really need opinions - mud fever

jcberry

jcberry

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hi, i dont normally post things like this on here as i know you cant really tell a situation by looking at pictures but desperately need some advice.
pepsi has really struggled with mud fever over the past few years and we are getting more and more fustrated with what to do to prevent/heal it! we have tried sudacrem (vet says stay away?), steroid cream from the vet, leaving the mud on when he comes in from the field, washing it off and drying it (what we currently do), no creams, and currently we are using aqueos (sp) cream which still isnt helping. his poor heels are terribly pink, in some parts bleeding and really sore to touch.
ive heard of the special mud fever boots/bandaging etc but im worried that the mud will just get trapped in there and cause more harm and irritation. he does have really pink skin on white legs anyway so the mud fever is just attacking it :( he is fully clipped and we are clipping away the hair on his legs regularly, but is this a good thing to do? farrier mentioned pig oil which repels the mud, but he obviously needs hair for it to stick to! leaving him in isnt really an option as he loves going out, and allowing him out for a few hours and then a rest then a few hours isnt either as me and my mum work wierd hours.
these are pictures from today, after i hosed and dried his legs down.
thanks for reading, ill take on any advice!

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and then these are the front

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You will get a million different suggestions, it's so confusing. My horse had terrible mud fever last year, much worse than what you've shown and was on box rest for six weeks with weeping open sores all the way round one leg. This year, despite my best efforts he has it again, in more places, but not as severely. His field isn't even especially muddy, it's more wet than mud. I had been bringing him in for the day, waiting for it to dry and then powdering with Keratex Mud Shield Powder.

The vet came out last week and prescribed Maloseb (wash twice a week) for his body - lumpy rash on his shoulders, belly and flanks and a made up cream of E45, steroid and antibiotic for his legs. They are a bit scabby and swollen but as yet we have no open wounds. My vet is of a certain age and says that washing and wetting is to be avoided wherever possible (I wash for one day a week's hunting) so that is why I've been brushing rather than washing. Yesterday horse's cheek was swollen and lumpy so it's still spreading a bit so I have made the decision to keep him in for this week - 24/7. Luckily I have a small yard he can wander about, but he's not best pleased.

Vet suggested the Equi chaps you mention and said that they can be very successful if they fit properly and are not left on 24/7, he said the horse will still need to come in and get properly dry but they can at least keep the worst of the mud off. So I may look into those for next year.

I would suggest you stop the washing, with the hair short like that the legs should dry quite quickly and try and keep him in for as long as possible. My horse is meant to be outside because of problems with a kissing spine, stabling is not good for that but right now fending off mud fever takes precedence.
 
Neem oil. My boys both had sore, itchy swollen legs at the beginning of winter. I was recommended neem by my yard owner and saw massive improvement in one application. It cleared the mud fever up in less than a week and I apply it now once a fortnight as a preventative and have had no reoccurance even though they are out 24/7 and stood in mud.

I didn't wash the legs first, I let them dry, brushed the mud of and applied neem liberally. Mine are TB so don't have feather but this is the first winter we haven't had any mud fever at all.
 
yes i did expect varied replies it seems that there are so many solutions! before all of this rain we werent washing his legs as they werent too muddy but his field is so wet and he trashes them so easily he gets plastered in mud! maybe ill do it every few days instead or when the mud isnt too bad.
he is in from about 3pm till about 9 the next morning and is ridden between 9 and 3 so he is only out for about 4/5 hours max.
off to google keratex mud shield powder and neem oil! thankyou
 
I think the Equilibrium close contact boots would work fine for you, as long as the horse doesn't have to walk through deep mud. I use them for my boy who is UV sensitive, and although the mud does seep in at the bottom, it only goes up about an inch. You can always 'line' the boots with Keratex too (which I would agree is wonderful stuff). Does the mud fever go away in the summer?
 
