Mud Fever, back legs now swollen, what bedding is best when stabled?

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englund

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My youngster has developed awful mud fever, i have hibbisrubbed and removed scabs and applied antibiotic cream.

I have continued to turn him out at night with turnout boots on over the cream as his back legs keep swelling in the stable. I know he should stay out of paddock until cleared up but this is not always possible, has any one any advice or tips to clear this up, its effected his two hind white sox, nothing on his dark fronts.

What bedding is best if he does have to stay stabled?
 
amymay said:
Gosh no wonder he has a problem with that management.
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What do you mean by that comment? He is a 2 year old youngster who cannot sty in 24/7 for obvious reasons, his mud fever is covered to avoid any mud or what getting on it and it has been hibiscrubbed and cream applied so what exactly is your useful advice??? if your being a clever dick dont bother answering someone who has asked for advice, alright!!!!
 
Nizoral shampoo is really good or pig oil and sulphur.

Don't clean too much as this can make skin weaker. Keep dry as poss. Should only take a couple of weeks. This is ok for box rest for youngster.

Any bedding fine as long as dry.
 
Thank you Tally Ho.

Should I continue putting any boots or bandages on or should I just cream and leave uncovered?
 
Hi,
try coopers dairy ointment, plaster him in it when he goes out. v. good barrier. can get it from northern ireland on the internet, much cheaper than uk and comes quicker! I have used it for 15 years!also could be a fungal mud fever. A new horse had it last year same time, where it just keeps coming every time you get him in there is a new patch/line. went on for 2 months literally fire fighting. vet had made some cream up like dermobin but with an anti fungal in it for summer mud fever. ask your vet if they make up such a thing.
Good luck - its such a pain
 
amymay said:
What advice has your vet given you?
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The vet has said to Hibiscrub and apply antibiotic cream which I have done. He also said to cover the legs if turnout is necessary as he appreciates that 2 year olds are not the easiest to keep in especially when all the others go out.

I am worried that the legs swell more when he stays in for long periods of time.

So I seem to be damned if I do or damned if I dont!
 
Hi,

Is there anyway you can use a arena or yard to turn him out in? He really does need to be in and I know its hard work with a youngster but its really is going to be better for him in the long run.

The best way to treat it is to stand him in a weak soultion of warm iodine/ pevidine to soak the scabs off, please dont use hibiscrub as it destroys healthy skin tissue too, once scabs soft remove the ones that come off, clean limbs in clean dilute iodine/ pevidine solution, pat legs dry - dont rub. Cover sores in some flamazine ( silver sulfadiazine ) cream and apply a non stick dressing pad ( melolin ) then stable bandages on top. Do this twice daily, he will also probably need a course of antibiotics and anti inflamatories ( equitrim or trimiadiazine and bute or danilon ) and box rest or turnout on dry non irritant surface.

If no improvement in a couple of weeks doing the above its highly likely its not mud fever at all but a pseudomonas infection which is much harder to treat and antibiotic resistant. This needs treatment with baytril and the only way to find out for sure is for your vet to take skin samples ( scabs will do ) and a swab and send it for culture and sensitivity.

My arab mare went down with this having treated her for mud fever first ( im an experienced equine nurse so know what Im doing ) she had no improvement at all and the skin on her legs was sloughing off, my mare was also infoal at the time and couldnt have baytril as it causes cartiledge defects in the foetus. We managed her with box rest, and the treatment as above but it took months - however after this she was unable to be turned out in mud or wet conditions at all ever again as it flared up, it wasnt curable but was manageable with a turnout pen and equilibrium turnout boots and always a clean set on.

Hope this helps.
 
Mmm, is prob sack your vet then.

If it's so bad that legs are swelling then the horse will need aural anti-b's.

Excess washing, esp with something as harsh as hibiscrub will hinder healing. Something like flamazine should also have been prescribed. Covering the legs will merely encourage the bacteria that is causing the mf.

Do your aim is to keep the legs as dry as possible, with good airflow, and a topical application of ointment that allows the leg to breath.

In your shoes I would keep in for around five days, pj a good bed of shavings. When you do turnout do it by day.
 
I also read somewhere some mud fever can be brought on by clover. White in particular. Has anyone else heard this?

We had a case last year that would just not go. It took two months.
 
tallyho! said:
I also read somewhere some mud fever can be brought on by clover. White in particular. Has anyone else heard this?

We had a case last year that would just not go. It took two months.
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Now that is interesting as his paddock did have clover in it, not excessive amounts but it was definately there.
 
Box rest and walk out in hand. Just because he's 2 doesn't make box rest a problem. Ben was rested for 3 weeks as a 2 yr old. It's actually quite good for them, Ben actually really matured because of it. Muck out at least twice a day... Shavings. Anti inflamatory and antibiotic. Walk out in hand 2 x daily to help swelling. Hibbiscrub and towel dry.
 
amymay said:
Mmm, is prob sack your vet then.


Im not being funny but did the vet give me the wrong advice then? As ive also read alot of books by BHS ect and they also say to use Hibbiscrub????

All I want to do is get rid of this horrible disease any way I can.
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Don't hibiscrub anymore! If his wounds are open this will irritate further! I would box rest for a little while (2-3 weeks) I would wash with Nizerol shampoo (no need to rinse off) and then put back in a clean stable. Once it has cleared up, cover legs in Pig Oil and Sulphur and turnout. I wouldn't use boots as they get mud underneath so IMO don't actually keep the mud off the skin!
 
