MUD FEVER IT JUST WONT GO AWAY

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yaddowshad

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My horse got mud fever about 4 months ago, he had it before but it went away, now its back. Ive tried every thing, hibbiscrub, mudaway, some made up stuff, sudacream nothing is working. The scabs are now a bit bloody and very sore, located on the pasterm mostly. can any one help. Ive stopped turning him out so no mud is getting at it, he does go in the school for exercise.
 
if the sand gets into it it can be very irritating. first id recomend washing with apple cider vinegar or something else less irritating than hibiscrub etc. most importantly, camrosa ointment..tried everything on my horse for months, then we found this and all our problems were solved! try and keep water and mud and sand away from it and use the right things and hopefully there should be some improvement. good luck!
 
I have the same problem with my 20 year old TB mare, they have all been turned out on a menage for the last few weeks as the paddocks are so wet and I think the abrasive surface has started it off by allowing the germ in.
I, like you have tried everything, she has turnout boots on as well so no more surface getting on them but still wasnt improving, I picked up a course of antib's and the swellings went right down but as soon as they stopped the legs came back up again.
I have had the vet out today and he is ordering me some "Wonder cream" is is a mix of antibiotic cream and steroids (dread to think how much that is going to cost) and also had an antib jab today and is on the powders for a 10 day course, in his opinion I have done everything possible with the management of it but he agreed that sometimes some medicinal intervention can help.
Oh and she is also on a sachet of Bute a day.
May be worth getting your vet out to take a look if you have tried everything else.
BTW I also have hibiscrubbed, medicated shampoo'd MSM ointment, Sudocream, Camrosa, Keretax mud shield powder, udder cream and Aqueous cream!!
Good luck!
 
oh and id be carefull with turnout boots etc because of trapping dirt, or even just sweat etc
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oh and id be carefull with turnout boots etc because of trapping dirt, or even just sweat etc
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Yes I agree but the problem is that without them the surface sticks to the cream and acts like sandpaper!
I do agree they are a bit sweaty but have plus and minus points.
Vet said he thought she was better with them on to keep the area clean.
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i expect if youv got some really good and well fitting ones they could be good, depending on the condition of the leg/ one person ages ago said she used cling film! not sure about that with the sweat though..!
 
Iv been having this issue with a couple of mine. the veteran lost all his hair on his hind fetlocks
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to sort his out hes had 2 lots of 5day anitbiotics & when it was clearing up he went out with his legs covered in baby oil (stops mud sticking) & vinegar (disrupts the pH so bacteria cant grow) & then turnout boots with keratex mud shield powder inside them. The boots are done up very tight around the hoof to stop the mud as best as possible. A bit still goes up but its mainly water. He now goes out in the boots with just the powder in them & touchwood its not come back. Im also using this technique on 3 other horses & its cleared it up & prevented it returning.
 
Heel to hoof is the only thing i ever use, its the only thing that helped my 20 year old. Had the vet up so many times, antibiotics, different cream etc etc, it just spread.

This got rid of scabs and the red bloody skin went to a nice pinky colour within 3 days!!
Its FAB, buy some
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Its a bacterial infection so really hte only way to "sort it" long term is antibiotics.

Vets can give you pastes or if you have oral antibiotics, make a paste from that! (it works too!)

You have to pick EVERY SINGLE SCAB OFF!!!!!! Yes it looks minging, but if you wash/soak the legs first it softens the scabs and makes it less irritating for the horse. Or use fusiderm cream/vaseline will even work to soften the scab if you dont want to wash the legs.

Then wash the legs when scabs are removed, then dry with a towel, then apply the antibiotics!

Its really REALLY time consuming, long term to get rid of, and has to be every day! but once its gone its SOOOO satisfying as the hair grows back and all is well aagain!

the other products above may help, but really you need to kill the blood irritating bacteria that wont leave the skin alone! (you have to go under the scab to access the bacteria tho don;'t forget! hence pick em off!)
 
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Its a bacterial infection so really hte only way to "sort it" long term is antibiotics.

Vets can give you pastes or if you have oral antibiotics, make a paste from that! (it works too!)

You have to pick EVERY SINGLE SCAB OFF!!!!!! Yes it looks minging, but if you wash/soak the legs first it softens the scabs and makes it less irritating for the horse. Or use fusiderm cream/vaseline will even work to soften the scab if you dont want to wash the legs.

