Mud fever but there's no mud?

In winter I would say put baby oil on, but in sunny weather you are risking even more sunburn if that's what it is...

Interesting thread. I have just come home from a 4 day trip this evening, and popped down to turn the horses out, and as I unclipped my horse noticed her hind leg had filled and had a scab or something that looked like mudrash. We have no mud whatsoever in the field, although hubby says it has rained a lot. She bombed off, sound, so will leave her til tomorrow morning and look a bit closer then. Can't really be sunburn with her, she is out at night in during the day. I'm so fed up, she has had three minor injuries already this year, never lame on them, but on bute and unrideable, just got her right and now here we go again. Its also annoying as we go to Burghley for a week tomorrow, so I'm not even around. Thankfully the girl looking after her is superb and I trust her. I swear this horse has got a bute addiction!
 
Someone just posted something that has got me thinking, could be due to harvest mites. It looks the wrong colour to be mud fever, the scabs are usually grey looking and thick.
 
I wouldn't think it was lice or mites as he doesn't seem itchy. Although the flies are still bad they only really seem to be affecting their heads, so they have fly masks on, haven't seen flies anywhere near his pasterns!

Ihotse maybe the photo quality is a bit rubbish, but the scabs are greyish-black and very thick, it really does look like mud fever! I'll do a more thorough check on all three of them tomorrow and see if the others have anything similar.

I think I'll hibiscrub tomorrow then stand him in to let it air dry, once the scabs start coming away (might take a while as they are really thick) what do you all suggest I put on to heal the broken skin?
 
If the scabs are really thick the best thing I have found is to put sudocreme on wrap with cling film, cotton wool and vetwrap and bandage overnight - you could put a bit of duct tap round the bottom of the vetwrap as it is so low on the bulb of his foot. This usually means that you can gently rub the scabs off fairly painlessly. Have a second go if you cannot remove completely the first time. For more minor scabs Fungatrol shampoo - leave on for 10 minutes to soften scabs then work them off gently then wash off. and dry thoroughly.

Mine has ongoing niggly mudfever vet doesn't think it is caused by light. I think it is due to fly-bites becoming infected and just as I rid one patch another pops up. I've been through virtually every ointment prescribed or otherwise known to man, steroid cream, flamazine, sudocreme, hibi etc. my vet laughed at me when I got out my vast array of lotions and potions and I still can't quite get rid of it. I've even had him blood-tested! Not looking forward to winter :(

I'm also using pig-oil and sulphur on the non mudfever legs to repel fly-bites at the moment and water when its wet.
 
Morning everyone, have soaked it in warm diluted hibiscrub and got most of the scabs off. The middle bit is still quite scabby but he's finding it really sore to be picked so have left him for now. Have towel dried it and leaving him in so it can thoroughly dry.

Any more thoughts? It doesn't seem to be bothering him at all, except having the scabs picked off but he's a big baby at the best of times!
What should I do to it now the scabs are off, just leave it to the air or put something on to protect it?

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Posibililities are photosensitivity (my mare gets this, triggered by alfa alfa & lucerne) or dew burn, like mud fever, skin soften up by the heavy dews at the moment allowing bugs to get in.
 
heebiejeebies said:
Morning everyone, have soaked it in warm diluted hibiscrub and got most of the scabs off. The middle bit is still quite scabby but he's finding it really sore to be picked so have left him for now. Have towel dried it and leaving him in so it can thoroughly dry.

Any more thoughts? It doesn't seem to be bothering him at all, except having the scabs picked off but he's a big baby at the best of times!
What should I do to it now the scabs are off, just leave it to the air or put something on to protect it?

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Oh bless him - that looks really sore :(.

First of all, mud fever is just a catch-all term for a bacterial skin infection . . . no mud necessary ;).