I use Equimins udder cream, have always used it for years. I do wash legs off when mine comes in, she doesn't have hairy legs being arab, and they are then towel dried. I think sometimes brushing the mud off can scratch the skin and allow the bacteria to take hold. Mine only go out for a few hours at most so are not standing in mud at the gateway. I do think that the bacteria can be worse in some soils, I haven't had a horse (touch wood) with mudfever in the 22 years I have been at my yard, and my management has always been the same.

Anyway, try the Equimins, it's great for chapped hands too.
 
yes he never gets it in the summer, however he seems to be getting it earlier and earlier each year which makes me think we arent treating it right as it comes back so easily. this year he started having scabs in october/november time, and then it dried up a bit for a few weeks and he was fine, but then its been awful ever since the beginning of december.

the fields arent too bad where we are mud wise and i can extend fencing whenever i like so once it gets boggy i can give him new grass meaning he is never standing at the gate in the mud. however atm they are so so wet due to the heavy and constant rain!

i will definitely look at all your suggestions thanks a lot. i saw another post a bit further down and this looked good.... http://www.aromesse.com/skin-problem/equinat-aromaheel-mud-scabs.html however is this used for when it looks a bit better?
 
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It's not caused by mud it's caused by bacteria in the soil, leaving mud is certainly better than any kind of washing as making his skin wet allows the bacteria into the skin more easily. You can try pig oil on his short hair - it should stick all you are doing is creating a barrier between the skin and bacteria.
I use cow salve - it's like cheap vasaline and works really well as a barrier - pig oil can be quite strong on alreafy sensitive skin.

Is there an option of moving fields? Some soil seems to be more heavily infected with bacteria than others - I;ve seen horses that have never had it move to a yard and get it badly and equally others move to another yard and never have it again.
 
im not sure about moving fields i could ask yo. the farm has cattle too and some fields were eaten down by the cows in the summer so the grass wasnt too lush for the horses - would this have made a difference? we have been in different fields, but in the same area, if that makes sense. maybe ill suggest another part of the farm to see.
 
Look at his diet, there is some evidence to suggest that if a horse's diet is managed along the lines of an IR or lami horse, with a good vitamin balancer. This is based on the suggestion that while the mud fever is caused by a bacteria, if the diet is right, the skin will be right and less susceptible to the infection in the first place.

Also, what is he bedded on? I ask because the pictures to me looks more like mite damage, rather than mud fever.
 
2nd the diet suggestion, elderly coblet is on msm as part.of joint.supplements,.mud fever never been better. Same ingredients as some.mud fever supplements - convinced its whats done the trick.
 
My mare had it for the first time last winter when she lived out. I found that Keratex mud shield powder or the Muddy Buddy mud fever powder really helped. It forms a kind of dry waterproof seal on their skin, you apply it quite liberally and top it up every other day or so. I also made available a copper and zinc salt lick for them to have access to as had read that it helped to keep it at bay. You just have to watch for it turning to cellulitis for which you need the Vet and antibiotics. Its awful for the horses.

A friend successfully treated her horses mud fever with the Aloe Vera wash, their Gelly and it worked, he had it bad. Trick is not to keep wetting the area as others have said. Avoid Sudacrem as its thought it seals the bacteria in.
 
jcberry said:
he is on straw, and always has been. same stable and same supply.
thanks!
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Doesn't mean it can't be mites. I would try the vet with a dectomax injection (you can do yourself as is injected into muscle). You could possibly try the topical spray, but your horse would probably not speak to you for a while.
 
Can only share what has worked for me, first was to get rid of any scabs and did that by softening with warm poultice next and for long term management used keratex mud shield, worked well and doesn't risk trapping the bacteria under a cream, have also used udder shield mixed with ttrea oil and crushed garlic. You have to try different things as may not always be same bacteria or fungal that is causing it
 
Nugget La Poneh said:
Look at his diet, there is some evidence to suggest that if a horse's diet is managed along the lines of an IR or lami horse, with a good vitamin balancer. This is based on the suggestion that while the mud fever is caused by a bacteria, if the diet is right, the skin will be right and less susceptible to the infection in the first place.

