HeyMich
Well-Known Member
Hi All. Just wondering if I can pick the communal HHO brain, please? It's another scabby leg question!
We have a 15hh cob-x companion horse, who is 22 and only in very light work (like a gentle hack once a month, nothing more). She's out 24/7 in a 2 acre field (hilly with boggy and dry areas), only stabled when the others are in for work or the vet/farrier is there. She's in really good health, keeps weight well (a bit too well if you ask me), no problems with feet, skin etc. I was doing a normal quick field check on Saturday and noticed a large, red area on her foreleg, and thought o-oh, mud fever, here we go... I started to clean the area off with a soft cloth, and big chunks of hair were coming away in my hand. I did the best I could at the time, put on some sudocreme and the usual pig oil on her lower legs, and left her be. On Sunday, I brought her into the stable, washed and cleaned her legs with hibiscrub, and noticed some more red, sore, hairless areas on her other legs too. Some are small, isolated, round patches. Some are areas with thick hair. I've not noticed her nibbling/scratching or even stomping her feet though - their field is right opposite my kitchen window, so I do stand and stare at them quite often!
The question, is this... Are we talking mud fever? Or mallenders/sallanders? Or even ringworm? And how do I continue to treat it? The sores are nowhere near her heels, which is where I've had MF previously with other horses. Her feather isn't particularly thick. The pig oil I'm using at the moment has added sulphur - is that causing the problem, or will that be helping? I've known her about 5 years now (she's been at ours for nearly a year, previously at a livery where my mare used to be), and to my knowledge, she hasn't had this before. And most importantly, do I need to call the vet? She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort but the patches just look incredibly painful - not infected (to my untrained eye), just red and sore.
I put her out by herself in the sand turn-out last night in order to keep her legs clean and dry. This morning, the cream was still on, but I topped it up anyway. Do I continue with basic treatment with sudocreme and pig oil and sulphur, or buy something more specific? If so, what?
Thanks all.
We have a 15hh cob-x companion horse, who is 22 and only in very light work (like a gentle hack once a month, nothing more). She's out 24/7 in a 2 acre field (hilly with boggy and dry areas), only stabled when the others are in for work or the vet/farrier is there. She's in really good health, keeps weight well (a bit too well if you ask me), no problems with feet, skin etc. I was doing a normal quick field check on Saturday and noticed a large, red area on her foreleg, and thought o-oh, mud fever, here we go... I started to clean the area off with a soft cloth, and big chunks of hair were coming away in my hand. I did the best I could at the time, put on some sudocreme and the usual pig oil on her lower legs, and left her be. On Sunday, I brought her into the stable, washed and cleaned her legs with hibiscrub, and noticed some more red, sore, hairless areas on her other legs too. Some are small, isolated, round patches. Some are areas with thick hair. I've not noticed her nibbling/scratching or even stomping her feet though - their field is right opposite my kitchen window, so I do stand and stare at them quite often!
The question, is this... Are we talking mud fever? Or mallenders/sallanders? Or even ringworm? And how do I continue to treat it? The sores are nowhere near her heels, which is where I've had MF previously with other horses. Her feather isn't particularly thick. The pig oil I'm using at the moment has added sulphur - is that causing the problem, or will that be helping? I've known her about 5 years now (she's been at ours for nearly a year, previously at a livery where my mare used to be), and to my knowledge, she hasn't had this before. And most importantly, do I need to call the vet? She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort but the patches just look incredibly painful - not infected (to my untrained eye), just red and sore.
I put her out by herself in the sand turn-out last night in order to keep her legs clean and dry. This morning, the cream was still on, but I topped it up anyway. Do I continue with basic treatment with sudocreme and pig oil and sulphur, or buy something more specific? If so, what?
Thanks all.