Second of all, I struggled with this for three months with Kal last autumn so I feel your pain. I'm almost certain that Kal's came from XC schooling at Tweseldown either on the sandy tracks (nasty bugs LOVE sand) or in the very yucky water jump with an existing break in his skin from a boot rub the previous weekend. We tried everything . . . flammazine, sudocreme, hibiscrub - wrapping/not wrapping - picking the scabs/leaving the scabs - salt water, etc. He had two rounds of oral antibiotics - we kept him in and we turned him out. In the end what worked a treat was an injectable antibiotic (cobactan), turnout, keeping his bed scrupulously clean and not letting water anywhere near the scabs and just brushing any (dried) mud off and leaving well alone. He had cellulitis four times - legs the size of tree trunks . . . but once we put him on the cobactan he turned the corner literally overnight and that was it. He now has scars where the worst scabs were (poor baby).

I hope you find something that works for your boy . . .

P

P.S. Kal is also grey - and the infection was worse in the leg with the one white foot/most pink skin - if that's significant
 
Are you sure its not mites? thought my horse had mud fever last week, looks exactly like your photos. turns out to bee leg mites , am awaiting the vet who is coming this afternoon to inject him with dectomax.
 
heebiejeebies said:
Morning everyone, have soaked it in warm diluted hibiscrub and got most of the scabs off. The middle bit is still quite scabby but he's finding it really sore to be picked so have left him for now. Have towel dried it and leaving him in so it can thoroughly dry.

Any more thoughts? It doesn't seem to be bothering him at all, except having the scabs picked off but he's a big baby at the best of times!
What should I do to it now the scabs are off, just leave it to the air or put something on to protect it?

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Click to expand...

I personally would still go with the yellow sulphur and baby oil (pig oil is the same but without the scent). Mix it up to a sudocreme thickness (note, he might stamp his feet to start because it tickles) and smother it on, don't wash it off just keep applying one or twice a day, i found with mine within a week the skin underneath was all healed. You don't need to wear gloves, it also keeps white feathers white!
 
yaffsimone1 said:
I personally would still go with the yellow sulphur and baby oil (pig oil is the same but without the scent). Mix it up to a sudocreme thickness (note, he might stamp his feet to start because it tickles) and smother it on, don't wash it off just keep applying one or twice a day, i found with mine within a week the skin underneath was all healed. You don't need to wear gloves, it also keeps white feathers white!
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I've heard Pig oil (baby oil) and sulphur is also good for mites!...Google it, its amazing stuff x
 
If you out oil on that, you will have to keep the horse in or you will end up with serious sunburn and a major problem. It's a shame you can no longer get Dermobion, as that would have cleared it up in a jiffy.
 
pip6 said:
Posibililities are photosensitivity (my mare gets this, triggered by alfa alfa & lucerne) or dew burn, like mud fever, skin soften up by the heavy dews at the moment allowing bugs to get in.
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Dew burn... haven't ever heard of this but definitely a possibility as he is out 24/7 and it's very dewy until early afternoon.

Follysmum said:
I find Wondergel is great for this.
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What is wondergel and where would I get it? Do you have any ideas on what the irritation is?

PolarSkye said:
Oh bless him - that looks really sore :(.

First of all, mud fever is just a catch-all term for a bacterial skin infection . . . no mud necessary ;).

Second of all, I struggled with this for three months with Kal last autumn so I feel your pain. I'm almost certain that Kal's came from XC schooling at Tweseldown either on the sandy tracks (nasty bugs LOVE sand) or in the very yucky water jump with an existing break in his skin from a boot rub the previous weekend. We tried everything . . . flammazine, sudocreme, hibiscrub - wrapping/not wrapping - picking the scabs/leaving the scabs - salt water, etc. He had two rounds of oral antibiotics - we kept him in and we turned him out. In the end what worked a treat was an injectable antibiotic (cobactan), turnout, keeping his bed scrupulously clean and not letting water anywhere near the scabs and just brushing any (dried) mud off and leaving well alone. He had cellulitis four times - legs the size of tree trunks . . . but once we put him on the cobactan he turned the corner literally overnight and that was it. He now has scars where the worst scabs were (poor baby).
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Your poor boy, what a nightmare. Funnily enough the sand school is quite deep.. could this be a factor then? All four pasterns are very pink and warm, though this is the only one with scabs.

