My husbands mule we think has foundered again. This will be the 3rd time in 15 yrs. Starting emergency diet but he doesnt like the beet pulp. Any ideas and how much to feed. HE is about 120 lbs. He even grazes with a muzzle!
Also should we have him xrayed to be sure>? Cant think of anything else that is going on. He is standing leaning back and walking gingerly. I put him in a stall with shaving and 2 yr old hay.

Hi Karen
Sorry to hear your boy isn sore. How tall is your mule? Are you sure he is only 120 lbs? You want to feed him 1.5% - 2% of his ideal weight in forage per day. Beet pulp isn't necessary - it is useful for putting supplements into. Where are you located? If you have Triple Crown products available in your area then you can get the Ontario Dehy Balanced Timothy cubes. They could be his total diet as they are formulated to be less than 10% sugar+starch (guaranteed). Just add ground flax, iodized table salt and vit e gelcaps for the complete, safe, balanced diet.
Unless the hay was tested for ESC+Starch, you have no way of knowing if it is safe or not. Need to soak it (60 min in cold water or 30 min in hot), drain water where he can't reach it and feed.No more pasture at all.
Can you post hoof pics for us? This way the hoof gurus can make sure his trim is optimal. Abscessing is a possibility. So is PPID at this time of year. Need to go back to DDT/E to figure this out. Do you have a case history posted for him? If not, would you please put one up here:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ECHistory6/

Xrays will tell you if he is foundered - has he had xrays before to compare to? Laminitis itself won't show up, however.
Would you please remember to add your general location and year of joining to your posts. Helps us to locate resources in your area. Thanks.

Lavinia, Dante, George Too and Peanut
Jan 05, RI
EC Support Team