Mud Fever

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DezzyF

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I have a 21yo thoroughbred (ex racer) this morning a noticed both his back legs are swollen and he has developed mud fever. Which i know nothing about. He is my first owned horse and ive only had him 8months.
Could some body point me in the right direction on how to keep on top of this, i bathed his legs in warm water and a friend gave me some muddy buddy cream.

Id just like your views on how to get rid of this or keep on top of it as ive heard it can cause lameness. Thanks
 
I would recommend aqueous cream with sulphur powder mixed in.my girl had it and tried everything else, after using aqueous cream for a week it has cleared up.pig oil and sulphur once it has gone as preventative
 
Keep the legs dry. Creams, oils or keratex powder can help with that. Put them on dry legs. It's best to let the legs dry naturally and brush off the mud. Washing legs tends to make the problems worse. If you do have to wash the legs I use human Head & Shoulders shampoo. One type has zinc and the other has selenium. There are various mud fever creams for putting on the scabs and its an experiment to find what works on your horse. I like Heel to Hoof cream, it will stick to wet skin. Nutritional supplements can help too. I like echinacea and NAF D-Tox. If you do a search on here you'll find lots of threads on mud fever.
 
Alpha A didn't do anything with ours , but can't see it doing harm either. Why did it say it was bad?

If you do wash off his legs, use colder water - warm opens the pores so the mud/bacteria goes into the skin..

If the legs are swollen already, I would have the vet look at them, especially if you've never dealt with MF before.. I would also think keeping him out of the field for a few days until it goes down and the legs feel more normal would be a good plan.

We use baby oil on the legs for those that get it slightly, and Muddy marvel barrier cream for those that got it badly. The muddy marvel three step set is a good set - and tells you what to do.
 
If they are already very scabby then I'd use alum salts. Dissolve a few spoonfuls in hot water, then add cold till its lukewarm, not hot. Bathe, then leave to dry. Not really keen on the heavier creams being put on, as I think it can seal in any infection. I'd just bathe in alum salts daily, then when dry use baby oil or something equally light & breathable before turning back out. Then, once gone the best preventative ime is to leave them. Allow wet mud to dry, & brush off. Then if you want to be cautious, a light smear of baby oil before turning out.
Do you have a ym that can have a look for you? If his legs are already swelling from mud fever its possible you could need a vet if you aren't experienced. Other thing that can work is keeping feathers trimmed. Huge heavy ones can keep the skin dry, tb feathers are usually just long enough to keep clumps of wet mud near the skin.
 
To orevent it, i used nettex muddy marvel barrier cream - it lasts for a few days and I found it realky effective.

To get rid of it I used the de-scab nexxtex stuff and applied carr day and martin wound cream daily. It was bloody amazing how quickly she recovered from it using that!!!
 
I suggest this stuff, H10 horse spray which is anti fungal and anti bacterial. My mare came out in extreme mudfever 3 weeks ago and after using that stuff for a week her mudfever has gone. I wash her legs everyday when she comes in, dry her off then spray it all over her legs and then again in the morning before she goes out, brings down the swelling and heat.

Ive tried everything mentioned by others in this thread and nothing has worked as fast or well as the H10 spray. :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H-10-HORS...ent&hash=item2a16429afb&_uhb=1#ht_1315wt_1037
 
Ive had the vet out to him she gave ne some cream he has not got cracked or raw skin just a few scabs right up his legs, vet also said to keep exercising him as much as possible i think i'll get some of the H10 spray he'll be staying in for a while now as the fields are really bad and he sinks when he walks through the muddy areas will be getting him some equi-chaps also just to try and stop the mud getting up his legs.

Another question ive tried lungibg him and he doesnt seem to take to it he will go for a few minutes but then bolt of like he cant be bothered but when i ride him he's fantastic. He's only done this recently any have any advice on how to stop him ??
 
littlelegs said:
If his legs are already swelling from mud fever its possible you could need a vet if you aren't experienced. Other thing that can work is keeping feathers trimmed. Huge heavy ones can keep the skin dry, tb feathers are usually just long enough to keep clumps of wet mud near the skin.
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Ditto this. Get your vet out if his legs are swelling. Mud fever is a slippery little bugger . . . can appear out of nowhere and be quite nasty. My boy has a mix of cellulitis and mud fever just now and it's made him lame. Once it's taken a hold, you need help from prescription meds to shift it.

Hope your horse feels better soon.

P
 
Don't know how others have got on with equi-chaps, but I found that the mud got inside them and rubbed my old mare raw in just one day, so do be careful with them.
 
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