Also, what is he bedded on? I ask because the pictures to me looks more like mite damage, rather than mud fever.
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Agree with this as this addresses the cause not the symptoms. Its the same with rain scald.
 
Cortavance. You have to get from the vet but is brilliant and very easy to use. Never use any type of oil as this will cause the bacteria to multiply under the skin and the infection will spread.
 
thankyou everyone, some really useful comments! im happy to try anything, just want to help him. will i be able to use the keratex powder on his hairless skin?
 
Diet, diet, diet - you can use all sorts of things to try to make it more comfortable for him but it will never completely clear up unless the diet is right. What are you feeding?
 
Sorry to highjack, but can you suggest how I can improve my horses diet please? He's only just started getting it and never had it before. I think it might be more from hunting that going out in the field though.

He's on ok grass 9 til 4, ad lib hayledge, 1 scoop baileys #4, scoop Alfa-A, half scoop speedy beat and carrots twice a day. He's 16.3 and hunting long days once a week.

Oh and he has Coligone supplement as well.
 
Do an as fed analysis (or use one of the programs to do it for you) and see what your vit and min levels are - you are aiming for a balanced diet not oversupplementing one thing as this will affect others. Generally tho its copper / zinc which tends to be low so pay attention to this but not at the expense of the others.
 
have brought some keratex powder with further recommendation from one of their reps so will see what that does!
he is turned out about 9-3 ish on a huge field to himself. he then has power and performance, hifi, tiny bit of pasture mix to disguise the taste, and biotin and charcoal. would it help with a copper/zinc lick like someone said further back in the thread?
 
I use Muddy Marvel. My last horse got terrible mud fever and it would end up (very quickly) as badly cracked and weeping/ bloody heels. You'd look one day and it would be a bit red, then the following day it would be as above. Horrible :(

I tried everything. Protocon is quite good as a barrier but the best thing by far is Muddy Marvel (I bought it from Robinsons). I would wash off with dilute Hibiscrub to make sure there are no nasties, dry really well and then absolutely slather it on, everywhere. If it's really bad then keep the horse in for a few days until it starts to heal. Not ideal but necessary sometimes. Muddy Marvel is brilliant - it dries it right up and it heals over within a day or two, even if it's really bad. The hair even grew back on my horse's heels, in the middle of winter, which was unheard of. Put it on daily until it heals, then just put it on for turnout every couple of days.

I honestly thing the worst thing you can do is to wash it every day as the constant wetting and drying will make it crack more. Just cover it in MM and IME it will heal up. I tried a few other things but none of them are as good as MM.
 
I'd keep in for a few days and use good old Savlon to clear up the soreness, then when ready to go back out a good barrier such as vaseline or zinc & castor oil cream to stop the bacteria getting back in there.

I've also found that clingfilm is good to wrap on legs on top of the barrier.
 
I'm a big fan of adding sulphur powder to sudocreme - basically makes it more antibacterial. I don't think the pig oil will make much difference with clipped legs.
 
Our boy is very prone to mud fever and usually spends a fair amount of time in during the winters because of it - he was in for 8 weeks in a row over last winter. We have tried everything, udder salve, pig oil, aromaheel, keratex powder, you name it we tried it. Lots of things helped but nothing totally stopped it. However, this winter he has been on Mud-X by Global Herbs and we have stopped washing his legs and, touch wood, he has had no mud fever this year despite being out every day from 7.30 to 4.30. It doesn't smell great and when we first introduced it we had to add apple juice to his feed to get him to eat it but he is fine with it now. Its been our salvation this very wet winter.
 
Since I started feeding my mare Pro Hoof in August, her mud fever has cleared up. She had had it for over a year, and had numerous pots and potions from the vet.

She was formerly on Formula 4 Feet. Its definitely worth checking out the diet if routine preventative measures aren't enough.
 
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