Mud fever... Please help :/

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MJ_1993

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Hi guys,

I was hoping some of you could come to my rescue.... my horse has mud fever, i have never had to deal with it before, even at the old yard with the same horse, the mud was far worse but he never got it but at the current yard he does, he got it early this year but it wasn't bad and sudo crem solved it. He's got it on one back leg and one front leg, the back leg is only a small amount and its not bleeding or anything but the front leg is not quite bad, but it does seem sore - bleeds etc

I've used hibi scrub, and putting flamazine on it, someone at the yard said vet wound powder works well, but it seems to make the front ones bleed more....
Also, the flamazine comes off with the wet grass, so was putting vaseline on (should i?!)

Basically i just really am not sure how best to deal with it, horse has had a few issues this year and vet will be coming back out in 3 weeks for other problems so will be asking then but if anyone has any top tips for me i would insanely appericate it.

EDIT: probably worth mentioning he's ISH, does have some feather on his legs but i've trimmed it all up to see sores better!
 
I have found Nettex Muddy Marvel barrier cream to be very effective. Patch test it first, and if okay really slather it on daily for a few days. Don't wash the legs at all. Wipe off any mud with a dry rag or kitchen roll and slap more on. It is a bit messy to start with but then usually I can reduce the application to once or twice a week.
 
Everyone deals with it in different ways, I would not put Vaseline on it as that will stop the air getting to it and slow down healing, flamazine is good and even if some comes off it will do the job, hibiscrub is best avoided after the first clean up as it is very harsh but the best treatment is to "treat" from the inside, a healthy skin should stop it in the first place so get the diet right and it will help, I would be concerned if any of mine had it so early and look at options to prevent it once this bout has cleared up.
 
I clip or trim feathers off the horses and use Muddy Buddy powder on them every morning. The horses get the mud hosed off at night and then I rub their legs as dry as possible with a clean towel. I then put on quick dry wraps.
 
I have just started using muddy buddy mud kure cream on my tb who has persistent scabs on his legs and is prone to cellulitis - it's expensive, but after 2 days of use, the smaller scabs are healing, and his leg is far less swollen in the morning...I live in hope!
 
I'm not really sure how to treat the current bout, so you'll need to follow advice from others for that. Preventing it occurring in the first place is the key though... Good, healthy skin and a barrier against the wee beasties getting in!

I've managed to avoid MF last winter and so far this autumn by using pig oil with sulphur on a regular basis - applied liberally with a sponge a couple of times a week over whole lower leg. I know that my mare had MF terribly the winter before last, and the lady that loaned her at that time was having to clean and treat regularly. The PO+S worked really well last year so I'm hoping it will again this year. Advice is to patch-test first though, as the sulphur can cause irritation too.
 
On my vets advice when DP had it first time and I didn't have a clue because I had never seen it before. Do not under any circumstances pick the scabs off, it exposes the new skin underneath to more bacteria which causes more infection. Do not wash in Hibiscrub as it can be too astringent for the new skin. Leave mud to dry and if you have to get it off gently use your clean fingers not a brush as the bristles can damage the new skin.

At the first sign of it I now wash his legs in Malaseb and allow them to dry thoroughly before applying Lincoln Muddy Buddy. Never lasts more than a few days although touch wood he hasn't had it for over a year now.
 
Many years ago I had a horse with the most horrendous mud fever you have ever seen it went all up his legs it was awful.
Wondergel was amazing
 
There are different strategies but this worled well for me when Amber had quite bad mud fever.
1) Use baby oil for a few days to soften scabs
2) Rinse legs daily in very dilute hibiscrub and gently ease scabs off if they are ready using a soft brush. Don't pick them.
3) Dry legs thoroughly by patting them with kitchen roll. (Don;t rub with a towel)
4) Use a medicated cream - I got some from my vet which was aqueous cream with 'magic stuff' in it.

Once the sores are gone, stop washing the legs and use a barrier oil to prevent recurrence.
 
I have a sporthorse who had mud fever for first time last year. I tried various things but what worked for me was Muddy Buddy powder but its costly to use loads every day and so what I use now is Superdrug medicated talc. It hasnt got the same ingredients but seems to work just as well and at £1.49 I can use it liberally and I pretty much use it all year.
 
At this stage of the year, I would want to involve the vet, it isn't really muddy or wet yet. If he has had a few things wrong with him this year, I would ask for a Cushings test. My mare had skin problems as one of her early symptoms.
 
If you have scabby pasterns this early in the season before there’s any mud, there’s always a chance you may be dealing with leucocytoclastic vasculitis, which you can Google to your heart’s content.

For mud fever I found the best treatment was manuka honey on the sores, covered with Filtabac, and then Muddy Marvel over the top. Worked a charm even when my girls were living out through last winter.
 
My only experience of mud fever was many years ago when my previous horse got a very bad case not helped by me not really knowing what I was dealing with! I used a product called Aromaheel, it's made of natural ingredients and worked really well. The downside is that it gets a little messy but I resisted washing it off probably washed it off once a week to reapply fresh and in no time the scabs healed and fresh hair grew. Would thoroughly recommend it.
 
Aromaheel is really good! I would second the posters that have mentioned skin health integrity etc. You need to look at your feeding regime and feed for better skin health. This is ultimately what ended our mf woes.
 
Thanks people, i wasn't overly worried about his skin really (starting to think otherwise now), the field he's in has a prominent water layer on it when it rains unfortunely, but we should be moving to a new paddock soon. His issues this year have not been related of any sort (osteoarthritis of hocks and navicular changes) and he's fed on baileys lo cal, maybe this is lacking something for his skin.... Going to tack shop todays so will have a look around, thanks x
 
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