mud totally confuzzled now!

[lucy5]

hey

people are talking about so many different ways of preventing and treating mudfever

what routine do you use? like to go out and when they are in?

thanks alot! xxx

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Mudfever effects horses differently and response differently to treatment, you just have to experiment and find what works for you (then be prepared to change if that method stops working). Currently I wash mud off with a cold hose when I bring my girl in (if legs dry just brush off). I wouldn't normally advise washing off mud, but need to get boots on to ride, thus if not washed off it rubs in. I make sure legs are dried thoroughly with a towel, then ride. After exercise I brush off sand (tend to school during week as too dark to hack) and put Hoof to Heel on any scabby bits. Sparks legs are kept clipped through the winter, as I find them easier to manage this way. If muddy 'prevent it' is applied before she is turned out in the morning.

 

[sea_view]

My routine is:

Going out - barrier cream before going out
Coming in - Rinse, Hibi scrub wash, rinse, dry then apply zinc and castor oil cream

I have also used aromaheel which was great to help clear any bouts of mudfever up - slightly on the expensive side tho.

 

[lucy5]

oo thanks anyone else?

 

[joanne1920]

going out heel to hoof on scabby bits and cracks, when brought in nothing just let mud dry off naturally, stabled when really raining heavy but am going to try and keep in at least once a week to throughly dry legs out... also found tea tree mist seems to help a bit every other day spray on before heel to hoof is applied...

 

[vicm2509]

My horse is in at night and out in the day. First I apply emmolient cream to his mud fever prone bits (fetlocks for him) then I apply leg guard from robinsons each morning before he goes out. When he comes in I dont touch his legs, just leave them muddy, but I will be getting some thermalux stable wraps to dry them in the next week or two.

He did get mud fever quite badly a few weeks ago, I applied emollient cream from the chemist to dry legs, covered with cling film, then bandaged, left them overnight and all the scabs rubbed off really easily (this was done after a week or so of failed attemps from other methods). Following removal of the scabs I kept him in for about a week and put loads of iodene spray on followed by emollient cream. Once totally clear and hair grew back I started to put him out again.

 

[lucy5]

thanks

whats the best ointment etc for slight mmud fever at the moment i am hibiscrubbing and bandaging x

 

[Vicki1986]

well this is my first experience of mud fever with mine so at the moment i am trying theories out to see what works for me....

i have kept her legs clipped out - something i will not do next year as it seems to me shes only got this since her legs have been clipped. now shes got it i have to keep them clipped so i can manage it


i hibiscrubbed it to the max with warm water
picked off scabs
cleaned wound
kept her in for 2 weeks (leg was very swollen and she was lame) + had a 10 day course of anti biotics and a few days on bute as the swelling was quite large.
applied sudocream daily
kept her away from water of any form at all costs!

then when she was turned out again i kept sudocream on it.

she now has another small scab about 1cm (unfortunately right under her fetlock right on the joint so seems to be very painful for her) so the whole process has started again (bar the anti biotics and bute)

i have also bought MVP for Iv horse and will be applying it to try to prevent this again. i am also thinking of going down the chaps/turnout socks route x

this is how hers was, it took 2 weeks to clear up and heal over its now very pink with no hair grown back over yet....

 

[spaniel]

My elderly cob has heavily feathered legs which I leave on in winter and no matter how wet and muddy he appears to be when you part the hair and get down as far as skin its always clean and dry. I hose lightly if he has very wet mud on when he comes in otherwise its left to dry overnight and brushed off.

The youngerster (grey with pink skin) has little tufty feathers on the fetlock only and he has his legs hosed and left to dry naturally if he comes in muddy.

In my experience, if you can get away with it (for boots and things) its best to leave all the feather on. It offers amazing protection (as its supposed to). If they have to come off use barrier creams or one of the waterproofing talc products before you start to get problems and if hosing legs off be careful if using stable wraps to help dry them off. Under the wraps the skin can get quite warm, it helps with the drying BUT it also opens the skin pores and if you do happen to have the mud fever bacteria in your grazing land it offers a brilliant entry route.