Horsesforever1 said:
Are you sure its not mites? thought my horse had mud fever last week, looks exactly like your photos. turns out to bee leg mites , am awaiting the vet who is coming this afternoon to inject him with dectomax.
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Would he not be very itchy with mites? Haven't once seen him itching or stamping his feet?

lhotse said:
If you out oil on that, you will have to keep the horse in or you will end up with serious sunburn and a major problem. It's a shame you can no longer get Dermobion, as that would have cleared it up in a jiffy.
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This is why I don't want to put oil on because keeping him in (unless his leg is literally hanging off lol) is out of the question!
 
Sorry to be direct but instead of slapping random stuff on it, how about calling out the vet? I know it looks like 'just' a little skin problem, but skin problems are really difficult to diagnose, they are often painful and some won't go away without prescriptions drugs (e.g. steroids).
 
Echo horsesforever1....

My boys legs scabbed and bled something horrid earlier in the year in a mud free, buttercup free field! I never saw him stamp and only scratch once. Vet diagnosed mites and it stopped getting worse after I applied Frontline spray. Last scabs took a month to come off.
 
Booboos said:
Sorry to be direct but instead of slapping random stuff on it, how about calling out the vet? I know it looks like 'just' a little skin problem, but skin problems are really difficult to diagnose, they are often painful and some won't go away without prescriptions drugs (e.g. steroids).
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Thank you, but I've not 'slapped' any random stuff on it, I've simply eased off the scabs with warm diluted hibiscrub, patted dry and left to the air. I put an over reach boot over it so I could turn him back out, he isn't lame, and unless I'm poking at it he doesn't seem to notice it's there. I'm trying to get some ideas as to what it could be, after all, I thought this forum was here for people to get help and advice? I'm not going to call the vet out for every single little sign or symptom my horse has, the vet would be as well living on site at my yard if that was the case! If it gets any worse or starts causing him pain then yes, I will call the vet, but until then everyone who has replied has been more than helpful to me, and I've also learned a lot from peoples past experiences.
 
Sallenders or mallenders? (Google them). A form of dermatitis, very common among carthorses and feathered breeds. Hard to cure but reasonably easy to manage. Get it checked out by your vet though. My mare's had it (them) for years. Sallenders is front legs and mallenders the back - I think. Usually starts behind the knees/in front of the hocks. VERY itchy so they stamp and kick. Can make them lame. I use Polytar shampoo to wash legs, and then when dry, oodles of Johnsons Baby Oil. You may need to do it once or twice a week at first. But definitely get your vet to look first, and run a sample through the lab.
 
texas said:
Echo horsesforever1....

My boys legs scabbed and bled something horrid earlier in the year in a mud free, buttercup free field! I never saw him stamp and only scratch once. Vet diagnosed mites and it stopped getting worse after I applied Frontline spray. Last scabs took a month to come off.
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Hmm... if they aren't always itchy with mites then it's worth looking into!

Rose Folly said:
Sallenders or mallenders? (Google them). A form of dermatitis, very common among carthorses and feathered breeds. Hard to cure but reasonably easy to manage. Get it checked out by your vet though. My mare's had it (them) for years. Sallenders is front legs and mallenders the back - I think. Usually starts behind the knees/in front of the hocks. VERY itchy so they stamp and kick. Can make them lame. I use Polytar shampoo to wash legs, and then when dry, oodles of Johnsons Baby Oil. You may need to do it once or twice a week at first. But definitely get your vet to look first, and run a sample through the lab.
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Got a mare with this and it's completely different to what she has :)
 
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