DR. LEGEAR'S STOCK BOOK. 231 



FOUNDEB LAMINITIS. 



Founder is a very painful disease of the horse and is very 

 destructive to a horse's usefulness unless treated properly and 

 taken in time. Laminitis is the professional name for the trouble 

 meaning inflammation of the sensitive lamina (delicate internal 

 part of the foot). Fever in the feet is another name for the 

 trouble. 



Causes. There are a great many causes for founder, such as 

 driving too hard on hard roads on a hot day; driving through 

 cold streams of water, or giving the animal cold water to drink, 

 while he is too warm; letting stand in a cold wind or storm while 

 hot without protecting his body; eating too much corn or oats, 

 etc. It may also be brought on by diarrhoea, or by giving too 

 strong a physic. If a horse has been foundered, great care should 

 be taken of him, as he will take it again very easily. 



Symptoms. The symptoms vary according to whether one. 

 two, or all feet are affected. In a majority of cases both front 

 feet are the ones affected. In these cases the animal will be 

 found standing with his back arched, the hind feet carried for- 

 ward towards the center of the body in order that the weight 

 may be borne as much as possible by them and removed from the 

 fore feet. If made to back, he drags his front feet as though he 

 couldn't lift them from the ground. When made to go ahead, 

 he does it with great difficulty, stumbling as he goes ahead. 

 Founder is an excruciatingly painful disease, and the animal 

 may break out in a sweat or shiver with pain. There is a rush of 

 blood to the feet, which, by producing swelling inside of the 

 hard, unyielding hoofs, presses on the many nerves and causes 

 severe pain. The animal may lie down most of the time, which 

 takes the pressure off the feet and affords some relief. There is 



