Does anyone want....

[not_with_it]

a young sensitive soul with mud fever and a runny bum?

In all seriousness I would love some advice if anyone can offer any. My 2yo has suddenly developed mud fever on his 3 white legs. The scabs suddenly appeared over night and I have managed to clear it up on one leg and there is a very slow improvement in the other 2 although one of them was really swollen. I was washing his legs when he came in from the field and putting sudocrem on but the mud was sticking to the cream so I began using powder instead and got the swelling down by putting him on bute for a week. The scabs are starting to clear up but then more appeared today. Im using keratex powder and my turnout socks should arrive tomorrow.

Problem number 2. He seems to have a really runny bum to the point where im having to wash his legs every night. It did clear up but has begun again. Ive requested that he has only hay and hes fed pink powder with his youngstock mix. I changed his feed last month so im thinking this could be the cause. Im thinking about removing his sugarbeet and im putting him on just Hi-fi and outshine.

Its never ending. 2009 has not been a good year.

 

[hellybelly6]

The only way to get rid of mud fever is to keep the horse in the dry until it has cleared up. White legs are particularly prone to mud fever. I would wash the legs in warm water and hibiscrub and pick off as many scabs as you can. Dry and apply the keratex powder, then keep the legs dry until healed. I do not think turnout boots should be used with existing mud fever.

My horse has a runny bot with sugarbeet and some types of haylage. The pink powder and hay is a good idea and hopefully will do the trick.

I know what you mean about things never ending, my horse has bone spavin, split his DDFT, has side bone and kidney dysfunction and is allergic to high amounts of sugar, protein, alfalfa and garlic.

Hopefully, 2009 will be better!

 

[not_with_it]

lol. My other horse is off work with sacroiliac problems which was bad enough and now this. Ive not claimed off my insurance in the 6 years ive had it and in the past year ive spent so much!

Theres no way I could keep him in 24/7 but I am contemplating turning them out on the sand arena. Theres no mud on there but it is wet (puddles) and im not sure if that would make it worse.

Other disadvantages are that its a lot smaller than the field and he would probably break the fencing to let himself out.

 

[hellybelly6]

Oh dear, we have both had more than our fair share of horse problems! I am sorry to hear about yours.

My friends white legged horse had infected MF and he was kept in for 2 weeks and was on antibiotics. I hope it doesnt come to this for your youngster.

The sand and wet could scratch his skin further allowing the bacteria greater entry into the skin, unless he had his turnout boots on, he may be ok. Could he go out for a few hours, have his legs dried before going back into his stable as a compromise?

 

[_unregistered_]

I bought a horse with severe mud fever on both back white legs and his were swollen too, I had vet out and was informed that if they swell vet should attend as that means infection, he had to go on antibiotics to clear infection before I could even try to clear the external problem, My routine then was he went out every day but had udder cream covered with keretex powder on before turnout, when he came in I hibiscrubbed and dryed throughly then applied more udder cream, he heeled very well considering he could barely walk when I got him.

Good luck it's not the easist of things to tackle and what works for oen doesn't always work for the other. I found trial and error got me to what suited him.

 

[not_with_it]

Unfortunately not.

The YO chucks them out on a morning before he goes to work and either I fetch them in when ive finished work or YO's daughter when she gets home from college. Depending on what shift im working I will either go down late morning or early evening which means I have to do what I can when im there. Hopefully having the boots on will keep his legs dry which means I can do what I need to when I can get down there.
In the 10+ years ive been at the Yard none of the horses have suffered. Its typical.

 

[not_with_it]

The swelling has gone now thank god and hes not lame. Ive been lunging him for 5-10 mins which reduced the swelling but now it seems to have gone altogether.

If the boots dont work I will try something like vaseline to act as a barrier. The only problem is I work shifts and horse is kind of on full livery so im not there to turnout and occasionally not there to fetch in. I think I will have to buy YO a very big Christmas present

 

[kate081]

Agree with highlandponylass that you need to wash with hibiscrub & dry. I've actually found robinsons activ wash better this year than hibiscrub. I then leave them clean & dry overnight before putting E45/sudocreme on to turn out in the morning. I have never had to keep one in because of mudfever. If they are still scabby then you might need to poultice overnight to soften the scabs. Turnout boots i got weren't very good & were v expensive!

 

[Booboos]

I've generally had the vet out for swollen mud fever legs as antibiotics and bute can sort out the main problem. Then camrose for the scabs and Keratex Mudguard every day before turn out.

Hope things improve with the new year!

 

[samstar]

Can't answer on runny bum.
But mud fever, my mare has it on both heels and I don't do it every day. I sponge infected areawith hibiscrub, dry thoroughly and then plaster with sudocrem, and she lives out 24/7 365. So I don't beleive they have to come into the dry. It is clearing up nicely.