Mud Fever Nothing is working

Billabongchick said:
I have been having nightmares with MF with our very sensitive TB mare. It was bad enough it was starting to make her lame on and off. I have tried; Muddy Buddy shampoo (gave up as had to get legs wet too much), Bepanthen (baby bum cream) with Tea Tree and Lavender added, Purple Spray (to try to dry it out), then tried Hypocare (am) and Flamazine (overnight).

Current status is that the last 5 days she has been on box rest and will stay that way til it's got rid of - so far this is working;

Day 1 - Gently Hibiscrub and shampoo to remove dirt as much as possible.
Thin layer of Flamazine under gamgee and stable bandages. Left on for 2 days.

Day 3 - Swelling down quite a bit but one leg looking quite infected where largest scab is (bigger than 50p and about 8mm proud). Washed all bad areas with warm water boiled from kettle which cleared the gunk and made some smaller scabs slide off. Gently used warm sponge to remove any loosened scabs but worst ones still very stubborn in places. Decided to help things along on worst leg by using Sudocrem and clingfilming/gamgee/bandage and other legs used Flamazine and gamgee/bandage (no clingfilm). We thought Flamazine under clingfilm for such a long period of time might be too irritating.

Day 4 - Significant improvement on all legs but Sudocrem/clingfilmed area seeming to work best. Wash off with warm boiled water and gentle sponging to remove more loosened bits. Then loads of Sudocrem on all affected bits and clingfilm/gamgee/bandage all legs.

Day 5 - Wash/sponge scabs with warm water again causing the worst 50p sized scab to slide off (yay!) leaving nice pink skin underneath. Most scabs are now gone or very loosened and swelling is right down on the worst leg. Re-do thick Sudocrem, clingfilm/gamgee/bandage for a final go at remaining small scabs.

Day 6 (Today) - Will see what they are like later but plan is to sponge scabs again (hopefully all will be gone after that) and then apply thin layer of Flamazine over whole legs if not too raw and then gamgee/bandage which will be left on for 2 days.

After 2 days hopefully shouldn't need sponging so will just reapply Flamazine/gamgee/bandage and leave on for another two days. This should give the new skin a chance to heal in a sterile environment.

Hopefully if by day 10 the skin is looking ok then I will swop to Hypocare spray just to kill any bacteria and dry out and will continue to bandage for a few days more then eventually stop using the bandaging altogether and just use Hypocare spray. I will be using polo bandages with turnout boots over the top when she can start going out again (to stop T/O boots rubbing) and will ask YO to only turn out if dry/cold weather.

She is happy in (thank goodness) and fairly clean and hence until dry weather arrives against my usual principles of turnout being very important she will stay in if necessary. As an ex racer she is used to it and if it means stopping her legs getting sore then it must be done.

Sorry for the essay but I thought this info might be of help to others as it has nearly made me cry how sore it has made her....
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I havent tried the banding with cream but the origonal slavering the legs in cream for the first 2 weeks seem to make it worse not better so i stoped this and throughly cleaned the legs of sudocream and have been keeping him in and dry and just washing off any mud got on from walking him out each day and toweling off everytime and putting in thick straw stable his legs have been dry and cream free for 2 weeks and jsut had the fuciderm from vets applied to the scabs which isn't doing much. im still waiting on vet calling me back but i am considering bandaging with zinc cream or trying the nettex muddy marvel descab and disinfectant route i ahve got the keratex mud shield powder to trial when he is ready to go back out as well as the equichap boots
 
HopeforMe said:
I battled with mudfever in 8 horses for 3 months last year, so I know how frustrating it can be.

Where your horse is pink-skinned, I'd suspect he may have an underlying allergy or sensitivity that ia making it harder to clear up. Have there been any changes in his pasture, bedding, hay? Also all the scrubbing and creams may be making it worse.

What worked with mine:
Keep legs clean and dry. Wash only when muddy and use mild shampoo.
Stop using creams and ointments. These don't allow the skin to dry and provide a moist environment for bacteria and fungi to grow. Use zinc sudocream as a barrier only if turning out.
Powder legs with Gold Bond itch powder or similar,
Do not pick scabs, but you can rub off loose bits.
Make sure you are feeding sufficient zinc and copper. If not, supplement. Low sugar diet (I think you are already doing this).
Discuss with your vet the possibility of allergies and possibility of giving antihistamine or even a course of Dexamethisone. I have two that require this and both are long stockinged pink-skinned types.
As much exercise as you can give to help circulation and healing. I turnout as long as it isn't really muddy.
Wash brushes, towels, anything that touches MF to keep from reinfecting.

