Mud fever prevention... what do you do...

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Flashbacksj

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i know there are different schools of thought on this one.

Ive known people wash their horses legs every night... then towel dry really well...

And others including myself who use Udder cream or similar to form a barrier on clipped legs.

there have been over the years a couple of horses on our yard that have suffered with really bad mud fever... both of which have their legs washed everyday... is it true that by towel drying you could infact be spreading the infection up their legs??

Just wanted to know what peoples prevention methods are... and any success stories or otherwise.

Fingers crossed my horse remains mud fever free this winter... x
 
I'm with you. I very rarely wash the legs.

I put baby oil on the legs several times a week, and sudocream the heals daily.

Touches wood - but no sign of any problems on white legs this winter. (He had it quite badly the first winter I got him, which took antibiotics etc. to clear up.


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I have hairy horses so they have plenty of natural protection which I enhance by applying pig oil and sulphur. Only wash out if showing or at the most a little cold water and a brush on the tips of the hair if they get clogged up with clay.

When I had less blessed horses, I never clip legs and left as much natural hair on them to drain the wet off. I used sudocream or green oils on the heels and baby oil on the legs Only if legs were really covered in thick clay, then would hose off with cold water and towel the heels as they dried quicker then left coated in clay. However, if it was thin runny mud, then left to dry and brushed off.
 
Pig oil, I swear by it. I put it on for a few days to start with then once or twice week. I never wash her legs as the mud doesnt stick. You just have to remember not to put it on for a few days before the farrier turns up or they wont be happy bunnies. I have used it on an appy and a sensitive tb who cant even had cream on cuts coz she's so sensitive and had no bad reactions at all.
 
I don't use anything but I've heard of people clipping the hair off, wrapping the legs in cling film, secure with duct tape and put a pair of sports boots(or similar) over the top to make sure it stays in place. I think if it works it is a good idea and prevents you needing to apply all different creams or washing everyday. Does however make the legs a little sweaty.
 
I had a chestnut Arab mare with white legs
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In the end the only successful method I found was to put Keratex Mud Shield powder onto clean, dry legs in the morning. At night she had her legs washed in baby bath, roughly towelled and then put into thermatex wraps all night.

My grey doesn't need anything much though. I washed her legs last night for the first time in ages and put some Keratex on this morning.
 
I know a girl at my yard whose horse suffered terrribly last year with mud fever.

This year she has put a suppliment in his feed specifally for mud fever prevention and I have to say it has worked a treat. he has no mud fever at all this year.

Don't know what It is called but if you want to know more PM me and I will find out for you.
 
My old girl has got two little patches this year, the first time ever. It started on the site of a cut, I guess the bacteria were able to get in and colonise.

I did loads of reading up and it seems that the best thing is to prevent it by keeping legs dry/using a barrier such as powder/oils/feathers etc. I am using keratex mud shield powder on the good legs to prevent it spreading

Once a horse has it you need to get the scabs off, I read that sudeocreme, zinc and castor oil ,baby oil and wraping the legs in cling film for a few hours helps. Then you need to wash down using an antiseptic like hibbiscrub to kill bugs and then dry carefully. Some articles advised just leaving the wounds to the air, others suggested healing and antibiotic creams like sudocreme or flamazine(sp). Once a horse actualy has mud fever I read that feathers are best removed and greasy barrier creams are best avoided otherwise the bacteria will thrive in the moist anerobic conditions.

So my poor girll has 3 feathered powdery legs and one clipped out leg. Hibbiscrub and an hour of zinc & castor oil followed by anothe hibbiscrub was enough to get the initial scabs off and am now slathering on flamazine 2 times a day and washing with hibbisrub every other day, 1 week on it s loads better. Once it has cleared up complately I wiull leyt the feathers grow back and start using the mud shield powder on all 4 legs.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I had a chestnut Arab mare with white legs
blush.gif


In the end the only successful method I found was to put Keratex Mud Shield powder onto clean, dry legs in the morning. At night she had her legs washed in baby bath, roughly towelled and then put into thermatex wraps all night.

My grey doesn't need anything much though. I washed her legs last night for the first time in ages and put some Keratex on this morning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactley what I did for my Arab's legs when he suffered. Now he just refuses to go out in mud so problem solved
cool.gif
 
Stones or chippings down in all gateways, its sort of a prevention, at least when they are waiting to come in, there not churning the gatesway up and creating wet and muddy conditions to stand around in.
 
My old yard resembled a rice paddy at the best of times, I used to buy some greasy stuff at great expense (cannot recall the name), then discovered that baby oil liberally applied with a sponge did exactly the same job. Mud slipped off and what stayed on dried and flaked off overnight.
 
I have had one of my horses 8 years and have probably spent about £500+ on vets fees etc with his mud fever/photosenstitivity.

I feed Mud Guard by NAF- brilliant stuff, no signs of mud fever yet!!

I also apply Muddy Marvel barrier cream a couple of times a week.

I dont wash his legs and he has a very deep straw bed as I believe this helps dry his legs.
 
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