oozing scabs on feet/heels ?

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angiek

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I wonder if the problem two of my ponies have is related to feather mites?
They are Connemaras, so not overly feathered, and for the last month have both been coming in from grazing (out at night/in during day) with oozy scabs on feet, back of heels, and also a few higher up legs, canon area. Oozing yellow and pussy. Some quite big - 5p size, some just small scabs, but leave sore patches and hair loss. After cleaning have pig oiled (with sulphur) and sometimes they don't re occur for few days, other times its every day. Think it must be something biting them, ? but what? Not overly itchy tho? They graze one paddock. Ponies in adjoining paddocks, including hairies, not affected.
Any ideas please?
 
We had this, not as bad by the sound of it, you could only feel them not see them. We tried Hibiscrub and PO&S but ended up having to have an injection off the vets which worked a treat :D
 
Mite not be Mites (sorry couldn't resist that) .. Neets gets midgy bites round her heels ... think little bitie critters live in grass so go for heels ... I manage by rubbing sudocrem into heels as soothes skin and also deters bitie critters..
 
Are your ponies' legs white? Is there any swelling in the lower legs? Does this happen more on sunny days?
If so have you thought of photosensitivity? It can be a symptom of failing liver function.
From what I have seen, feather mites cause intense itching and the horse rubs the legs together to try get some relief. It doesn't just appear during the day, it is constant and they carry on rubbing in the stable.
 
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one pony black, one dun with black points, so no white.
Also they are mostly out of the sun during daytime, grazing at night, but have a few hours in morning after sun comes up. Would both have liver problems at same time do you think, one is 6 and the other is 4 yrs old. Been on this grazing only a few months, no weeds obvious. Certainly no wort or buttercup. Few thistles and nettles.
 
Is there any chance it could be cracked heels?
Have you had them long, could they have been exposed to ragwort before you got them, or have you any in your fields?
 
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No ragwort in this grazing, was very little where they were last two years. Would cracked heels be just in the heel area tho? They both have scabs on front of feet as well as heels, right round where hoof ends (coronet) as well as the odd one or two a few inches higher up legs.
 
Cracked heels and mud fever are caused by the same bacteria. Is it wet in the fields? Has it been grazed by cattle as there seems to be a connection with mud fever and cows?
There is also another condition where the coronet bands become ulcerated. It's something like Phembigitis. I cant remember what causes it so wouldn't know how it could affect both ponies.
Try a search in these forums again, I think I read about it on here too.
 
Some plants can cause this. Ragwort is the most well-known, but only one of many, many plants that are poisonous/cause problems. Some have sap that is caustic and causes dermatitis. My hands are currently burning having pulled one particular species today as I saw it when moving the electric fence and had no time for gloves as was late home! I'm rubbing them and need steroid cream really - ponies bite their heels where they've crushed them by standing on them and cause lesions.

Look up poisonous plants in Britain, get pics and check your field!
 
Same thing started with my TB mare when I was away for just over a week and someone else was looking after her. The only thing I can see which could have caused it was that the other girl moved the strip grazing about 10 times more distance than I would so the horse ended up standing in longer grass and thistles. The vet said it was probably due to thistles scratching the coronet band and legs and then bacteria getting in. So annoying as had been asking the YO to top the field for months. Have never had this problem before, even last winter.

I had antibiotics, bute and a special shampoo (and £160 vet bill, oh boy did I pay for going away) but tbh the best thing has been sudocrem, keeping her out of the wet and gently massaging the scabs off.

Do NOT use vaseline as this will make things far worse.

I heard that udder cream is great but will probably use that once the sudocrem has run out as I can get udder cream in a great big tub.
 
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There are no poisonous plants that I can see, good grazing, newly grazed (but not newly sown) so not sick, nothing much other than grass. There are some thistles in their field, which they didn't have in old grazing, so maybe it is that. Will try with sudocreme and hope for a result! You'd think after 20 plus years of horse owning there wouldn't still be things to puzzle you!
 
I wonder if it is mud fever. I know its not wet but do you get dew on the grass?
The dew along with the bacteria can be enough especially as you bring them in during the day so maybe they don't get the sun to dry them off as quick??

I know I used to have to keep one of my horses in until all the dew had gone otherwise it flared up
 
Could be mud fever.My Arab has this on her white feet at the heel and always gets this problem this time of year when there is no mud.I clean with hibiscrub then put a good barrier cream on.
 
Wash well with Nizoral - dilute in hand hot water and lather up well working well into the skin. Leave to dry. You can buy the Nizoral from the chemist. It sounds very much like mudfever/greasy heel which also develops in dry weather as well.
 
Thankyou everyone for your suggestions, will try them all one by one and let you know which works. Thinking now ,as some of you suggested, it could well be mud fever, without the mud, as found an article on 'dew poisoning', and as there grass was quite long there would have been quite a lot of dew on it.
Thanks again all,
Angie x
 
The very best thing for any skin -things is a dilute Povidine (Vetsept) scrub,or better still a soak.Dilute into a bucket of warm water and stand the leg in it,working any scabs off. This will kill all fungus/bacterial stuff. Do it daily for a few days,and then maybe twice a week. Don`t put grease on this, it needs to dry and be open to the air.
It is a cheap old fashioned way ..but oh so effective.
 
My pony always gets a small amount of mud fever at this exact time of year for about 1-2 weeks - I've always put it down to the heavy morning dews that appear in the fields in the morning as the night temp is dropping. I just gently wash scabs to loosen them and then dry thoroughly and apply udder cream on turnout and the scabs clear up within a matter of days. He's also been doing the rubbing of his back legs up and down against each other so I'm grooming out all loose hair which seems to be the problem and the grease for his winter coat is starting to make itself felt in his coat.
 
if they are itching their legs it could be mites. i'm in the process of dealing with mites which have left open sores on my cobs front legs which when you pull the hair back are a yellow/orangey weeping sore. under vet instructions he has been clipped, open sores are smothered in sudocream, had his 1st ivermectin injection with a 2nd in 2 weeks and he has been sprayed with frontline spray to start breaking the cycle of mites that are hatching. who knew mites were such hard work?!
 
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