I haven't had nearly as much trouble with MF this year. We catch it really early and keep it clean, dry and powdered. Good luck with it.
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this was the worse part he went from fine to riddle in space of 2 days there wasnt an option to catch it early it seemed to happen overnight which shocked me.
hes not getting much exercise as i only have half an hour morning and lunch break to walk him out and same again in the evening he gets 3hrs at 3 intervals at the weekend though as i work insane hours and have no help. he does have 3 white socks and pink skin sadly very typical of overos. i have a stack of towels so use a fresh one everyday and boil wash the sponge cloth i sue every night to make sure its clean if he needs any muck sponging off his legs each day
 
Purple18 said:
hiibisrub once and try to get as many scabs off as possible if they can bare it leave them dry don't put barrier cream on it just traps in the injection let them dry out throughly don't hibisrub them or anything after the first time so try tio do a good done the first time when there starting to heal you can the use something like flazmine a thin amount over the area morning and night try not to mess with it too much.


Are the scabs yellow or a normal scab brown colour ? once they have gone a brown colour don't pick them anymore it healing it's really important you get all of yellow scabs off there the injection and the problem



good luck
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There all rbown look just like mud as when he first started with ti i was just brushing what i throught was mud off his legs when i realised there was a problem (thank heavens i always run my hand over as i brush to feel for any lumps or bumps) hes never had any yello or ozing ones which makes ti all the more frustrating as they just keep spreading hes onyl occasionally sensitive most dont seem to bother him
 
applecart14 said:
I would consider leaving him in for a period of a few days to maybe a couple of weeks to allow the mud fever to completely clear up. Only when its 100% gone can you turn back out making sure the legs are completely dry before applying a barrier e.g. lard and flowers of sulphur mixed, or Keratex.

You really need to break the cycle completely.
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Hes been in for 4 weeks now and theres no improvement this is why am at my wits end as appears nothing is working poor sods been stabled since new years day to try get this to clear up
 
Hawks27 said:
i will ask vet for this as she provided fuciderm which isnt working but they are both perscription only so i can't order direct myself
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You can get fuciderm on amazon (well I have previously) but I find it so expensive and you need to be able to use it liberally,.

Clomatrizole, will do no harm, and is soothing, It will kill fungus dead, you can get it from the pharmacist, just don't say it's for a horse.
 
Oh, this is been the bain of my life!!

Dizzys legs became sooooooo swollen with MF, that had vet out giving him anti-inflamms, antibiotics and bute. Vet advised to hibiscrub legs, slap sudocreme on and bandage overnight with clingfilm.

Well this didnt work on him..................so I tried everything! the muddy marvel range etc etc and still nothing. It has been literally been the most stubborn mudfever that has probably every existed on this planet :rolleyes:

Anyway, what I DID find gave it a good start was the lincoln Kure Cream (?) - expensive but after 1 tub it seemed so much better. Unfortunately the world and his dog (or horse) felt the same, and so I couldnt get it anywhere!

Anyway, I am pleased to say we are virtually all clear now - nearly 10 weeks later :rolleyes:, and what has worked fully is:

washed his legs once thoroughly with hibiscrub and bandage overnight

then good old dual action canasten athletes foot cream (around £3.50 from Tescos) - it has Clomatrizole in it :) rubbed in well

Then legs smothered in pig oil/sulphur

It has worked a treat :D:D:D


However, a tip from a MF 'expert' (whose horse only ever had to look at mud and he'd get it) recommended that if I had some antibiotic granules left, mix it up in a bottle with some liquid paraffin and smother legs in it. The antibiotics can therefore work from the outside in, whilst being able to breathe but protected with the paraffin. I have no idea if it works, but she swears by it and so if Dizzy gets it bad next year (which Im hoping WONT be the case) i'll give that a go :D
 
The boy had mud fever that didn't want to shift a few months ago. Norodine (antibiotic) and Flamazine falied, but Norodine and Hypocare (which I tried in desperation TBH) worked. I left the scabs alone and just sprayed it liberally twice a day.
 
My mare had really bad mud fever last year. We battled for 4 months or so to clear it up. After 3 months the vet gave me a product called Equi-Oxcide from a company called Trus-STEED. Its a product that you paint on over the scabs a few times a week until the scabs have gone. The scabs fall off once the bacteria that causing it has been killed. So you dont have to do anything bar paint it on a few times a week.
 
russianhorse said:
Oh, this is been the bain of my life!!

Dizzys legs became sooooooo swollen with MF, that had vet out giving him anti-inflamms, antibiotics and bute. Vet advised to hibiscrub legs, slap sudocreme on and bandage overnight with clingfilm.

Well this didnt work on him..................so I tried everything! the muddy marvel range etc etc and still nothing. It has been literally been the most stubborn mudfever that has probably every existed on this planet :rolleyes:

Anyway, what I DID find gave it a good start was the lincoln Kure Cream (?) - expensive but after 1 tub it seemed so much better. Unfortunately the world and his dog (or horse) felt the same, and so I couldnt get it anywhere!

