Mud Fever and Washing Legs

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Tinkle

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Hello all.

What are the general views on washing legs in winter (with mud fever in mind)?

I'e always left legs to dry and brushed the mud off. However, my mare has arthritis and this winter I'm hoping to get some stable boots to help keep her creaky joints warm over-night. However, our fields are always horrendously muddy in winter and therefore muddy legs is going to lead to very dirty stable boots. My plan is to wash her legs with some diluted hibiscrub in cold water, dry her heels well and use stable boots which also dry the legs. Then before she goes out on a morning I'd use a barrier product of some kind. She's never got mud fever really badly but she has had it on her white sock before now. Do you think this routine would be alright and not make matters worse?

Finally any recommendations of barrier creams or other mud related products?

Ta muchly.

x
 
my vet told me to wash my mare's legs with hibiscrub and warm water but make sure the legs are compeletly dry before you put th boots on otherwise you leave a warm wet place for the bateria to spread. i've used naf mud gard and it worked really well.
 
Please don't wash! If you can invest in either some Thermatex stable wraps or bandages and put those on (over the wet mud) they will quickly dry the legs off and keep her warm too. In the morning, brush off the mud and plaster with something like udder cream, zinc & castor oil cream (nappy cream!) petroleum jelly, Protocon or Sudacrem, anything like that, the legs will soon improve and by keeping her warm, you'll help with the arthritis. The dry mud will soon brush out of the boots or they can be bunged in the washer.
Our fields too resemble paddy fields in winter, and this is how I would (and have) treated MF every time, I'd never wash if I could help it.
The more you wash with Hibiscrub, the more you'll weaken the skin and the quicker it will take bacteria to get in which is not the object of the game!
 
Think how your lips go when you keep licking them in winter,,,thats what washing will do to her legs.

I would invest in some turnout chaps, they are ace.
 
I think you will have to find out what is best for your horse. I ALWAYS wash the mud off my horses legs with cold water. Towel dry them and put wraps on. In the morning I plaster her heels in sudocreme or udder cream before she goes out. Never had any problems doing it that way.
 
Hanz - I had turnout chaps and her mud fever was worse with those than anything else! I tried both cheapo Sportabac ones and expensive Equilibrium Close Contact ones.

As I said before she's never had mud fever really badly - just a couple of scabs the odd time. It's more that I want to keep her creaky legs warm and wanted to check that washing and drying her legs (ready to wear the boots) every day wasn't going to cause me massive problems. Althogh as MFH says I guess I would but the boots on over the mud. Hmmm...

Perhaps I'll just have to give it a go and if she starts getting scabby I'll stop washing.

Thanks all.

x
 
I always wash mud off my horses legs. The bacteria lives in the mud and removing the mud obviously removes the bacteria. Once they have dried somewhat I would recommend using a good barrier cream such as vaseline or pig oil. Sudocrem is also very good. For horses particularly prone to Mud Fever I would use Mud Warrior from Equine Answers. It is specially formulated for Mud Fever and helps prevent your horse from getting it in the first place. You can get it at www.equineanswers.co.uk
 
I looked into this because my mare suffered with mudfever a few weeks ago. One report stressed "definately do not wash their legs" because by doing so your opening up their pours and you spread the bacteria yourself by doing so.
ooo.gif


I choose to take this advice and so just applied Fungatrol morning and night and within a week it was almost gone.
smile.gif
 
We never wash legs off ever. We put Thermatex leg wraps on each night, even if legs are filthy. Have never had a case of mud fever in 7 years even when others at our yard have. Interestingly we are the only ones at the yard who DON'T wash legs off.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I looked into this because my mare suffered with mudfever a few weeks ago. One report stressed "definately do not wash their legs" because by doing so your opening up their pours and you spread the bacteria yourself by doing so.
ooo.gif


I choose to take this advice and so just applied Fungatrol morning and night and within a week it was almost gone.
smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

This is good advice - washing especially with something like hibiscrub can make things worse in many cases. I mix pig oil and sulphur and apply it every few weeks to treat the mud fever and also keeps the dirt from really sticking to his legs.
 
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