Mud fever symptoms but totally dry field- how do I treat it ?

maginn

maginn

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My horse has a small area on her (white) back leg which looks like mud fever. However the field is dry as a bone so can't be ? As October thought photosensitivity unlikely, but could it be mites (she is a warmblood - not much feather). Or something else...?

Been treating as mud fever, clipped affected area picking scabs off daily and bathing with hibiscrub, after drying off & have tried various topical applications (hoof to heal, muddy marvel, gold label leg guard) but is not improving.

If it is mites should I be doing something different ? I am concerned as she developed mud fever at the same time of the year last winter (different leg - but she has 4 white socks..aaarr !) and I didn't get totally rid off it until spring, even with flammazine from the vet, however it was difficult to keep the leg dry as she had to be out as had a foal at foot.

I think I may possibly have to get the vet out as don't want to be struggling again all winter, but any suggestions welcome as I want to avoid if possible, due to vet bills for unrelated issued over past 2 months (so getting v. expensive). Thanks
 
It could be mudfever. Its caused by bacteria in the ground, so even when its dry there can be possible infection by the bacteria in the dry mud dust which is kicked up.

I used to keep my horse in an area that was reknowned for mudfever (he never had it before or after moving out of this area), and him and a lot of horses at the yard had it in the summer months when the ground was dry.
 
My mare has some on 2 white legs, been pretty dry here too. I am just treating it as I did in the winter - keeping it clean, easing scabs off, muddy marvel barrier cream, and it is gradually getting better.
 
I swear by Keratex mud fever powder for my mare, but you can use it for all sorts of skin problems and minor wounds. I wouldn't be doing anything that wets the leg. Keep it as dry as possible as washing softens the skin and lets in infection.
 
My pony had mud fever for the first time ever in the 5 years I've had him this September when it was lovely and dry in the field! Both front heels for about 2 weeks. I picked off scabs, cleaned off any new mud, dried thoroughly (kitchen roll is great for this as so absorbent) and applied aloe vera gel and then when on way to getting better applied udder cream as a bit of a barrier. Seemed to work for him.
 
I've been fighting mud fever all summer on one white leg of one of my horses - fields have been totally dry. The only thing that seems to acutually have an effect is Aromaheel. Sudocrem stops the leg getting sore but doesn't reduce the mud fever, Fuciderm did the same. The Aromaheel didn't work anywhere near as quickly as their marketing suggests, and it also caused a bit of inflammation if I put it on for more than about four days in a row BUT it did finally shift the damned scabs after alternating with Sudocrem.
 
What *looks* like mud fever isn't always mud fever, in part because it's not really one thing, it's more of a symptom and there can be more than one specific organism at work.

We had a similar problem last year and every "traditional" approach - creams, picking off scabs etc. - made things worse. In retrospect I think the horse had a vesculitis and I should have insisted on fully analysed skin scrapings but hey, live and learn. He was "treated" with mild iodine wash every couple of days - NO scrubbing - and a nitrafurazone (apparently virtually unknown here but neither the vet nor I are native so what do we know
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) dressing changed twice a day.

Over the summer he's had a few small outbreaks and I've done NO washing, just cleaning them off and more furazone, which seems to have done the trick.

With the arrival of the wetter weather he did form another more persistent lesion and we've started with the close contact Equi-chaps. I know they won't be a bulwark against "proper" mud but so far they are definitely helping. I suspect it's not only protecting the leg, but keeping it warm and providing some support to encourage circulation, as much as anything. So the furazone on every other day or so on the one (now shrinking and drier looking) lesion, chaps every day even when it's not particularly wet, and fingers crossed.
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My TB had this on his white sock in the summer. I tried expensive creams etc from the vet and it didn't make much of a difference. In the end I used calendula cream and wrapped the fetlock with gamgee then vetwrap with some duck tape to keep it in place in the field. It took about a week but it cleared up completely and the hair grew back fairly quickly. I wish I'd done that in the first place!
 
Athletes foot spray gets rid in a week spray on once every day into the cracks and scabs. I had the same as you one leg DONT PICK THE SCABS this makes it spread! just gently brush the scabs off as it heals! £3.50 boots the chemist.
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my horse got it during summer -we think becuase i was washing him off after riding and not towel drying the legs off -the nettex muddy marvel stuff is brill for tackling it and touch wood he hasnt had it since and i use the muddy marvel barrier cream everytime its muddy
 
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