Then wash the legs when scabs are removed, then dry with a towel, then apply the antibiotics!

Its really REALLY time consuming, long term to get rid of, and has to be every day! but once its gone its SOOOO satisfying as the hair grows back and all is well aagain!

the other products above may help, but really you need to kill the blood irritating bacteria that wont leave the skin alone! (you have to go under the scab to access the bacteria tho don;'t forget! hence pick em off!)

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perfect!
 
Agree antibiotics are needed, the bacteria lives in the mud of the field too apparently... Not sure how true that is....

Heel to hoof saves you having to pick the scabs off and making it very uncomfortable for the horse, with this stuff, while your rubbing it in, the scabs are falling off, no picking is needed. The really stuck on scabs are offen gone by the morning. Just makes it a better experience for the horse, i know i wouldnt want scabs picked off so they bleed. x
 
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Any thought of getting the vet??

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Went down that route last year, antibiotics, cream ect ect and its back again. There has to be an old fashioed way as no way 20 years ago were there so many cases of this and if there was a case it was cleared up quickly, i just cant remember what people used.
 
The problem is is that it is a recurring problem! even though it may clear up on one instance, it may come back, in which case its a re applying treatment situation.
The bacteria is everywhere and is on the skin etc as well it just penetrates the skin and causes aggrevation and a problem if the skin becomes inflammed/damaged in any way.... hence why it recurrs so easily!!!

once treated you can use pig oil/udder cream/barrier cream to try to keep the mud etc off the skin when turned out etc to try to prevent it recurring if you would like.
 
If its that bad you probably need antibiotics to get rid of and then use something as a barrier when fully healed. Bacterial infections can turn into cellulitus which is very painful.

A word of warning - my YO is in hospital tonight with suspected broken leg and jaw after horse trampled her when trying to pick off painful mud fever scabs - I arrived at yard just in time to go back down the road to escort the Paramedic down. She was in a terrible state - still awaiting to hear what damage has been done
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Some horses with non resolvable mud fever have an underlying condition called leukocytoclastic vasculitis so if your management for mud fever is perfect and it still hasn't gone you should get a skin biopsy done to test for this. If found treatment with steroids (probably oral as topical may not be strong enough) and antibiotics would be indicated.
If a horse is really painful when picking scabs off giving bute for a couple of days first can make a huge difference, sometimes they have to be sedated.
 
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Any thought of getting the vet??

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Went down that route last year, antibiotics, cream ect ect and its back again. There has to be an old fashioed way as no way 20 years ago were there so many cases of this and if there was a case it was cleared up quickly, i just cant remember what people used.

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Yes, the thing with MF is that often it does come back unless you take early preventative measures.

My horse had it quite badly the first year that I had him - needless to say he hasn't had it again, because I ensure that he always has a barrier lotion on his legs.
 
Camrosa is the best for mud fever. My thoroughbred had awful mud fever and so did a colleagues horse on the same yard. I used Camrosa, she had the vet and antibiotics etc. My horses mud fever cleared up - within a week I had seen improvement. I DID NOT pick off the scabs - it is painful for the horse and can introduce infection. The camrosa will lift the scabs and they will fall off themselves leaving pink skin, not bleeding legs. Because it was so muddy and I didn't want to leave him in, they advised putting the Camrosa on, then putting kitchen paper on and bandaging. I put plastic bags on top of the bandages which was all a bit of a hassle, but so worth it. My colleague's horse still had mudfever going well into the summer. And I don't work for Camrosa!!
 
You need antibiotics to clear the infection..... once cleared its then a preventative management things.
So for example....... putting barrier cream/udder ointment/pig oil on the horses legs before turning out, and then washing and drying the legs when they are brought in (yes its a farse! but so its taking scabs off I guess....)

SJP - do you know what the contents of camrosa are? I ma asking out of interest as if they lift the scabs then thats obviously good as the infection survives beneath the scabs (hence exposing them via removal of the scabs is how you treat the disease) but does it contain any mild antibiotics or antibacteriocidal/static drugs which would mean it cleared the infection? I don't actually know what Camrosa is (I am assuming a cream you apply by the sound of what you say)....

