Help...desperate!

[tobyiscool]

Hi everyone, my horse (who lives out) has come in with really horrible scabby legs. I think it is mud fever, and he is now staying in, in an attempt to clear it up. What is the best way to treat mud fever? Also, is there any specific reason why he may have got it, as I have had him 7 years, and he has never had it before? Thanks for all your help xx

 

[MrsMozartletoe]

Do a search on mud fever on here, there's loads of advice

 

[Show Girl]

Hi, you could go down the route of the Muddy Marvel de-scab, barrier cream or what I do which is cheaper and really works.
Get a big pot of Sudocrem, plaster the scabs with it then wrap with clingfilm (not food wrap) do about 2-3 layers then vet wrap (keeps clingfilm in place) leave for 12 hours, this should soften the scabs up, then wash in hibi scrub diluted with hot water you want it fairly hot without scalding of course! wash using a good wad of cotton wool until all sudocrem removed, you should get most if not all the scabs of (don't pick them though) rinse in clean water and dry THOROUGHLY with soft towels, the legs need to be completely dry before the next stage which is either repeating the sudocrem & clingfilm if scabs are still there or use lashings of Udder Cream (used on cows) on the area, it acts as a barrier cream as well as healing the affected area. Some people wash legs down everytime horse comes in to remove mud, some people don't and just brush out mud when dry, I personally wash with hot water and then dry completely and apply Udder Cream night and morning before turnout. Whatever you do you need to try and keep horse away from to much mud until you have the situation manageable, the udder cream will help once the scabs are off. You can buy a really big pot for about £10.00 from a good country store.

 

[Cuppatea]

If your horse comes in at night, wash the legs with hibiscrub and dry with a clean towel. Rub in lots of udder cream (the thicker stickier iodine stuff works best, can also use baby oil, veg oil, sudocreme etc etc but the udder cream is the best and cheapest in thre long run!)all over the scabs - really cover them in it. Wrap the area covered with cling film - this keeps the heat in to soften them and keeps the udder cream where its supposed to be - then put a stable bandage over the top. In the morning take off bandage and cling film and wash off with hibiscrub (udder cream takes some washing off!) and gently take off any scabs that come away with out too much effort. Dry legs thoroughly. If any scabs left, repeat till theyve all gone. When horse is out slap loads of cream over the legs to stop any mud getting back on them.
Horsese do EVENTUALLY build up some resistance to it but it takes a few years of washing, drying and getting everything covered in udder cream!

Mud fever is caused by a bacteria in the mud which over prolonged contact with the skin, penetrates it and causes the scabs. Its the same type of bacteria that causes rain scald hence why it affects white legs and chestnut skin more than any other. You've probably had an influx of the bacteria into your mud from somewhere though how, is anyones guess!

 

[Honey08]

We suffer badly with it usually in the boggy pennines. My top tips are -

Rinse mud off with cold water. Don't wash with hot, as it opens the pores.

Use muddy marvel descab lotion - follow instructions - works like the flammazine that the vet prescribes and is much cheaper, then hibiscrub after.

I let the legs breath overnight rather than wrapping. A deep straw bed helps wick moisture and warms the legs.

Muddy marvel barrier cream is the best by miles. Nothing else works against deep mud. Udder cream comes off too easily...

Keep horse stabled til scabs are gone.

Don't get legs wet when riding either.

We end up keeping ours in, and turning out for an hour a day in a hardcore turnout paddock with hay from Dec-April, which I hate, but otherwise we get it so bad it turns into lymphangitis.

Turnout boots enabled us to let them have an afternoon a week in the large muddy field, but you'd need at least two pairs if you turned out daily in them as they didn't dry over night.

If the mudrash isn't too bad, baby oil helps remove the scabs by softening them, makes the mud not stick to the skin, and therefore it slides off. It protected our hardy ponies all winter, but not the wussy horses that got mudrash by looking at mud!

Good luck. Its a pain in the butt!

 

[Rose Folly]

What's the difference between mud fever and itchy heel, which my mare got for the first time ever in the drought this summer? (The farrier identified it, and I seem to have cured it with baby oil). And it wasn't on her heels, but behind her knees and a little bit down her tendons. Are they the same bacteria?

 

[Shay]

It is. Its also the same bacteria that causes rain scald. It gets different names because of the different areas and conditions. (For instance you tend to get itchy heel in dry mud - dust - rather than wet)

There is also something called cob knee which is more common in cobs, but not specific to them. The horse's skin secretes a thick sebum like substance which then collects where there are creases - like behind the knee. These harden into white waxy blobs which can have sharp edges and irritate the skin beneath. This isn't mud fever - although it can look a bit like it if you're not expecting it. You should know if your horse is prone to this - but if you're in doubt ask the vet next time you have a routine call out.

 

[Debz87]

One of the horses I care for at work gets mud fever although he hasn't got it this season yet.
the best thing to do is wash off the mud daily, using warm water if you can and then towel dry the areas, you want to keep the area as dry as possible.
Then apply specialist mudfever powder or if you have any unperfumed talcum powder you could try that.
When you turn your horse out you want to try and create a barrier to the skin so vasoline or something similar would be good but this needs to be washed off and reapplied daily, hard work but your horse will thank you for it!