'Invisible' mud fever?

[catembi]

My boy came back from retirement livery with swollen hind fetlocks & before I could investigate, ended up at vet hospital for 8 or 9 (very expensive...!) days to treat something else. They diagnosed mud fever & treated while he was there with hibiscrub & barrier cream. He was sent home with antibiotics (for the other condition) and the swelling went completely.

I was told to hibiscrub his legs twice a day, but I can't really tell what to scrub. There is one small patch on one leg which has healed up now. The vet saw him this week & said that I could stop doing it if there weren't any scabs, but now his fetlocks have swollen again...not as bad as before. Last night I hibiscrubbed & barrier creamed again, but I really & truly am not sure what I'm scrubbing. And this morning the swelling is down rather than up... He is TB, so very little in the way of feather.

Anyone else experienced this? What should I do...? I literally cannot see what I am treating. Are there any better creams to use?

He is out, and the fields aren't desperately bad atm. I have shut off the two wettest ones. There is a hardstanding area & a large mud control matted area in front of the stables, to which they have free acccess, & even on the 'grass' they only get muddy feet, not legs. Any mud on the legs is dried splashes rather than knee deep swamp.

All ideas appreciated as I haven't had one with mud fever before.

 

[milliepops]

is the area hot as well as swollen? seems a bit suspicious that it's filling now. I would be considering the possibility that there was a little wound that has let some infection in if it's warm.
I think hibiscrub is pretty harsh on skin when used for multiple days, I personally prefer povidone iodine as I think it is a bit easier on the skin, just an aside.

 

[catembi]

He had about 2 weeks of ABs though, IV at the vets & oral when he got home. Wouldn't that have sorted it...?

Thank you - will try to get something else to wash legs with.

If it's not one thing with Trev, it's another... They did more bloods last time they were here, so we shall see if his inflammatory markers are still up.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Could it be LV that has yet to erupt ? My old boy suffers from LV and his hind pasterns/fetlock swell just before the first tiny sores appear, quickly followed by extensive sores and scabbing. They only way we controlled it (it 2015 we got close to calling it a day) was with intensive and long period AB's plus topical cream. He has another episode this summer and is still be treated now.