Founder Horse Disease and How to Deal with it Fast, Naturally and Effectively

Founder is a horse disease of the feet. Normally only the front feet are affected.  The problem occurs for some horses, generally those who have a tendency to be overweight such as ponies, when they eat too much rich, green grass, especially the new grass of the season.

Some sturdy horses, and most ponies, have evolved to live on little, scavenging  on scare vegetation in various regions of the world. These equines are not dissimilar to mountain goats. They tend to be sure footed and don’t need lush grass to survive.

This is at the heart of founder in horses. So you need to know what sort of equine you have. And then feed them accordingly, or limit their access to rich new grass.

However, sometimes it’s too late and your horse has already foundered. Normal veterinary treatment can take many weeks to work and then is often dissatisfactory, with future bouts becoming more common.

One of the best alternative treatments for founder in horses is homeopathy. And there are several different medicines for this, based on your horse’s unique and personal symptoms. In many cases, your best option is to call a professional homeopath who works with animals.

If you don’t have access to one, then you may find that the following homeopathic remedy gives your horse total relief.

However, the following symptoms must be present:

•  if your horse is standing in the typical founder gait, with the front legs pushed out in front, balancing more weight on the rear legs
•  if the front feet are very warm, almost hot
•  if your horse has difficulty moving about
•  if your horse has been grazing on rich or new grass
•  if it has recently occurred

Then the homeopathic medicine Belladonna 30c, given every hour for about 8 hours, or until relief is seen may solve the problem. However, there are several qualifying points to consider.

If the founder occurs regularly, then a deeper acting remedy may be needed. If the horse is foundering for other reasons, then this remedy may not provide relief. If the front feet are not very warm, then your horse will not benefit from this remedy.