So, those with horses that suffer with mud fever

[Honey08]

For ages I was wondering how my TB was getting mud fever when there was no mud. He has had actual mud fever (on land that has had cattle on previously) when the fields were wet and muddy. It affected all his legs, one white. Washed with Hibiscrub and dried, Protocon liberally applied and chucked out.

The 'mudless' fever only occurred on the white leg, lots of swelling, scabs and ooze. Barrier creams were having little effect. Thought maybe it was sunburn, applied sun block-no change.

Turns out after all that (couple of years or more), it was an allergy to buttercups! Vet said it's quite common on horses with pink muzzles, not so much white legs but my horse has very sensitive skin. It's the flowers that do it apparently. I now avoid fields with buttercups if I can, otherwise I cut them back to reduce the flowers, Sudocrem on the white bits and so far-no problem!

I'm presuming that that happened in summer when the buttercups had pollen?? Interesting. I'd heard it affect the muzzle area, but never the legs before.

 

[Beausmate]

It did. Usually it's just muzzles that are affected, but the pink skin on his white leg, whilst being a bit sensitive in a TB way from birth, was made even more so (along with the rest of his skin) by a suspected snake bite a few years ago.

He also has sarcoids and is seriously reactive to nettle stings. Poor chap.