At Wits END !!

G

gwniver

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 September 2012
Messages
419
Location
devon
Visit site
My 5year old have mud fever (we think !) and I need to scrub his legs every day ........But my horse hates having ANYTHING near his back legs!!!! I cant even pick out his back hoofs ........ I just spent the last 2hours in the pouring rain and JUST managed to do one of his front and ONE of his back
.....so feeling kinda down ....... any tips for getting a my horse to get use to me washing his back legs ???
p.s he is also afraid of a hose pipe !!!:(
 
TBH if your scrubbing mud fever infected legs that will put him off even more as it will be really really sore.
Water/ scrubbing in my opinion only makes it worse. Find something soothing that you can get on quickly - I personally use udder cream but people have sucess with Sudocream, or horsey creams. If it;s really nasty you might need antibiotics from the vet.

When it doesn't hurt spend lots of time getting him used to being handled/ stroking where you can and get further and further down his legs.
When you can easily handle them, that would be the time to introduce the hose just doing feet first and again slowly build up over time.
 
Polos Mum said:
TBH if your scrubbing mud fever infected legs that will put him off even more as it will be really really sore.
Water/ scrubbing in my opinion only makes it worse. Find something soothing that you can get on quickly - I personally use udder cream but people have sucess with Sudocream, or horsey creams. If it;s really nasty you might need antibiotics from the vet.

When it doesn't hurt spend lots of time getting him used to being handled/ stroking where you can and get further and further down his legs.
When you can easily handle them, that would be the time to introduce the hose just doing feet first and again slowly build up over time.
Click to expand...

Thanks !!!

do I need to just put the udder cream on and leave it ??
 
Ditto the above, be really gently with him, slow it all down. So you are more of massaging the scabs and dirt away ;)

My boy was getting funny about lifting one back leg ( he was fine before) I noticed some scabs so we clipped all this feathers off.

The skin around the scabs was really sensitive and thats why he didnt like it being touched, i just spent a while with the descabber and some warming water, massaging down his leg. Then applied some healing cream. Within 2 weeks the scabs are all but gone and he is totally happy lifting that leg again :)

If he is afraid of the hose, use a bucket of water for now, and train him to get used to the hose also.

Another trick is to lift the other one. So lift the right, and gently clean the left, he cant lift them both :p Well.... he can try.. but its effort ;)
 
I wouldn't be scrubbing it everyday, it can't heal if it's being washed all the time. Put some cream like sudocreme on it and get some anti biotics from the vet - i'd also check it is actually mud fever and not mites causing it.
My horse had mud fever one winter, I think it was actually caused my me hosing his legs down every day, ever since then I've never hosed, left to dry naturally and brushed his legs, never had a problem since.
 
Yes a nice layer of udder cream left on will sooth the skin, lift the scabs and act as a barrier to more mud. The make I have has tea tree oil in it which must also help.
The bonus of using something for cows is that it's really cheap so you can layer it on without worrying too much about the cost.
 
If you can now, and certainly when he is no longer sore, desensitise him with a glove on a stick - or even just a stick if he doesn't freak at the sight of one. Much much safer for you to get him accustomed to having his legs stroked with a longish piece of kit, then when he is happy enough with that, progess to your hand. And do the negative reinforcement technique which means as soon as he stops reacting, you stop - think of it as him getting you to stop what you are doing to him by standing still. Works really well with a trickle of water from the hose pipe (for when his dermatitis has gone - getting it wet won't help, try to keep it as dry as possible).
Lots of practice, taking him to the edge of his comfort zone and ever so slightly beyond with negative reinforcement - but for now, just do what you can safely and check with your vet whetehr there is any alternative treatment.
 
ok - how do I check if its mite ?? did do a 2week antibiotic course and it didn't help

it looks a lot like mud fever ...... lots of little tiny crusty scabs ........ and a swollen lump on one of his hind legs .... ??
 
What did your vet say when he prescribed the antibiotics?

Mites tend to spread more than mud fever (up over his body in dark hidy places armpits etc) and be more itchy so you'll see him chewing at his legs with the itchiness.
 
The vet wasn't my usual vet and wasn't to bothered about it and just said to give him a couple of antibiotics and see if it will clear up ....... I called my usual vat and he told me (without seeing him) to wash it with hibiscrub ...... he has some small crusty pin pricks under his arm pits and on his nose ???
 
ester said:
I think if the antibiotics haven't helped the vet needs to see him again.
Click to expand...

Exatly this, and udder cream will not do much if the mud fever is that bad that antibiotics haven't shifted it. I've never had much success with udder cream on mudrash except on really mild cases.

Is the horse in a wet field still? I find keeping the legs dry, either by a stable or dry field and aired helps a lot.

Give the vet another ring and tell them the issues you're having.

ps, just re read your post - don't think it is mudrash if there are pinpricks elsewhere, get it checked..
 
Ok- that's the crazy thing he is not in a muddy field .....its dry as a bone .....but it is very sandy ......I am going to talk to my vet about mites and see when he can come out .....
please tell me more about mites.... how does the horse catch it , how can you stop it and does anyone have any pictures ........would it cause a swollen lump just above the cornet band ??
 
but it hasn't cleared it up so he either needs more antibiotics/steroids/treating for mites.

I really do think you need to speak to one or other of the vets again.

eta just for info it is possible for them to get mud fever type symptoms elsewhere (I know because mine does ;) ) For him it is essentially a low grade bacterial infection after a trauma to the skin (ie fly bite/heat bump etc so not major!) I treat with sudocreme + sulphur powder because I know what it is and what works for him but I think you need to clarify what is going on with yours first :)
 
Last edited:
When my horse had it bad when I first got him, he would stand his legs in a bucket of warm water, to soften the scabs, he may not be a suitable candidate though.
 
Ditto what everyone else says, and it might also be worth spraying his legs with Hypocare. I used it on my TB when he had mud fever as it's meant to kill a lot of fungal infections. Oh and its not meant to sting!
 
If it is mud fever keratex worked best for us. As an aside I had the vet out today cos my lad is covered in bumps and scabby, and I was sure it was mites. He said nope, it's a bacterial infection like rainscald and it's got into the skin via open pores. So don't panic that it's mites, it could still relate to the wet (rainscald is pretty much the same as mud fever but on the body, in case you didn't know). Best thing to do is keep it dry, as if it's wet the pores are open. I used keratex powder on dry legs, popped it on at night and brush off any mud the next night before reapplying. I posted a similar thread to yours last year and this has been the best solution for us; he's not bothered about his legs these days as keratex doesn't hurt! Easy to puff on as well, no touching required but it definitely helps if you can.
 
Can't help with the mud fever, but Ned used to be the same, so I got a plastic bag on a cane and rubbed his hind legs until he became used to it, then if he kicked out it wasn't my head in the firing line :D good luck and I hope your horse is better soon!
 
has he been eating the hedges? sounds like photosensitivity. I would leave well alone for 10 days, and keep him away from any bushy hedges/trees etc. nothing will heal if you are scrubbing away. ketatex mud fever powder will help dry up any scabs.
 
I do occasionally let him eat grass in the forest but not often ........cant think how he could have eaten and bushes , etc . it did come up during a very strong wind ??
maybe something blew in to his field
 
when my horse had what was originally diagnosed as mud fever he had two weeks of anti biotics and six weeks in doors. Nothing was working, vet gave him a jab for mites and it was gone in days.
Symptoms are very similar, scabby sores and biting his legs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top