Mud Fever/Mites?

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sam72431

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My horse has had mud fever for a while now, he is hanoverian so not feathery, I have been treating it since it started and although it did get worse at one point (i was away for a few days, what a bad mummy!) I have managed to keep it under control (using warm salt water, hibiscrub once a week, generally keeping it clean and using various ointments and it is gradually going and is now nearly gone, i had the vet out for routine vacinations the other weak and showed her it, she said that the best thing to do was to cover the scabs in mud ointment and then clingfilm the legs overnight this would lift the stubborn scabs off without causing so much pain and would help it heal quicker, i've done it a couple of times and its definitely worked, the thing is all the time it has been really smelly which i have'nt encountered with mud fever before, most of the scabs are now off and whats left was looking much better, they were just looking like normal scabs, so I have just been rinseing the mud off and thourougly drying but not putting any cream on so it has a chance to dry, I noticed on saturday that the back leg was slightly swollen a little hot but he isn't sore, i kept him in last night (he has only been coming in, in bad weather) I rinsed his legs off and towel dried but over night the other affected leg has swollen and i noticed yesterday that the scabs that are left have developed a bit of a yellow crust, I've kept him in for the day and have bandaged his legs but I've left the scabs open to the air.

My question is, a friend said that sometimes mites can get into the scabs and that might be causing the smell, i'll admit i dont have much experiance with mites, is this true? If so how should I treat it, or should i just get the vet out again, he doesnt seem in pain and the vet wasnt too worried by what she saw the friday before last, I dont know whether I should clingfilm the legs again or just bathe in salt water?

Thanks sorry for long post!
 
See this most often when people have picked the scabs off. This allows bacteria in and causes infection. Never pick off scabs. Keep them moist (baby lotion works well) and allow them to come off by themselves. Can't comment as to the extent of the infection without seeing the leg but use an antibacterial wash. If the infection is severe your horse will need antibiotics.
 
Thanks everyone, I have clingfilmed them before i think ill do it again tonight to hopefully lift the last of the scabs off and then wash in the morning with nizoral if i can get some or salt water if i cant and keep him in for a couple of days, he actually likes staying in so should make him happy :)
 
Hope youve sorted it :) ivr just had the vet out for my new mare shes come from living out and has it really bad, she too has the yellow crusts and is loosing her hair its so sore she wont let me scrub with hibbi scrub at the mo, poor girl is on anti biotics now and bute and need to clip her legs off to hlp to treat it (shes tb so also not v.hairy)

Hopefully yours wont come to this!!
Good luck
 
My vet said the same as Classicalfan - on no account to pick the scabs off, let them come off by themselves. Wash affected parts with coal tar shampoo or dose with Nizoral (but in neither case every day - just every few days), and the rest of the time apply something like Johnson's Baby Oil. The scabs just come off on their own with healed skin underneath.
 
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