Best Mud Fever treatment?

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fornema

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In the past 14yrs of keeping my own horses I have been lucky enough to have never had any who have had mud fever and the horse in question i have had for 8 years without so much as a cough but unluckily she has ended up with mud fever. So best remedies that can be bought over the counter before I talk to the vet?
 
I double wash with hibiscrub and warm water, make sure I gently get all the scabs off, then dry, then keratex powder, twice a day if you can, and keep the horse in on a clean dry bed until it's totally gone. Then more keratex powder. Some people do things like slather on sudocrem or other cream, and possibly cover in clingfilm for a bit, to soften the scabs enough to remove them.

If you've caught it early you should get away with similar, if it's bad, got infected, is swollen or horse is lame (or horse won't let you wash and get scabs off) it is probably a vet job unfortunately.

Mine got a bout early September, since when the ground has just got wetter and wetter, but keratex powder applied under snug mud socks seems to have prevented any recurrence so far. My horse is only out for a relatively short time though, I suspect if he was standing in wet mud and lashing rain for hours the wet would come through the mud socks and they'd be worse than useless. People at our yard who turn out for long periods seem to go for no boots and pig oil or some other sort of barrier cream type thing as a preventive measure.

Good luck!
 
My boy has very pink skin on his legs, so pink that his ergots are white. I've been battling with scabby heels since last March. I just can't get them to heal up. He's had infections twice and had to have intravenous antibiotics. I tried keeping them dry as the vet advised but every time I thought they were healed they'd crack open again. Flammazine didn't work. Creams of any sort seemed to make things worse by allowing anerobic bacteria to flourish.

Then I read about something called Neem Oil which is apparently good for treating sweetitch. It was also mentioned that it's effective at treating mudfever. I put Samuel on to ecinachea to help him fight the infections and started using the Neem oil last week. Already the cracks are looking better.

The Neem oil keeps the skin soft but still lets the air reach it. It encourages healing as it has Vitamin E and it's anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. I'm really happy with the results so far. At the moment he doesn't get turned out when it's really wet and won't do until I can put mud socks on him. When he does get his legs muddy or dirty I wash off with hibiscrub, dry them well and re-apply the Neem oil to the scabby areas. Once the scabs have healed properly I'll use mud socks so he can go out even when it's wet and muddy for a few hours but I'll keep using the Neem oil when I hack in muddy conditions to act as a barrier.
 
Micropony said:
Gosh, that sounds miserable Deltaflyer! Glad you managed to find something that helps. This neem oil sounds magical, must give it a try!
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It's actually been quite worrying, especially with the infections. It was making working him and competing problematic. I actually got pulled up in a dressage test a couple of weeks ago because his heel had cracked open again causing him to appear un-level because it was sore. Very frustrating too as I had to miss a hunter trials I'd been looking forward to for ages. Of course, with the constant cracks I was also worrying that something really nasty could take hold in the pastern or fetlock joint.
 
Yes, things that seem/should be minor can become a real issue when for whatever reason you just can't seem to get on top of them. Well glad he's sorted now!
 
I have heavy clay soil and I had tried lots of remedies and can only say what worked on my horses. Creams just clogged up the hair with mud. Boots got wet and muddy inside and made more rubs. Feeding supplements didn't seem to change anything. One year their legs were sore, scabby and bleeding from coronet to knee and hock, but they weren't infected As previous posters have said, infection means 'get the vet'. So this is what worked for me..
wash legs as little as possible
when legs are dry, gently clean as much of the the mud off as you can.
after testing for allergic reaction, coat legs with baby oil as a preventative, repeating as often as you can.
White socks are always mud coloured but it's better than being sore. It didn't seem to matter if there was mud left on the legs. My horses are in overnight throughout the winter so I can oil them everyday.
I hope you can find a system that works for you. Sometimes it is just trial and error. Good Luck.
 
Baby oil to soften and remove scabs. You need to get the skin healed and crack free. Keep the horse in if necessary and if you can. Vaseline to protect when he goes out again. Mine reacts to different bedding which all have different types of oils. I stick to previously used types of bedding. Using different products on the affected area causes serious issues.
 
I do not like hibiscrub, people use it too strongly and it killls all skin bacteria, good and bad. If anything I would wash with a weak solution of nilzal shampoo which is for humans, it is targetting yeasts and moulds
I found micronised linseed and minerals improved the skin so I never got it [though I also changed the field], but others at the yard had it and they hosed and hibiscrubbed religiously, and turned out with all sorts, esp pig oil, it did not work.
Best thing I had [before the diet change] was Keratex powder and mudsocks. I never wash off mud as long as there is no heat, but I might well dry by using stable bandages for a couple of hours, I do this if hosing, washing, or bringing in muddy. Keeping the skin dry is the answer. Bandaging probably also improves blood circulation.
its complex
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/mud-fever-signs-treatment-and-prevention-72429
 
Last edited:
maccachic said:
Best symptom treatment - Aroma Heel

Best treatment of the cause - balanced diet.
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Bonkers2 said:
I do not like hibiscrub, people use it too strongly and it killls all skin bacteria, good and bad. If anything I would wash with a weak solution of nilzal shampoo which is for humans, it is targetting yeasts and moulds
I found micronised linseed and minerals improved the skin so I never got it [though I also changed the field], but others at the yard had it and they hosed and hibiscrubbed religiously, and turned out with all sorts, esp pig oil, it did not work.
Best thing I had [before the diet change] was Keratex powder and mudsocks. I never wash off mud as long as there is no heat, but I might well dry by using stable bandages for a couple of hours, I do this if hosing, washing, or bringing in muddy. Keeping the skin dry is the answer. Bandaging probably also improves blood circulation.
its complex
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/mud-fever-signs-treatment-and-prevention-72429
Click to expand...

Agree with both of the above
 
My horse lived out for 1st time last winter & despite my best preventative efforts got a bit of mud fever. I used aromaheel & it was amazing,clears it up really quickly,easy to apply & I'll be stocking up on it this winter. The pot looks small but a little goes a long way.
 
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