Queenbee said:
Box rest and walk out in hand. Just because he's 2 doesn't make box rest a problem. Ben was rested for 3 weeks as a 2 yr old. It's actually quite good for them, Ben actually really matured because of it. Muck out at least twice a day... Shavings. Anti inflamatory and antibiotic. Walk out in hand 2 x daily to help swelling. Hibbiscrub and towel dry.
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Now Im really confused as AMYMAY says not to use Hibiscrub?????????

Im very grateful for everyones advice and will stable for a few days then if no better get another vet in.
 
I'd only use pig oil and sulphur as a preventative, sudocreme and sulphur when they have a problem but neither should be as good as antibiotic cream anyway.

creaming (even if antib) and booting for turnout just seems like a recipe for bacterial growth for me!

another things.. is your field actually muddy? just pondering as it is his white socks whether he has photosensitivity going on instead which can present with similar symptoms.

If mine I'd keep in for a bit too to try and get a head start on it, with in hand walking to reduce the swelling.

eta in my typing time photosensitivity has already been mentioned. I would also use hibiscrub sparingly.. once then leave. I prefer to remove scabs by softening with cream after that point.
 
Englund, I think you will find that people's experiences of mud fever is wide and varied.

Mud fever it self is not cut and dry what causes it. Sometimes bacterial, sometimes fungal and recently I have discovered through our mare, it can be photo sensitivity or circulation problems.

Hibiscrub is really harsh to be honest but this also depends on the horses skin and how dilute it is.

The key, is to keep it dry and clean and deal with the infection, pain and swelling.
 
Op, if your horse is receiving antibiotics then you don't need to use hibiscrub. Even if no antibiotics were being given then hibiscrub should be used very sparingly, and very dilute.

But the main rule of thumb with mf is keep the legs dry. Washing prevents healing.
 
tallyho! said:
Englund, I think you will find that people's experiences of mud fever is wide and varied.

Mud fever it self is not cut and dry what causes it. Sometimes bacterial, sometimes fungal and recently I have discovered through our mare, it can be photo sensitivity or circulation problems.

Hibiscrub is really harsh to be honest but this also depends on the horses skin and how dilute it is.

The key, is to keep it dry and clean and deal with the infection, pain and swelling.
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^this^

My horse got mud fever (for the second time this year) at the start of July just after the really heavy rain. I too have been told by my vets (two different ones on seperate occasions) to do pretty much what you were told, hibiscrub and gently remove scabs, dry, then put on antibiotic cream (prescribed by vet, not an OTC one). After a couple of days, once her legs came in dry (i.e. scabbed over fully and not oozing), I stop hibiscrubbing and just put on more cream. Horse was turned out 12 hours a day during this, in at night on a woodchip bed. Although her field wasn't bone dry, we managed by electric fencing off the muddiest bit so they had to stay on the drier areas. If her field had been slightly drier I would have rather had her out 24/7 as the woodchip getting in it was much more of an issue than it getting damp in the field.

How wet/ muddy is your field? If its only patches of it that are bad could you fence that off and keep him out if thats what he's used to? Wouldn't necessarily be how I'd manage mud fever in the winter but at the moment when its sort of drier in the fields, this worked far better for me than keeping in 24/7.

I'd also be a bit :confused: at turnout boots on over cream as my understanding/ experience is that (once cleaned to ensure minimal bacteria/ hair/ dirt under scabs) its best to try and keep the area as dry as possible, and a turnout boot, although stopping the leg getting soaked, will keep it warm and moist, which are perfect conditions for bacteria.
 
My mare has white socks and gets pastern dermatitis in the summer on her hinds. It isn't due to muddy conditions as it only affects her in the summer months.
My vet's advice was to wash couple of times week (I use saline or neem oil shampoo) and Sudocrem daily.
Sudocrem protects the pink skin from sunburn, softens the scabs and heals the infection. It has a sunblock action which helps this type of infection.
Last year it was so bad her legs became swollen and she needed antibiotics and steroids. The swelling was due to infection in her case, and not stabling as she was out 24/7.
I would not stable a horse with this summer mud fever as the legs need movement and I would definitely not use turnout boots as unless you could guarantee sterile cover, the boots encourage the bacteria to multiply.
 
My boys just got mf, hes 7 and never had it before, no mud in his field, white clover and theres been alot of rain!

It it very mild, as in only on back heals, hes on anti biotics for 10 days, almost cleared up by day 3!! and to be washed twice a week with medicated shampoo prescribed by vet.

He's stabled during the day due to flies and weight, vet said I dont have to keep him in as no mud, just put sudacream on his heals when they are dry as a barrier, its working so far, we are on day 4 of anti biotics.
 
I will throw my two pence worth in here.
First it is very unlikely it will do harm to keep in as long as he has company and you take him out for walkies or turn out in arena, but I would do this for a short time till you see it is coming under control,
Second, use Hibiscrub sparingly as just like any strong disinfectant it can irritate. Seleen shampoo is for dermatitis, which is what you have.
Dependant on the way it is presenting, if it is wet and sticky, I would either use a thin cream or a melolin dressing which is sterile and non sticky. It is best to use something not too greasy as it will attract dirt and not be able to wash off easily.
Bandage with gauze once it does not need a cream and will not stick.
Or use you can use clean tubigrip and then vetrap enough to protect and hold in place.
 
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