How to manage mud fever?

Could try Honey Heel from Red Horse perhaps? https://redhorseproducts.com/shop/skin-care/honey-heel/

Have not had much mud fever here but I've had great success with Red Horse products and continually hear wonderful things about them, including from my farrier. Our gelding cut his heel earlier in the autumn and had the beginnings of thrush - I used their sole cleanse and field paste (after flushing cut with chlorhexidine) and it healed beautifully, despite him staying turned out in a very boggy field 24/7. Their field paste and honey heel are designed to stick really well.
 
HollyWoozle said:
Could try Honey Heel from Red Horse perhaps? https://redhorseproducts.com/shop/skin-care/honey-heel/

Have not had much mud fever here but I've had great success with Red Horse products and continually hear wonderful things about them, including from my farrier. Our gelding cut his heel earlier in the autumn and had the beginnings of thrush - I used their sole cleanse and field paste (after flushing cut with chlorhexidine) and it healed beautifully, despite him staying turned out in a very boggy field 24/7. Their field paste and honey heel are designed to stick really well.
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I really rate Red Horse products too, their Honey Heel is really good and very sticky!

You could also try the Mud Buddy range from Lincoln, which I have had good results with (I like the shampoo and the powder). I am currently trialling Thomas Pettifer's Leg Shield as a preventative measure; it is good so far and definitively seems to make it easier to remove mud when you bring them in.
 
Yuletide Carols Bublé Murders said:
Do you feed any supplement high in copper and zinc? If not, I recommend you start. Lots of people, including me, report no mud fever once they get high copper and zinc.
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I have had 2 with mud fever but this was very many years ago and I wasn't feeding either a supplement. Ours have been supplemented for several years now and no MF.

I notice for L vasculitis (which I do have experience of,) Dr Knott recommended feeding Zinc.
 
I bought some Heel to Hoof from the feed store, smells lovely, like honey and lemon. Washed with muddy buddy shampoo, waited until bone dry and applied so fingers crossed it works.
However, as I was brushing her, I noticed big clumps of fur coming off underneath. Upon looking at her belly, it looks like she's had rainscald or something of the likes. Can't win! Wasn't scabby or raw though so fingers crossed its sorted itself out and the fur coming off is just the aftermath now.
I've never had this before, especially on her belly, I can't understand why this has happened this year!
 
Those who use the Lincoln Muddy Buddy stuff do you us the cream and the powder as advised or just one or the other?
As to buy both is quite pricey which is fine if needed & works/helps :)
 
I just used the Mud Kure Cream and it worked. nothing else I tried had worked and the whole pulling off scabs and dosing with antiseptic now seems barbaric.
 
HEEL TO HOOF is the only cream that actually works with our TB's and it sticks to anything. Biggest bit of advice i can give you is NOT TO PICK THE SCABS OFF lather the area with heel to hoof daily...rubbing it in just enough to loosen the scabs in a few days but let them fall off with gentle rubbing rather than picking at them. Its the raw skin that will reinfect and then your in that dreaded cycle...the heel to hoof not only gets rid of the mud fever but also future proofs the skin avoiding reinfection but only if you dont over fiddle about with the area. TBH i lather it on and dont worry to much about if the area is super clean or not, living in the real world my horses legs are never gonna be mud free unless i stable them 24/7 which really is practical. Also worth noting one of my TBs had a nodular sarcoid on his belly, i had some spare heel to hoof on me from treating his leg and without thinking wiped it on his sarcoid (hed had it 2 years)...2 days later when i was brushing him the sarcoid had gone!!! just a small patch of hairless skin where it had been, 2 years later and it never came back.
 
kingslane said:
HEEL TO HOOF is the only cream that actually works with our TB's and it sticks to anything. Biggest bit of advice i can give you is NOT TO PICK THE SCABS OFF lather the area with heel to hoof daily...rubbing it in just enough to loosen the scabs in a few days but let them fall off with gentle rubbing rather than picking at them. Its the raw skin that will reinfect and then your in that dreaded cycle...the heel to hoof not only gets rid of the mud fever but also future proofs the skin avoiding reinfection but only if you dont over fiddle about with the area. TBH i lather it on and dont worry to much about if the area is super clean or not, living in the real world my horses legs are never gonna be mud free unless i stable them 24/7 which really is practical. Also worth noting one of my TBs had a nodular sarcoid on his belly, i had some spare heel to hoof on me from treating his leg and without thinking wiped it on his sarcoid (hed had it 2 years)...2 days later when i was brushing him the sarcoid had gone!!! just a small patch of hairless skin where it had been, 2 years later and it never came back.
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So far, so good!
 
