Are horses with white feet more prone to mud fever?

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missyme10

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Hey all,

Is there any truth in this?
I was poo picking today and I have 3 horses in the same paddock as a friend, now 3 of them have 4 white feet, and my welsh sec D filly is bay and has none.
The 3 with the white feet were all stamping their back feet - I believe this to be a sign of mud fever.

None of my horses have ever had mud fever before, so am home now to figure out how to treat it, all I know currently is washing the legs well with hibi scrub is a good place to start, picking scabs off and using some kind of barrier cream like udder cream or sudocrem to protect the area.
Maybe someone could offer me some advice that has dealt with mud fever before ?

But I'm mainly posting to find out if there is any truth in this white sock theory, or is it rubbish?

If true, I am glad my pony for the future has black legs :D x
 
I think its more to do with the skin, pink skin being more sensitive than black skin so generally when you have all white feet you will have pink skin on the heels and maybe some pink skin/white leg above the foot, this would make those feet/kegs more sensitive to the mud fever. Thats what I have always thought anyway! x
 
aimeetb said:
I think its more to do with the skin, pink skin being more sensitive than black skin so generally when you have all white feet you will have pink skin on the heels and maybe some pink skin/white leg above the foot, this would make those feet/kegs more sensitive to the mud fever. Thats what I have always thought anyway! x
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Ahh ok, so then in theory my daughers grey pony that looks white shouldn't be more prone to it as her skin is actually dark underneath her light coat.
Makes sense.


Only 2 of the horses showing symptoms are mine, so now I have to figure out how to deal with mud fever in horses that live out 24/7, stabling isn't even an option as the yard is full and there is a waiting list for stables!!
 
Rainbowrider said:
Do the ones with white legs have feathers? If they are stamping their back feet, they may have feather mites.
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2 of them do, both gypsey cobs. The 3rd is a dutch warmblood with absolutely no feathers.

I'll start by giving them a good wash and taking a good luck to see whats going on, Mud fever was just an initial presumption.
Its so wet here, and no chance of the ground drying up anytime soon, I've no chance of keeping the mud off them if it is mud fever x
 
Dont get me wrong any skin can be affected if it is consistently wet and muddy, its the bacteria getting in through the skin (it is more permiable when its been all wet and mushy) so do keep an eye on the grey too but proper white limbs (pink skin) are more commonly affected.

I have found sudocrem great, I would wash them then dry them (most important to restore the skins natural barrier rather than being wet and mushy) then apply a good layer of sudocrem to keep the mud and wet out, I have read some posts about something called pig oil? (used for pigs not made out of them) but never used this myself.

x

Edited to add:

if horses not lame or in pain, light excersize to increase circulation and healing can help and if you cant take horses out of mud could you bandage to keep dry and clean but changed regularly incase any mud gets underneath? Just until the worst subsides (if it is very bad that is) x
 
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B has 2 white socks with pink skin and J is grey but has 4 white socks with pink skin. Neither of them have ever had mud fever, I had J at a yard with terrible clay soil and deep mud and never had a problem even then. I am now at a yard that has lovely sandy soil and very little mud so it is not an issue.
 
asbo said:
my little grey sec a has white feet and pink skin and has never had mud fever on her legs
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Not all horses will get it although a high percentage will be affected at some point in their lives, the bacteria has to be present and has to infiltrate the horses skin for it to get it.

x
 
Well, my horse has one white sock, and thats the only foot he has mudfever on. Same with one of my YO's horses. Something to do with the pigments in the skin isn't it?

(Haven't read above, sorry if I've just said the same or got it totally wrong!)
 
Malaseb shampoo is better to use than hibiscrub as it is milder on the the skin, then apply Fuciderm cream from your vet, I am also told that athletes foot treatment will clear up mud fever same bacteria I think.
 
When I worked at a race yard we had all plain bays, and one bay gelding with 4 white socks. He was the only one to ever suffer form mud fever!

Have never seen a horse with mud fever stamp, I would have thought mites especially if they have feathers.
 
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As someone said, the bacteria has to be present in the ground for them to get mudrash. We have a chestnut with four white socks that brought mud rash with him when he arrived. He now only has to look at mud and he's got mud fever. Since then my other horse also gets it (never did before, despite being in the same muddy fileds for two years prior) - only on the feet with white socks, and mainly in the heals, which are pink. Our third horse only gets it in the real mid winter when the fields are totally muddy. He has more sense than the other two - who spend all day mooching round the boggiest bits of the field, while he stays on the dryer bits!

I've never seen them stamping with mud fever. The first sigh for us is slight swelling in the legs overnight, and slight heat - almost so you wouldn't notice its so tiny initially.

You could put baby oil on their legs before they get it to prevent it before they start with mudrash. We don't rub it into the skin, but the hair, so it makes the hair drain the water off better.
 
Well having considered lots of things, I think I have to consider mites as a possibility also.

I will know better tomorrow when I bring in Billy and give his legs a good wash and inspect them. The other one (Bonnie) wasn't stamping like mad like he was, she just did it a couple of times, so may be nothing with her.

From what I've read, I'm not sure what I'd prefer, mud fever or mites - both seems a bugger to get rid of.
Definitely something not right though, he's not a stamper by nature and he was giving it large today stamping in his paddock, and was doing it really hard.

As for the white sock theory, I think there is truth in it, but of course there are always gonna be exceptions :D
 
I always understood it was a myth, but having had a lot of horses, it seems that it is the white skinned ones that have trouble. At the moment I am having a issue with my appaloosa white blanket - he has a patch of rain scald on his back (white skin underneath) and mud fever all round (white legs). All the other horses are fine - I tend to buy ones without too much white if there is a choice. Not only with winter problems, but with sunburn in the summer.
 
I leased a black TB a few years ago that got it on his back feet. He was miserable with it. :(

Now I own a bay QH with black legs and she's never gotten it. Although two Clydes at my barn suffer from it and their legs are white.
 
aimeetb said:
Not all horses will get it although a high percentage will be affected at some point in their lives, the bacteria has to be present and has to infiltrate the horses skin for it to get it.

x
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she is actually the only one who doesnt get it, my gelding does as do the others on the yard including the shetty.
 
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