Anyway, I am pleased to say we are virtually all clear now - nearly 10 weeks later :rolleyes:, and what has worked fully is:

washed his legs once thoroughly with hibiscrub and bandage overnight

then good old dual action canasten athletes foot cream (around £3.50 from Tescos) - it has Clomatrizole in it :) rubbed in well

Then legs smothered in pig oil/sulphur

It has worked a treat :D:D:D


However, a tip from a MF 'expert' (whose horse only ever had to look at mud and he'd get it) recommended that if I had some antibiotic granules left, mix it up in a bottle with some liquid paraffin and smother legs in it. The antibiotics can therefore work from the outside in, whilst being able to breathe but protected with the paraffin. I have no idea if it works, but she swears by it and so if Dizzy gets it bad next year (which Im hoping WONT be the case) i'll give that a go :D
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Can the pig oil and sulphur or keratex mud shield be used before the legs are healed? i have bought both of these with the intention of using them as a baririer to prevent it coming back once he has recovered i havent used them yet as thought they would irratate the current mud fever or trap it in rahter than aid in its recovery
 
Check out the before and after pics on this website...

www.equi-oil.com

This is how it cleared up rain scald and it does exactly the same for mud fever. I'm not much of a fan of these steriod type creams as they can damage the skin whilst killing the infection, which means new skin cells are getting damaged. I used Equi-Oil as it is 100% natural and it cleared my mares mud fever within days. Now I just keep a bottle handy as a barrier. It heals the skin from the inside out and also helps hair regrowth. If you've tried everything I definitely think this is worth a go. Worked for me :)
 
RCP Equestrian said:
Check out the before and after pics on this website...

www.equi-oil.com

This is how it cleared up rain scald and it does exactly the same for mud fever. I'm not much of a fan of these steriod type creams as they can damage the skin whilst killing the infection, which means new skin cells are getting damaged. I used Equi-Oil as it is 100% natural and it cleared my mares mud fever within days. Now I just keep a bottle handy as a barrier. It heals the skin from the inside out and also helps hair regrowth. If you've tried everything I definitely think this is worth a go. Worked for me :)
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How far does that little bottle go has his hind legs are covered and front fetlocks/pasterns, thats alot fo money for a tiny bottle to seee if it works!
 
I can only offer you what I was told by my old farrier who took on an ex show horse with MF problems constantly, he was told to feed sulphur in some form (food grade maybe?), which he did (don't know what) and it cleared up his heavy cobs legs. Maybe speak to vet about how and in what form it can be fed? It is a content in MSM.
 
Hawks27 said:
I havent tried the banding with cream but the origonal slavering the legs in cream for the first 2 weeks seem to make it worse not better
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I think it is the clingfilm and bandaging which makes the difference; I'd been using Flamizine just slathered on without covering when she came into stable overnight (trying not to hose off first to keep dry) and it had very slow effect. The clingfilm seems to make the scabs sweat off and it seems that keeping the entire area sterile and clean is the trick. Once the scabs are all gone I will change to a drier approach but the scabs need the moisture to help them soak off initially and once I have clean skin to work with then a dry approach will be better. Whatever happens I will be bandaging for riding and turnout to try and keep it dry until the mud dries out.
 
Hawks27 said:
How far does that little bottle go has his hind legs are covered and front fetlocks/pasterns, thats alot fo money for a tiny bottle to seee if it works!
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For mud fever on all four legs, using AM and PM will probably last a month. The trick is not to saturate the legs as it works effectively by spraying around the affected area. As it is an oil it soaks in to the skin and works from underneath. If used excessively then yes it will be expensive but, £35 a month is not bank breaking especially when it works so well :)

I wouldn't normally recommend something as much as this but as I know it works remarkably well and you sound as though you've tried everything I think it would be worth a go? :)
 
Pasha said:
For those sorts of prices you can get a pair of EquiMed AG Boots, which will last years and save you the hassel of rubbing lotions and potions in!
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the boots are over £100 and if they don't work thats a hell of alot of money its that delightfull situation of i wish i could get my money back if it doesnt work id happily pay it if i knew it would i reckon am already up to £300 in vet bills lotions poitions boots and the fact that hes been stabled 24x77 for 4 weeks now and verything i've tried i've been todl is wonderous and will get rid of it so its ahrd to know what to try next as i don't have alot of money and am already struggling but thank you everyone for you suggestions i will start trying them in some kind of order or try different products on different legs and see which shows improvement
 
I was told many years ago never to hose down the legs to get rid of mud - all it does is drive the mud into the pores of the skin. If you must wash the legs, use a mild soap (like Johnson's baby bath) in warm water (maybe a very diluted hibiscrub) and be absolutely 100% sure to get the legs dry when finished. Leaving the legs damp will make the situation so much worse as the bacteria will multiply. Pick off the scabs as the bacteria hides underneath and apply antiseptic cream to those areas. Wrap in leg warmers or bandages overnight. Once MF has been defeated always put on a barrier cream when turning out to ensure it doesn't come back.
 