kingslane said:
HEEL TO HOOF is the only cream that actually works with our TB's and it sticks to anything. Biggest bit of advice i can give you is NOT TO PICK THE SCABS OFF lather the area with heel to hoof daily...rubbing it in just enough to loosen the scabs in a few days but let them fall off with gentle rubbing rather than picking at them. Its the raw skin that will reinfect and then your in that dreaded cycle...the heel to hoof not only gets rid of the mud fever but also future proofs the skin avoiding reinfection but only if you dont over fiddle about with the area. TBH i lather it on and dont worry to much about if the area is super clean or not, living in the real world my horses legs are never gonna be mud free unless i stable them 24/7 which really is practical. Also worth noting one of my TBs had a nodular sarcoid on his belly, i had some spare heel to hoof on me from treating his leg and without thinking wiped it on his sarcoid (hed had it 2 years)...2 days later when i was brushing him the sarcoid had gone!!! just a small patch of hairless skin where it had been, 2 years later and it never came back.
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Everyone who I have recommended this to has had great results.
 
Ellietotz said:
The pig oil I have this year is the one in the spray, does that one contain sulphur?
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I don't think so - I believe the sulphur is what blocks up spray bottles, so yours is likely just oil. It should say, though. If it doesn't mention sulphur, it won't have any!

On that note does anyone have any tips for applying pig oil with sulphur? I shake some onto an old facecloth and wipe but it's a messy business! Anyone have any better ways?!
 
Nevin's Run said:
I don't think so - I believe the sulphur is what blocks up spray bottles, so yours is likely just oil. It should say, though. If it doesn't mention sulphur, it won't have any!

On that note does anyone have any tips for applying pig oil with sulphur? I shake some onto an old facecloth and wipe but it's a messy business! Anyone have any better ways?!
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Paintbrush is pretty good!
 
Ellietotz said:
The mud fever seems to be spreading to other legs now. :( I was just looking at this supplement and I can't see copper on the breakdown unless I'm missing it?
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First time this year for my mare and we're midway through antibiotics it caught hold so badly. A number of horses on the yard have it for the first time too and we're all in overight. It could be the weather but the vet said some soils are more likely to hold the bacteria than others.
 
SEL said:
First time this year for my mare and we're midway through antibiotics it caught hold so badly. A number of horses on the yard have it for the first time too and we're all in overight. It could be the weather but the vet said some soils are more likely to hold the bacteria than others.
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Hmm, would supplementing copper and zinc have helped? Just want to be sure on my next move before spending the money. The rain this year certainly hasn't helped either.
 
Ellietotz said:
Hmm, would supplementing copper and zinc have helped? Just want to be sure on my next move before spending the money. The rain this year certainly hasn't helped either.
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Mine was on a balancer over winter and it made no difference at all! Both my horses have had it, both are on a low NSC diet one with a balancer and the other without.
 
Still battling the mud fever, just seems to be getting worse except the bits that I was putting Heel to Hoof on. More keeps appearing in other places.
I was just thinking, would pig oil with sulphur not help treat it? As it is a barrier with the antibacterial properties?
I'm just struggling with the creams as it all builds up in the fur and collects more mud so it's hard to clean off and reapply without having to wash the legs which I'm trying to avoid doing.
I'm going to start bringing her in on the rainy days as I don't think it'll get any better at this rate. :(
 
Ellietotz said:
Still battling the mud fever, just seems to be getting worse except the bits that I was putting Heel to Hoof on. More keeps appearing in other places.
I was just thinking, would pig oil with sulphur not help treat it? As it is a barrier with the antibacterial properties?
I'm just struggling with the creams as it all builds up in the fur and collects more mud so it's hard to clean off and reapply without having to wash the legs which I'm trying to avoid doing.
I'm going to start bringing her in on the rainy days as I don't think it'll get any better at this rate. :(
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Just a thought...
Could you be contaminating from the same pot of cream or your hands however you apply it?
When mine had their worst mudfever I had a pot for each leg. That meant I had 12 pots! I had to keep them outside each stable in their ‘leg order’.
 
I found mine only got it slightly when they came in completely off the fields as their legs were drying out.

After a few days with heel to hoof the scabs came off but popped up in other areas. I carried on with cream until all the scabs had come off them gently rubbed in wonder gel to the bits of flaky skin
 
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No need to worry about mud when applying the heel to hoof...believe me I have clay soil which basically is a nightmare in the winter...and washing legs down is the worse thing you can do. Fetch him/her in for an hour and then when legs are reasonably dry GENTLY take the mud off with your fingers...dosent have to be spotless by any means and then literally lather the heel to hoof on...working into the skin...IT DOES WORK!! but only if you put plenty on and stop hosing/picking/brushing...also got rid of sarcoids on one of ours within 48 hours.
 
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