Mud fever experiences

Penny Less

Penny Less

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10 March 2009
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Horse has mud fever (got it in the summer when we hadnt had any rain for months) ,anyway, hadthree visits from vet different vet each time, cos horse wont let me near his leg because he is so sore so had to be sedated. i have had three lots of advice now, not all the same ! Horse has quite a large patch of scabby skin which I thought I was on top of, but now scabs have virtually exploded all up the leg and ned has v swollen and sore leg with loads of scabs. First vet clipped original area, but third vet hasnt recommended clipping area now affected. One vet said keep covered, other vet leave uncovered. What are your experiences, and best advice to get rid?
 
I would have thought it was photosensitivity like the previous poster said and I would have thought the condition would need treating agressively with antibiotics at this stage. As to whetehr it should be left covered or uncovered I don't know as I am not a vet, but I woud have thought steroid cream would be the best thing. Like I say I don't know - just guessing x
 
I think you might want a second opinion. There is a condition called something like Dermatitus granulosa (unsure of spelling) which looks like mud fever initially but is far more severe and not actually connected to mud. What you're describing doesn't sound like ordinary mud fever to me and I have had several horses with almost permenant battles with it over the years. The dry conditions for the last few months mean that even our most chronic cases are all but scab free just now.
 
My horse got it in the summer, it was set off with contact with the wet grass. He was tested for photosensitivity and it was negative. Initially treated it with washing with hibiscrub and Fucidin H cream (antibiotic and steroid) which cleared most of it up, but didn't shift the ring round the outside, which spread up above his fetlock and got very sore. He had a course of antibiotics and vet made up flamazine cream mixed with oxytetracycline spray. My trouble was getting past the scabby skin as he would barely let me touch it. After a few days trying the cream it was getting harder to get to the skin underneath so I applied it, then covered in cling film and bandaged over the top - this really helped as it softened the scabby skin and the cream could actually get to the skin. I kept this up - the next lot of cream the vet made up had penicillin mixed in and this along with keeping it covered finally cleared it up. I am just putting gold label "wonder gel" on it now to help keep it clear. If you can see past the blue on the second photo this was it nearly cleared

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Pink Pampas. your horses leg looks a bit like mine ! I was initially told to use clingfilm, but couldnt get near horse for
two days to remove, and what I thought was sweat running down his leg due to the film was actually pus ! This happened after treatment by vet which looked as if leg was practically cleared up so wonder if clingfilm accelerated it. How long did you leave clingfilm on, as last vet said that warm and moist conditions would make the problem worse, but said to soak the scabs, so I really dont know what to make of it at the moment. I am soaking cotton wool roll and then bandaging on, leaving for half an hour then taking off, trying to dry with a hairdrier (thats another traumatic eperience !) then using fuciderm. Scabs not seeming to soften yet, but wonder if I am expecting this to happen too soon.
 
I tried soaking the scabs, using all the usual lotions and potions, but as you can see from the first photo it was more like scabby serum stuck to the skin rather than the classic white mud fever scabs, an no amount of soaking was getting rid. I kept him in overnight with the blue cream and cling film over the top (did take him a while to get used to it as well as other people holding another leg up etc) then stable bandaged, then cut it off in the morning, fresh cream on and cling film again with bandaging over the top. Didn't want to leave it on all the time for long due to the warm moist conditions, but vet was happy with me doing that and it was the only thing that softened the area so that the cream could actually get to the skin. Once it could it was significantly better in a few days (especially when there was penicillin mixed in) and I could stop wrapping him up. If your vet will make up some flamazine/oxytetracycline/penicillin cream then maybe give that a go with wrapping it. Mine has a bit on the other back leg now, but only small - just as that leg had cleared up
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so i'm back to washing, drying, cream and cling film/stable bandage in the evening and fresh cream/cling and turnout boot during the day. He goes out in turnouts boots all round during the day now as this is why it started on his other back leg.
 
Also, before I tried cling film I put a hot poultice on after washing and bandaged over the top and removed it the following evening - that helped get some of the scabs off. All this with a very difficult horse - had to have a few helping hands, alot of time and perseverence! Now I can do it with just me, but other leg is nowhere near as bad as the one in the photos
 
My mare got terrible mf august 2008 having never had it before. It spread quickly up the back of her legs, past both knees, and was also on her hind fetlocks. Scabs were thick and looked almost black, hard and difficult to penatrate. After trying all sorts and costing me a fortune, i got the vet she prescribed flamazine (expensive but well worth it ) Mare was dificult to treat as it was so sore. I would smother in cream working it well in as best as she would allow, then cover in clingfilm and bandage, as far up as a could get on. It was always loose next morning. Every other day i washed gently with warm water and hibiscrib and the scabs came away, making sure to dry thoroughly before applying cream again. I carried this on until there were no scabs to soften and i was left with pink skin. I then stopped bandaging but just kept on with the cream until i was sure it was gone. I think the mf got in through harvest mite as i had noticed them on my horses. Nothing this year so far. Flamazine is expensive as i think it has silver in it my vet matched a price i found on the net saving me £30 on 2 tubs. I wouldn't ask for anything else now.
 
I've been battling a small but really really persistant patch of mud fever all summer. What finally seems to have done the job is a week of Aromaheel then a week of Sudocrem (the Aromaheel seems to combat the mud fever but also makes it sore and inflamed, the Sudocrem then holds the mud fever in check and calms the area back down) interspersed with hot poulticing then washing with Hibiscrub and my nails to get the scabs off. I tried Fuciderm from the vet and it had no effect at all. Very grateful for the advice from this forum, it's been extremely helpful.
 
Scabs looking better this morning after using barrier Heel and hoof and then clingfilm overnight. Washed dried and then fucidermed this morning, will do the same for a couple of days and see what happens. Thanks everyone,
poor horses skin so red and sore at the mo, but he is actually being quite good about it all, havenet had to sedate again so far!
 
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