Hoof Nutrition Intelligence is a twice-a-month web segment that is designed to add to the education of footcare professionals when it comes to effectively feeding the hoof. The goal of this web-exclusive feature is to zero in on specific areas of hoof nutrition and avoid broad-based articles that simply look at the overall equine feeding situation.
Below you will find Part 1 of the latest question and answer installment that you can share with your footcare clients.
Q: If my horse founders, will it need special nutritional attention?
By Frank Gravlee, DVM, MS, CNS
Foundered horses require special care. This means you need to feed a foundered horse good quality grass hay. Avoid feeding grain or give it just enough to maintain a healthy weight. Offer free-choice water and loose salt as well as a well-balanced supplement to provide proper nutrition.
However, each foundered horse needs to be treated as an individual. This means your farrier and veterinarian should be consulted for advice.
Frank Gravlee is an equine veterinarian and the founder of Life Data Labs, Inc., in Cherokee, Ala.
Hoof Nutrition Intelligence is brought to you by W.F. Young Co. (Absorbine). 
Like many significant achievements, Absorbine® grew out of humble beginnings—and through the tenacity of someone willing to question the status quo. In this case, it was a young woman in late 19th-century Massachusetts: Mary Ida Young. Her husband, Wilbur Fenelon Young, was an enterprising piano deliveryman who relied on the couple’s team of horses to make deliveries throughout the Northeast. Inspired by Mary Ida and Wilbur’s vision, Absorbine® has continued to add innovative products throughout the years — products used every day by horse owners around the world. Which is why, since 1892, we’ve been The Horse World’s Most Trusted Name®.
Click here to read Part 1 of the April 15, 2018 installment: What role does zinc play in hoof growth and quality?
Click here to read more installments of Hoof Nutrition Intelligence.