Pony lame. Opinions / Advice please x

[Vicki1986]

Right i will try to keep this as short as poss without rambling - but apologies in advance

mud fever started Jan this year in hinds. started with very bad cracked heels. kept in, anti bio'd, treated etc healed nicely and back out again. have tried every preventative measure under the sun...has a few tiny scabs on hinds now but swelling and filling of legs totally gone and was sound

Did some galloping and jumping on sun, legs had oil on and when got back brushed off clean, white and sparkly. did not get too muddy so all was well, pony was sound and totally fine.

Came in from field monday lame in front. has got what feels mroe like a graze than a cut or scab on her front leg (wasnt there sunday before riding and didnt notice it after when i brushed off) i have hibiscrubbed and dried leg and kept her in - as i presume its mud fever starting as its her white leg.
she has got quite a swelling below fetlock joint. which seems a bit unneccasary as no actual cut. which makes me wonder if shes banged it? she did drop a leg on last jump and clipped it but it sounded/felt like the tip of her hoof/shoe as it clanged not thudded. if that makes sense

she goes absoloutely mental if you try to get near the leg (shes a bit nutty anyway but this is extreme) if you pick it up she sinks right over and very nearly goes down.

to the point where i had to have someone 'holding' her up to pick it out. surely if its hurting she'd be grateful to get the weight off?! confused.com

her back legs are also a bit filled but this is more due to be being in

[if you got this far, gold star to you]

what do you think? and what course of action would you take? anything else it could be that im over looking?
pics...

N.b the funny shape at the back of her fetlock is jsut her feathers oddly sticking out, they need a trim!

 

[AmyMay]

She sounds like a sensitive little sole - bless her. And you can see signs of mud feaver all over that frong white leg, as well as the swelling.

What exactly have you been putting on as protection???

 

[Vicki1986]

Tried sudocream what crap that is.
Then had a bash with some bright citrus coloured barrier cream cant think what its called.
No using Iv horse MFP oil and it seems brilliant.
Am going to buy some udder cream today as that seems to be the best by reading past posts on here

 

[AmyMay]

Yes, sudocreme is great - but has it's place, which is definately not for the treatment of mud feaver.

Buy udder SALVE not cream. And plaster her legs in it. You'll notice a difference in days.

Also, however tempted you may be don't wash her legs, or brush them. Use your hand to remove dry mud, or a cactus cloth gently.

And next year don't clip her legs.

 

[Vicki1986]

what are other signs you can see? what do you mean? this front one has held up so well i thought it would just be the backs

even when the back legs were really really sore she was never as bad to get near them as she is with this front one

 

[Vicki1986]

Yep i never wash them, and try to remove the mud when dry as gently as poss. haha yes next year she will have hairy legs!
thanks for tip about salve going later to the shop so will get some

 

[AmyMay]

Second photo down - hair looks very thin and pink (or is it a light patch of chestnut hair??)

 

[Vicki1986]

oh right yep see what you mean! yea her skin is quite pink underneath, frustrating as that long white one was doing so well up til now!

 

[joanne1920]

id keep her in and keep dry exercise in hand a 20 mins as walking will help swelling, could have grazed it on the jump and now bruised? could try aloe vera gel as thats soothing? or tea tree mist as its anti bac and anti fungal? i use heel to hoof as a barrier, tried sudocrem but came off in mud as did udder cream but ive noted i shouldnt have bought cream but salve... heel to hoof is great stuff...

 

[Patches]

I buy Udder Ointment. Some call it Udder salve. It is an incredibly thick vaseline type substance. It stays on so well, it's a bugger to actually get off completely! I wash legs twice for the farrier and even then there will be a tiny bit of residue left.

Fabulous stuff. Touch wood, Patches hasn't had mud fever over the two winters (so far) that I've owned her.

 

[the watcher]

I think you should speak to the vet, if it is that tender she might well need more antibiotics for that front leg

 

[Tempi]

tip - to remove the udder salve totally wash with normal washing up liquid! Thats what i do once a week when i wash and hibiscrub Archie's legs, gets it all off nicely

 

[aimeerose]

udder cream is fab and keretex mud guard powder is also great for protection BEFORE they get mud fever. tends to be a bit manky if used when they have scabs etc!!

 

[Vicki1986]

thanks for tips, she started anti biotics yesterday and will be in for atleast the rest of the week. i have arranged for a different field for her to go out in when she can again (its been rested has no long grass and no mud) and have bought some more protocon and some udder cream (didnt have salve/ointment so will go to another shop next week)

 

[AmyMay]

If you haven't opened the Udder Cream, then don't and take it back. You really do need the salve. And if she's going to be in for a couple of days you have time to get some. I would also take the Protocon back, but you have probably started that.

Udder Salve is all you need, and you're just throwing good money after bad by buying lots of different things.

 

[chunk1]

ok.. here goes my advice is to maybe give her a few days out of work, then contact your local equine shop and see if they have things called easyfeet or something like that, they are to relive pressure on the feet, they simply fit into the frogs as a sort of rubbery/gel thing this protects from thrush,mudfever and so on but you still have to remove and pick feet after use.

AND DO NOT LEAVE IN ALL NIGHT AS 12 ODD HOURS OF THINGS IN HOOVES CAN CAUSE IRRITATION!!

 

[merlinsquest]

Hi

How does covering the frog affect mudfever in the legs???

Just curious.

 

[Vicki1986]

thanks all for your advice.

 

[Vicki1986]

thanks all for your advice. her leg has gone down totally back to normal (did within a day! weird) and there was a few small sore bits of skin on her front and a few still on her hinds.

i have had to twitch her all week to make her stand still and stop trying to put me through the wall when ive been putting cream on

i think she knocked it jumping last week rather than it being the mud fever causing her the pain in her front leg to cause her to go mad etc whenever you touched it.

Yesterday she stood totally still (untwitched) and i managed to sort them right out properly and thankfully any major scabs etc that may have been, arent there anymore.

And she trotted up 100% sound on saturday