Oh poopedy-poop... skin trouble again.

Meowy Catkin

Meowy Catkin

Meow!
Joined
19 July 2010
Messages
22,635
Visit site
My gelding has three white legs and the area where the back of the pastern meets the heel bulbs is starting to look sore again (chestnut leg is fine).

The Vet is coming tomorrow as I want to nip it in the bud now and last time he needed antibiotics to clear it and it took an age to solve.

I'm just soooo frustrated - it's been like a desert, so dry and dusty... it can't be mud fever surely?
 
Feel you frustration - Mine has the same and just can't seem to get rid of it totally. Had antibiotics last winter when leg swelled because of it but want to avoid as it upset his tummy and put him off eating. Trying various treatments get rid of one patch and then another appears GRRR!
 
I hope you get it cleared up soon.

Last time I had to grate an apple or carrot into his feed to get him to eat his antibiotics - then we moved onto a different antibiotic that was injected. Flamazine didn't shift it, but hypocare and the injections did.
 
It's possible - hopefully the Vet can identify it tomorrow.

It started off a couple of days ago looking like he had mud stuck to the fur in that area, but when I touched it (to dust off the dry mud) it was sticky underneath and he jumped about 6ft in the air. I guess the muddy dust had stuck to the stickiness. The one I touched now looks quite sore, so I've left the other two well alone.
 
Could it be grass mites? One of mine has a white foot and a white coronet band and both of these get eaten during the summer. It looks like mud fever, but isn't (weirdly, he doesn't get that) and only happens in the summer. Never found a cure but aromaheal/aromaheel worked quite well to keep it under control.
 
Mine got a small patch of something like this last year. Never quite worked out whether it was sunburn or a kind of dermatitis caused by the dry dusty mud irritating the skin. This summer we've kept her pink heels clean and covered with Sudocreme on sunny days (and Cashel sun chaps when i got around to ordering them) and so far so good. She's also on a much higher spec balancer this year than last (ForagePlus), and I don't know if that has something to do with it. I know some suggest that mineral deficiencies like copper can make the skin more susceptible to burn / irritation.
 
I've failed to find the thread on AL. :(

He has to wear a fly mask with nose cover to stop his nose from burning. If it is sunburn I will order sunchaps (do they do them in twiglet leg size? :p) or slather him in sunscreen.
 
It does sound like sun burn, my chestnut TB has to wear leg covers after it got badly infected one year, he wears the cheapy shires fly wraps since equilibrium stopped making the sun chaps, they are actually really good, lasted and fit better :)
 
digger66 said:
Just an idea, but if the horses nose can be photosensitised by buttercups could his legs be also?
Click to expand...

Yes - I've heard of that but they are on a patch that didn't really have any.

I really hope it isn't this LV thing. :( I will talk to the Vet about it as a possibility... it sounds like a right ****** to shift and I want it to be easily fixable.

*Please be easy to fix*
 
Thanks for all your help - my poor Vet is going to be bombarded with suggestions (I'll try to restrain myself from going overboard).

I do feel rotten though. Tonight he looks a tad off on the leg I touched. It's so much sorer and the patch is bigger than the ones I left alone. They still just look like some mud is caught in the hollows at the top of the heel bulbs.
 
Sorry I forgot to update. He has antibiotics and his worst leg does look less swollen now. The Vet is coming to check his progress today.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top