Mud Fever

[Croeso]

I am pretty sure my girl has mud fever (welcome to wales!)

I know alittle about mud fever but this is the first time I have ever had to deal with it and because it was donkies year ago when I researched it I thought i'd better ask and see if theres a modern way of treating it

I have been recommended Naf Mud gard, any one else recommend this

at the moment I am just washing her legs of and using hibiscrub on the affect area's

thank you in advance..xx

 

[BenjaminBunny]

I don't know ways to treat it - but i hear vaseline is good for preventing mud fever - use on the soles of the hooves and around the heels

 

[UKa]

Have used sudocream, available from the chemists, before on mild mud fever ...

 

[Tempi]

washing can make it worse. i use aromaheel on Bloss and its abosolutly brilliant, it cleared up her scabs and now i put it on as a barrier cream. I wash her legs once a week in fairy liquid to get the cream off properly and then i hibiscrub them and she has thermatex leg wraps on at night to make sure the legs dry out properly.

Aromaheel

 

[judymoon]

this is a really old treatment (passed down etc) i used it ages ago when i used to work on a stud, top class brrodmare used to get it really bad every year and we tried all the available treatments to no avail (as i said long time ago) then one girl tried a old treatment that was bloody amazing, Flower of sulphour (from chemist, yellow powder) mixed up with warm lard, i guess petroleum jelly may work but we used lard, smothered on to leg, WOW it was gone in days, just interesting how we lose track of the old remedies that worked before all the new fangled stuff came in.

 

[pottamus]

You need to keep the area as dry as possible but put something water proof and anteseptic on the scabs so they loosen and you can get them off...the cream will then fight the bacteria underneath the scabs. Washing the legs and wetting the skin will make it worse and spread.
Would I be right in saying it is a Welsh with feathers (going on your web link)? Because ideally you need to trim the hair around the affected area...but appreciate you may not want to do this if a Welsh...I would not either! Good luck.

 

[Faithkat]

My mare gets it and her field's not even muddy but she's in long grass which is pretty wet. I've been putting Sudocrem and Lincoln Tea Tree ointment on it every day and that's working a treat. Don't keep washing the legs, you just make it worse.

 

[annie02]

I also recommend using Tea Tree oil but I put a zinc cream over top to seal moisture out. It can be a bacteria/fungus mix so my keeping out the moisture and the air you are starving the bugs that casue mud fever. I would only wash the leg to remove layers of cream that might be there but I would dry it really well afterwards. Clipping the hair in that area also helps a lot....

 

[Louby]

Thanks for the Flower of Sulphar recipe, I was told of it a few years ago but couldnt remember exactly what was in it.
My boy came in the other day with about an inch size patch of scabs, I washed in warm water and hibiscrub, dried it thoroughly and put some dermobian on. Next day scabs had loosened, put more dermobian on and today its gone. Was lucky though to catch it in time.

 

[Chambon]

Ditto! I still do this now if I have one with mud fever...

I mix sulphur powder (our local tack shop stocks it!) with glycerine until it forms a paste then slap it on all over the legs, cover with plastic (not cling film) and bandage. Leave on for 24 hours and then wash off. It breaks down all the scabs perfectly. Once you have clean skin again it is easier to prevent mud fever than to treat it.

For prevention I use keratex mud shield powder, but at the first sign of the tiniest scab I slap on the sulphur cream as above.

 

[Grey_Arab]

My pony also gets mud fever, but we have the added complication of him having the worlds most sensetive skin and so he is allergic to all the barrier creams and so he wears those boots that are made of the wet suit material to do everything in and it seems to help!

 

[Croeso]

wow this has been very helpful, will be slapping on the cream today, thanks
poor love it must really hurt them loads...xx
oh yes it was a welsh cob (denwyn lady jane)
i have to say 13 years of breeding welsh cobs this is the first time i have ever had to deal with mud fever, we moved to wales this summer!

 

[ArleyMoss]

[ QUOTE ]

at the moment I am just washing her legs of and using hibiscrub on the affect area's


[/ QUOTE ]

Make you dry the legs after washing, you should be trying to remove the scabs while washing, but no forcing them off.

