Mud fever, should i boot?

R

redriverrock

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 December 2011
Messages
574
Visit site
So have a tb who has had abit of mud fever on his white hind...seems to have flared up since we have had the wet warm weather...no mud though. We have lathered it in sudocrem and gently got all the scabs off and it is looking really nice tbh though obviously sore...my question is with the rain we are having would i be better to turn out with a boot on so it dosent get wet or leave it open...also should i carry on with the sudocrem or let the skin air, meant to be doing a BE this sunday but looking doubtful :(
 
I'm pretty shocked to hear about mud fever in June! I wouldnt boot .. but then I treat, or should I say, did treat mud fever aggressively. Horses out 24/7 now, allowed to grow hairy legs in winter so mud fever is a thing of the past for me.
Edited to add .. I would give it a good hard scrub with some diluted hibiscrub and lather it in uddercream. Repeat until gone ... which shouldnt take long at all.
 
Its been raining on and off today and the grass is quite long and abit damp...my instinct says lather it in sudocrem and leave unbooted but alo need to keep it dry...but then the cream would repel the water i guess?
 
So, ive fetched him in, had another look, no sign of any infection and all the scabs have gone so just left with sore skin but certainly not as red as it was this morning, decided to let it air and turn him out in our bottom field which has shorter grass...fingers crossed he is ok for Sunday...meant to be going to Speetley ODE :)
 
It really is best not to boot for mud fever. The condition is caused by bacteria so whilst a boot might keep mud out (and conversely might trap mud against the skin....) it won't keep the bacteria out. All you will do is create a nice warm wet environment to breed in whilst rubbing already damaged skin.

Mud fever in summer isn't uncommon either - the bacteria survive just fine in dust. It does need warm wet conditions - or a scratch - to damage the horse's skin enough to allow the bacteria access. But that can happen anytime.

It sounds like you are treating it correctly - I prefer flamazine to udder cream - but that is prescription only and a pest to get hold of. Perhaps look into pig oil and sulphur as a preventative for later. Don't put it on already sore skin.
 
Shay said:
It really is best not to boot for mud fever. The condition is caused by bacteria so whilst a boot might keep mud out (and conversely might trap mud against the skin....) it won't keep the bacteria out. All you will do is create a nice warm wet environment to breed in whilst rubbing already damaged skin.

Mud fever in summer isn't uncommon either - the bacteria survive just fine in dust. It does need warm wet conditions - or a scratch - to damage the horse's skin enough to allow the bacteria access. But that can happen anytime.

It sounds like you are treating it correctly - I prefer flamazine to udder cream - but that is prescription only and a pest to get hold of. Perhaps look into pig oil and sulphur as a preventative for later. Don't put it on already sore skin.
Click to expand...

Absolutely this... i know an experienced stud owner who had a TB yearling prepping for the sales. What started as a few scabs, escalated to horrendous infections due to repeated washing. Hibiscrub is a no no too especially for TB's. I had a mare out on loan once who was given this treatment. it took a month for the swelling and infection to go away. My feeling is that it can be constitutional as well. My half bred black mare used to get a patch of mud fever during the work up to her first event of the season. It went away on it's own as she got fitter.
 
We have withdrawn him from Speetley 2moro basically because he is sore when we put his boots on and obviously cant go xc with no boots..weve been smothering it in sudocrem and IF he lets us having a rub to loosen the few remaining scabs but hes always been abit funny with his back legs so it is tricky!...it seemed to flare up after Shelford BE and he has always been abit prone to mud fever on that leg...probably cos its his only white one but i do wonder if its abit stress related aswell...hopefully he will be back to his normal self in a few days.
 
Perhaps if it's looking that sore consider bringing in out of the mud and give TCP bathe for a few days and continue with the sudocream inbetween until it looks like it's not sore. I would stay clear of Boots for rubbing reasons and due to providing perfect conditions for the fungal & bacterial infection.
 
Just a wee aside ... just in case ... i had a horse with mudfever which wasn't improving & whom we were treating with sudocream ... & he turned out to be allergic to sudocream.
 
it may be mud fever- I know like others have said- it doesn't have to be muddy!
but my white socked TB easily gets sun burnt socks (more so as he has got older) and the other day it was quite grey and drizzly and I didn't put cream or boots on, and he burnt and now having to treat the scabs.
I use a cream with a small amount of steroid in (the name escapes me) and sudocrem occasionally- but the cream is thinner so use that more. As days of sudocrem can start to get gloopy and gross.

I use chashel summer fly/uv protection boots that are basically a mesh.

it may be mud fever- i hope it improves what ever it is, but if you look on the weather forecast- at this time of year UV can be high even on a cloudy wet day (I'm obsessed with the forecast due to my sensitive TB and my mare who has a pink nose!)
 
I second the possibility that it could be sunburn rather than mud fever. Hopefully it's not anything as serious as Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis (photoaggravated vasculitis) as that is truly awful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top