Re: Re: Sand (+ feed/laminitis questions)

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Thank you so much for answering every

 

You're welcome. :-)

 

 

have to say we all (vet, farrier, & me) are kind of are leaning towards the road founder too, it's just so hard to believe because I really had not worked

 

Well, it could have been road founder, or it might have still been feed-related without it necessarily being a too-much-starch sort of thing.  The relationship between grain and laminitis (usually) is that too much grain at once can produce an overgrowth of bacteria in the cecum and colon and thus a release of endotoxins.  The endotoxins increase the permeability of the intestinal wall, the toxins are absorbed into the bloodstream and thus the general inflammation affects the feet in particular when the outer hoof wall restricts and keeps them from swelling as they're trying to do.  So you **might** have had that kind of enterotoxemia going on, but it doesn't always originate as a starch problem.  Green grass can do the same thing, a few toxins, assorted bad things (and obviously, I'm pulling this from memory, rather than going to look up a specific list).  Sepsis and fever can do the trick.  Mares that have just foaled and retained a bit of placenta are notorious for foundering like you wouldn't believe.  The point is that your mare just might have managed to get into something she shouldn't of, plus a bit of inflammation from roadwork on hard ground and thus, a mild case of laminitis.

 

Anyway, just something to keep in mind, there are assorted causes for laminitis other than strictly grain or roadwork.

 

 

I do believe that I will eventually switch to plain oats & beet pulp, but will wait a few more months - my current prepared feed is basically that but the downside is it does contain molasses.

Don't get too hung up on worrying about molasses.  The amount of soluble carbohydrates from molasses in about five pounds of (most) sweet feeds is equivalent to the amount of sugar in one or two apples.  Well under what the small intestine can handle without any problems at all.  Plus, the whole oats has a much better glycemic index effect than barley does anyway, so you're probably coming out ahead even with the molasses content.

Susan G