Anyone know what this is? *pic* (Maybe mudfever??)

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smirnoff_ice

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Horse is a 25 year old gelding on our farm. Was only noticed yesterday. Whatever it is is on all 4 feet, but worse on the back. Very scabby (bazillions of scabs), which when picked, all of the hair comes off too. Very sore to touch, but not red or bloody. Majority of scabs are to the sides of the foot or at the back - very few at the front.

Anybody have any ideas??
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Many thanks.

Lou. x
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is gr8 pic but without actually seeing it is still a little tricky to say, my opinion would b deffo mud fever! Ne swellings around scabs?
 
Nope, no swellings.

I've never had any dealings with mudfever before, nor have the owners, so what's the best way to treat? Do you pick the scabs off or leave them?

Thank you!
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Yes mudfever, smear sudo cream daily, don't wash legs, pick scabs when they are not sore, Keep with sudocream.

Had major problems with mine for 4 years but last season i kept smearing sudocream, kept his legs dry as possible had no problem this winter so that seems to be working for us he's out over night in during the day which i have never done before due to bad mud fever previous years.

Good luck
 
i have always been told to pick the scabs off (if u can)(use a cream to soften) clean and then keep clean and dry, repeat as necessary, u can buy all kinds of creams ect for mud fever but i use uddercream. Mud fever best conditions for growing and spreading are damp and,or wet muddy conditions, but i am no vet is just from my experience with my own horse you may need a vet if you cant get on top of it, he may have diff suggestions. hope that helps
 
unfortuatly i have had regular problems with mudfever as sevenoceans says put sudo cream on it we usually put vaseline ontop of sudo cream aswell helps keep it a bit more water proof very messy tho lol.
 
Mudfever - Get some huby scrub off your vet, scrub it daily, right under the scabs as to remove all the bactirca (Which can led to horrible things like lympangitus infection) Then protect with vasaline. : ) Make sure legs are nice and dry or it's heaven for bactira.
 
From that picture it looks as if the mud fever is nearly over and if it was me, the old horses wasn't in work or lame, I would actually leave it alone, which will go against the grain with a lot of you!
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From that picture, the oozy soreness has been and gone on its own volition, the original scabs have dried and look to be sloughing off, the skin is dry and regenerating itself and will soon start to regrow hair, all on its' own accord! Only if the sores were still swollen and oozing would I interfere. If you start picking scabs off now, even with cream, you run the risk of them becoming more infected and causing more problems IMHO. Just in the case of gently brushing the legs will get rid of the dead skin and hair naturally.
Several vets I know recommend for a horse always out at grass, leaving MF to run its course with no interference from us as long as the horse is sound and in good health so that it finds its own immunity; obviously, if it is swollen, oozy and lame, then you would have to treat accordingly, I'm not denying that (my choice is Protocon!) You don't see wild M & M's plastered in creams and picked at and some of those must get it from time to time which rights itself naturally.
 
Interesting MFH_09, thank you. You're right though - the scabs aren't oozing and there's no swelling and he's not lame.
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The skin underneath doesnt look sore at all, but he deffinately doesnt like you touching the scabs!
Would you put ANYTHING on (like a mud barrier)? Would you put him in a less muddy field (even if it means less grass or him being on his own)?
They used to hose his legs down nightly - could that have caused the problems?

Many thanks!

Lou. x
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Is he quite a hairy pony? Could be something similar to greasy heel, Guinness gets it behind his knees. There is someone on here that is a bit of an expert-might be Theresa?
 
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Interesting MFH_09, thank you. You're right though - the scabs aren't oozing and there's no swelling and he's not lame.
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The skin underneath doesnt look sore at all, but he deffinately doesnt like you touching the scabs!
Would you put ANYTHING on (like a mud barrier)? Would you put him in a less muddy field (even if it means less grass or him being on his own)?
They used to hose his legs down nightly - could that have caused the problems?

Many thanks!

Lou. x
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Washing off and then not drying well enough could well have caused the problem to start with as they will have been washing out all the oils from his skin which is the water resistant connection!
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If you can put him in a less muddy field that would make it more pleasant for him anyway; perhaps you could feed extra hay to top up the sparse grass? It also might help if you could add some oil to his feed either in the shape of normal oil or in a chaff like Alfa A Oil which will show itself in a better skin condition.

I also hate anyone touching my scabs and sores and with long hair still being attached to them I don't blame him for being touchy TBH, it would pull! I would still want to leave alone, he's coped very well so far so why interfere? But if I was going to do or put anything on, it would be to smear something like udder cream/ zinc and castor oil cream (very cheap from supermarkets so you can plaster it on and not feel extravagant!
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) Protocon or Sudacrem on then leave well alone. In a few days, have a gentle brushing session with your hands, not a brush, and you should feel the scabs are falling off but don't rub them at all; plaster some more cream on and leave again. Each time you do it there will be fewer scabs and the skin will be healthier.
Remember, a horse should heal from the inside out, not outwards in; if you can get their diet right then they should look and feel well on the outside without a lot of effort on your part!
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I use Zinc & Caster Oil creme or Vaseline just plaster it on.I never pick anything off. When my muddy horse come in just brush odd dry mud very gently with rubber curry comb and just cover her legs just as a preventative really.
 
If it was me, I would leave it well alone.

Spooks used to suffer with Mud fever, so i looked at what i was doing - at the time i was hosing his legs every night and he gets really hairy legs so they were staying wet for hours on end.

I stopped the hosing and just brush his legs with a plastic curry comb at night, or leave them alone if they are really wet (you will prob find as i have that even when the legs look really muddy and wet - if you dont interfere, the skin will prob be virtually dry inside all of that muck).

I have been doing that for 3 years now and havent have any mud fever since.
 
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