Use cream on the legs over night to soften the scabs up and keep that up till all the scabs are gone.

Then use cheap baby oil over dry legs every few weeks to keep it at bay!

 

[MDJO]

Hi
The best thing I have found is Camrosa - an ointment which can only be bought direct from the manufacturer (google camrosa equestrian to find) - really easy to use but you do need their removal cream and shampoo as it really stays put. You just clean up the area with their shampoo and then when dry apply the ointment and leave for a few days - you can turn out with it on - nothing gets through it - after a couple of days, remove the ointment, clean up and reapply. I have treated mine with it and after a couple of days all scabs lifted (without having to pick them off) and the hair had grown back within a couple of weeks - never had mudfever since and that was over 4 years ago. Really easy to use - no fuss.

 

[Salcey]

We use udder cream. My mare gets it on her back legs and under her tummy. She doesn't get it from the mud but from her disgustling wet bed (don't ask)
I never wash it off, just brush off any bedding (mud) and slap on the cream. It keeps is nicely at bay

 

[dixie]

I used a NAF product for my horse when was showing signs of gettng mud fever.

Can't remember the proper name but it was a feed supplement. It smelt quite bad but he didn't develop mud fever that year for the first time and he hasn't had it since (touch wood). Not sure if it worked or was a coincidence though.

 

[princesskelly]

i feed naf mud guard it worked last year so she's back on it this year. also use baby oil to protect legs. touch wood she does'nt have it yet this year but thought i would still do what i always do just in case!

 

[tashyisaudrey]

I use vaseline and mud guard. I also hibi scrub it and put mark todd coolex boots on during day and night to dry legs out. DONT WASH LEGS. this takes their natural oil away from coat which works as a barrier and only worsens the condition. stable them if you can so they are not just going out in the mud again

 

[Enfys]

Oh dear, as you said, welcome to wales........that part in particular, I had 8 years of MF in Cwmgors and it wasn't until last year that I found a remedy for the scabs (Thankyou Henryhorn) Slap on loads of cream, I used sudocrem and wrap with clingfilm and leave for 24 hours and the scabs come off when you wipe the legs clean. Easy with a skinny legged arab, perhaps not quite so with your cobs.
I tried practically every preventative product I heard of and not one of them proved all that effective, welsh mud and my arabs just didn't mix, yet all my welshies and natives never suffered at all in the same fields!

Hope you're well settled in now and enjoying life. Is Kailey still riding for you?

 

[parsley]

I have been using aqeouscream (v. cheap from the chemist) mixed with some sulphur powder - slap it on the legs, wrap in clingfilm and bandage - the scabs are very easy to scrap off with your finger nails (yummy!) without pain to the horse. Then apply the antiseptic cream of your choice. I do find that even doing this there are other sudden new outbreaks coming up really quickly. The vet has advised me to shampoo the legs in a 50/50 mix of hibiscrub and water, leave on for 15 mins, rinse and dry. This does seem to halt the spread.

 

[madabout2]

My horse has mudfever.

From September to last weekend he was turned out in sportabac boots, and feed 2 measure of mudgard a day.

Last weekend nasty little scabs on three legs - do we go straight to all out warfare.

Up mudgard to 3 scoops a day (max recommended), dump boots as these create nice warm conditions for those nasty little blighters to grow in.
Each evening warfare commendes:
We wash the mud of everyday with tea tree shampoo, pick off the scabs and with a clean towel dry legs and finish with bounty kitchen towels (seems to get the last bit out ) then to be super sure legs are dry wrap legs in themtex wraps (whilst do stable chores). Return and put biological warfare to action aka keratex powder.

Every morning, check legs for any reinforcements and pick off scabs as necessary then smother the blighters with chemical weapons (namely sudocrem) and I mean smother the horses legs are white and we get through a medium pot in 3 days.

We have had this problem for 4 years and the reason we are so agressive is year before last we had a thousand £ vets bill for treating an abcess which was a result of rubber from the school getting into a wound and causing a reaction. (horse also lame for whole of winter) Hence we wash everyday and are liberal with the sudcrem.

Pray for the frosts which seem to kill the bacteria.

 

[Jose]

Mud Fever Spray....brilliant stuff