summer mud fever / photosensitivity

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xStephx

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Hi all,

My horse has again started to develop mud fever this summer. We had it quite bad last year and cleared it up with malaseb from the vet. He once had mud fever in winter but ever since has had it in the summer sometimes caused by a graze or cut.

I'm now wondering if he could be photosensitive, this hasn't been suggested by the vet that I can remeber. He is also a head shaker and a full face fly mask relieves the symptoms luckily. He has to be ridden in this also.

He started off a few weeks ago with hardened rough patches on the back of his pastern and heels which I couldn't remove. He then got a scab after some wet and mud on his heel so treated with malaseb. Another scab appeared and then I managed to get some of the hard skin off above his heels / pastern and this has also developed into an oozing sore making me think I've done the wrong thing. It's now looking worse and I'm worried it will soon make him lame, I'm still treating with malaseb and keratex.

However if it is photosensitivity I don't know how else to go about treating it. He has buttercups in his field and with being a head shaker it would not surprise me if this were the case. I have tried numerous things in the past. Sudocrem, ointments, powders, even flamazine didn't seem to do anything. Anything that stops the leg breathing makes it worse.

If anyone has any suggestions or a horse with photosensitivity and has some ideas on how to treat it, it would be much appreciated :)
 
I was just advised to get turnout boots to cover up his white back legs when it was bright sunlight.
 
Your vet would need to confirm, but it may possibly Pastern Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis, it’s fairly rare but there's lots of info on the Web. My boy has it alongside another autoimmune condition and it's only appeared on his pasterns where he has pink skin and slightly thinner feathers. I thought it was rubs from boots to start with, but really it started when I had to trim his feather back to manage his other condition – then a well-meaning friend trimmed them right back and it got much worse. I managed the area with topical steroids to damp it down and then fly boots to protect from the light but allow air in – horseware make good ones. Once the initial sensitivity calmed down and the hair grew back I haven’t needed to do anything other than keep a wary eye on it – he doesn’t go out in the day in general in the summer months so that might help too.
 
First of all check everything that you are feeding him for Lucerne (Alfalfa) if there is any in the feed - stop feeding it immediately.

Lucerne is the prime cause of photosensitivity.

Then wash his legs with Nizoral shampoo which will kill off any fungal infection if it is actually true mudfever.

Feed a supplement that has a good level of Copper & Zinc in it as these two minerals are vital for strong skin.
 
He is a thoroughbred, fleabitten grey, and has one pink sock on his hind and a tiny bit of pink on a front which rarely gets affected. The hair on his pasterns and heels is very thin and you can visibly see the pink the skin when clean. He lives out in the summer and won't come in on his own very easily so coming in out of daylight is going to be a struggle.

I was feeding Dengie Alfa A, but when the grass came through I switched to Dengie Hi-Fi Lite, as he was starting to put the weight on. I'm not sure if the Hi-Fi Lite contains Lucerne but I will have a look and if so find another chop that doesn't. I was thinking of feeding a supplement for detox or liver support but will have look for something that contains good levels of copper and Zinc.

I was thinking about getting the Cashel boots or others if I can find any, but I wondered if they made the legs sweaty? As this exacerbates the condition.
 
Personally I don't like putting boots on horses out in the paddock - they fill with dirt and grit and an cause more problems than they help.

Rubbing some zinc ointment into the white areas can help while the internal stuff gets to work

I have a Clydesdale with four white socks and her daughter with two - they have a multi mineral block in their paddock that contains copper and zinc and have free access to it 24/7 - Clydesdale also has one in her box as well for when she gets put in to prison for gaining weight
.
 
Don't take advoce from a forum on treating something which has all the hallmarks of LV, (as a couple of people have indicated).
Get the vet, (I had 5 before getting a proper diagnosis) pretty much demand biopsies, unless it's suggested - and take it from there. Stop putting anything on the horses legs in the meantime and keep it out of the sun as much as possible.
 
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