Birker2020
Well-Known Member
My horse (WB) has mud fever for the first time since owning him (five years). He's been at his present yard virtually all of this time and been out in the same paddock for about the last eighteen months. A couple of weeks ago (27th April) ends ago I noticed when brushing his cannon bone that he had the start of mud fever so investigated and discovered it was in his heels too. I treated with hibiscrub and warm water to remove the scabs, and througly dried the area before putting on Diprobase cream which is an emoillient and something the doctor prescribed me for excema ages ago. This discovery of mud fever corresponded with the weekend (26th April) when he went on a pleasure ride and got muddy fetlocks/heels. Could it have been that my horse picked up mud fever from this pleasure ride, ie. the bacteria present in the mud? I thought a horse had to be exposed to the same mud bacteria constantly for a period of time? Other people have suggested it could be the grass being wet in the paddock thats made him contract mud fever. I am now treating it with hibiscrub, drying, and sudocreme and if no better by next week will ask the vet about it when he goes into hospital for the day at the vet practice. I would have expected it to have got better by now, this is day 9 or 10 of treating it religously every day, I saw a slight difference in previous horses (at different yards) within 3 or 4 days previously. What's going on and why contract mud fever in May????