I am another who has had success with Equimedag boots, there is a long thread of success stories on the BD Forum. I tired all sorts of methods and different lotions and creams, these cleared it all within 2 weeks. Has now been MF free for 2 weeks, skin is clear and intact and horse an I are bother happier. Expensive but worth it as no creams or possible vets visits to pay for.
 
Hawkes27 - sorry can't quote as on phone, but yes pig oil and sulphur over mudfever. I too thought the same as you, but I was told that the sulphur kills off the MF, but the oil acts as a barrier and also allows it to breathe.

I still wasn't convinced about thd sulphur, hence why I rubbed on the athletes foot cream on first

It's literally the only thing I did that worked (and vet had told me it was one of the worse cases they had seen) :)
 
Another using the equimed boots - a bloody godsend!!! Mine had awful mud fever - pig oil and sulphur caused all his hair to drop out so has totally bald legs :( have spent a small fortune on different creams - now I rock up to the yard, gently brush off dried mud, put the boots on and that's it :) he's out in mud, and the mud fever has gone!! Took about 3 of wearing the boots. Yes expensive but they do work :)
 
I think the pig oil and sulphur works if the problem is fungal.

BUT I think it can irritate and make the problem worse, I also think as mentioned above, that steroid creams can make the problem much worse if over used.

If the problem won't go away then in all likelihood it is fungal, and as I keep saying clomatrizole is the answer. It will not aggravate the problem,you put it on twice a day and don't have to wash or make the legs wet, it is soothing and it will kill the fungus. Problem with fungus is that it takes ages to go - like months, if it has really taken hold. If you ignore it or treat just for a bacterial problem then the fungus will take hold.
Clomatrizole costs £4-5 for a 50ml tube from the chemist you can slap it on.
 
We had a mare who had severe mud fever and we had tried everything the vet had recommended, our farrier gave us Keretex mud shield powder to try and we never looked back. It was brilliant but when we went to buy more it had to be ordered by our local feed store as no one seemed to stock it. Legs have to be clean and dry before applying and it has to be applied daily until the legs are cleared but it is worth the hard work.
 
Elfen said:
Another using the equimed boots - a bloody godsend!!! Mine had awful mud fever - pig oil and sulphur caused all his hair to drop out so has totally bald legs :( have spent a small fortune on different creams - now I rock up to the yard, gently brush off dried mud, put the boots on and that's it :) he's out in mud, and the mud fever has gone!! Took about 3 of wearing the boots. Yes expensive but they do work :)
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The hair dropping out is part of the recovery process from mud fever so don't just blame the pig oil unless he didn't have MF in the first place, that you were using it as a preventative. If you give it enough time, MF is actually self healing, it doesn't always need intervention from us at all but everyone is always in such a hurry nowadays and won't give it the time it needs before they must interfere.
But yes, just brushing mud off is far better than washing and diluting the oils in the coat all the time.and keeping it out of the mud and wet is even better; your 3 weeks was about right.
 
Elfen said:
Another using the equimed boots - a bloody godsend!!! Mine had awful mud fever - pig oil and sulphur caused all his hair to drop out so has totally bald legs :( have spent a small fortune on different creams - now I rock up to the yard, gently brush off dried mud, put the boots on and that's it :) he's out in mud, and the mud fever has gone!! Took about 3 of wearing the boots. Yes expensive but they do work :)
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Do you jsut use the boots to get rid when suffering from MF or every night to rpevent it coming back? is it a case of brush / wash the mud of when brought in leave boots on in stable at night and then turn out with nothing on?
 
siennamum said:
I think the pig oil and sulphur works if the problem is fungal.

BUT I think it can irritate and make the problem worse, I also think as mentioned above, that steroid creams can make the problem much worse if over used.

If the problem won't go away then in all likelihood it is fungal, and as I keep saying clomatrizole is the answer. It will not aggravate the problem,you put it on twice a day and don't have to wash or make the legs wet, it is soothing and it will kill the fungus. Problem with fungus is that it takes ages to go - like months, if it has really taken hold. If you ignore it or treat just for a bacterial problem then the fungus will take hold.
Clomatrizole costs £4-5 for a 50ml tube from the chemist you can slap it on.
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i will go grab some this weekend and give ti ago next week as he is staying in till uflly cured and i can then use barrier or boot products to protect him form it coming back
 
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