

But then to counter that, there are horses whose owners claim that they are notably footier after a morning on frosty grass. As usual it's a case of monitoring each individual. Some horses do very well when grazing is reduced but is it the grass? or the ground which it grows in?

There isn't much proof attached to using probiotics but then... to be honest there isn't a lot of reliable proof for much when it comes to laminitis and founder. Some owners in the UK swear by magnesium supplementation as a preventative as UK pastures are deficient in it. Personally I manage Z's stomach (and therefore feet) by feeding as plainly as possible, including dried herbs bought in bulk or cut from the hedgerows and a kidney and liver support herb supplement.

In the UK incidences of lami are growing at an exponential rate and the most convincing theory is that it is something to do wtih the fact that most horses are on ex cattle pasture. Especially as many farmers are suffering from a drop in the market and can make more money by renting their fields to horse owners. Cattle pasture is of course heavily fertilised and has severe excesses in some minerals and deficiencies in others. Plus, it is designed to fatten an animal destined to have a very short life! Apparently the poor cows also suffer with ill health due to the grazing but no-one cares as they are going to slaughter anyway.

There is another interesting theory - supported by vets and EPs here and in the US, including Bob Bowker - that hormonal changes in coat change times (spring and autumn) somehow are involved. This was noted when lami prone horses who were kept away from grass entirely still showed symptoms in spring and autumn.

Also the problem with conducting convincing experiments is that it can involve inducing laminitis in healthy horses which most people (rightly) don't have the stomach for. The EPAUK EP's are doing the best they can in terms of non-harmful experiments and fingers crossed, they will be able to help owners to stamp it out in the future. Along with ulcers, it's something that owners should be WAY more vigilant for.