Also one big problem with mud fever treatment is (and please don't get mad at me as I am not necessarily saying this is the case with you) is that people get fed up of the treatment and management of it all and so get so far... (say 95% of the way through it) and go ahhh that will do or god i am sick of doing this, and then leave it for say a week, which is enough time for the infection to re-establish and it looks like the treatment isnt working or is inefficient etc when in actual fact its just like taking half a box of antibiotics from the doctors rather than the full course....... (do you get me?)

Keep going with the treatment! Sorry its such an arse.... but thats just the way of this infection!
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stupid isnt it!
 
PLEASE go buy some athletes foot spray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its £3.50 I researched it it gets rid of it in a week just spray it into the sores!!!!!!! Stop making it sweat as this just breeds it stop wetting it as it needs to be dry to heal one day someone will listen to me it works everytime I use it! TRY IT!
 
Hi interesting to hear all of your Mud Fever solutions as I have been battling with it for 6 years in the winter with my warmblood on his two white socks. I think antibiotics is a good solution to clear a first and bad bout of it. I have done this when it has been bad and it has cleared it, but only for a while until the turnout is better. I have tried every product and myth going. I found to keep it under control in the winter months is to used Aromaheal on the sore scabs, then plaster legs in udder cream. Do not wash off when brought in, let the mud dry and then brush off and reapply creams. Unfortuantely every horse is different and how they respond to treaments. Just keep trying and you will I hope find the right treatment right for your horse.
 
I don't know what is in Camrosa, there is no ingredient label on the pots. It is a sort of a gel. I know lots of people get very fired up and say 'i would never give my horse anything that I don't know exactly what it is', but all I can say is that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, it beat the vets hands down for mud fever, and another racehorse that came to me out of a training yard had terrible rain scald. Again, it cleared it up very quickly. No pain, no being kicked across the stable and inflicting pain by picking scabs off, just £35 for a pot of Camrosa. I never, ever wash legs off after coming in, because it chaps them and that causes a weakness for the bacteria to enter. I was earlier this season using equichaps, which should not be used if the animal has mudfever, but have now switched to pig oil and sulphur, which seems to be doing equally as good a job of keeping it at bay as the equichaps.
 
Interesting to read how so many people pick the scabs off......WHY on earth would you want to do that??? I'd get my head kicked in even if I attempted it!

My youngster suffers from mud rash (coloured, four white legs). Her fetlocks were showing signs of it starting back in Oct last year, so I took the decision to put her on limited turnout due to 1) her mud rash starting and 2) fields already becoming wet.

Last winter she was on turnout 3 times a week for 1/2 days. I NEVER rinse her legs off, always leave them to dry themselves and then you can brush off the dry mud. Once a week I washed them with hubiscrub, then once patted dry I applied Zinc and Castor Oil (best stuff ever invented IMO) and that was it.

Kept it perfectly at bay. This year once I decided to limit the turnout early so to prevent it and also thought I'll purchase the Equichaps as they are recommended. - what can I say, waste of time and A LOT of money!
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Unfortunately other events took over this winter , so we have been mud rash free as we've not been able to turnout at all as youngster went and fractured its splint bone and its ended up infected, so 4 months on and lots of vet bills and hosital stays we are still on box rest
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Interesting to read how so many people pick the scabs off......WHY on earth would you want to do that??? I'd get my head kicked in even if I attempted it!

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Only by getting rid of the scabs can you start to clear up the mudfever. Of course, you must only remove the scabs that are ready to come off. And by using 'softening' creams you can help ease them off without causing too much discomfort to the horse. At no time should scabs be 'forced' off.

Henryhorn on here has a fanastic method for removing scabs almost overnight with no pain or discomfort caused to the animal.
 
NOt sure if anoyne else does this, but I was told a long time ago by a very good horseman to use flowers of sulphur and veg oil, mixed up into a paste (thick enough to "splodge" on).

My horsey (spotted, hunts every week) has never had a sick or sorry day from mud fever thanks to the above- white legs with pink skin too!!

It also helped clear up a reaction they all had to a field we hunted over, their hair started to fall out but stopped and healed once this was applied.

HOpe this helps!
 
Agree with Sam22, the vasculitis symptoms look like mud fever but the condition is treatable with steroids, my mare had the same condition, oral steroids cleared it up completely.
 
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