Treating Mud rash

[JR201200]

Hello.
My section B currently has mud rash on his two white socks. It started out with scabs which have now come off and left bald patches of skin which seem to be growing on size.

he is on box rest and i am treating with aromaheel which I put on morning and night. I am finding that because of the aromaheel on his legs his bedding and dust/muck from his daily walks or stable gets stuck to his legs but it is suggested not to wash legs unless absolutely necessary.

i was wondering weather to apply the aroma heel then wrap his legs with cling film and vet wrap to prevent things sticking to his legs? Or will this make his mudrash worse?

any tips greatly appreciated ?

 

[AmyMay]

What has your vet advised?

 

[My equine life]

Maybe wrap with some gamgee under?

 

[JR201200]

What has your vet advised?

when the mud rash was first noticed the vet advice was to use flamazine but it made his legs very red and sensitive so I changed to aromaheel which is good but also what muck keeps sticking to, hence why I asked if anyone suggested on wrapping or to leave unwrapped

 

[AmyMay]

Now the scabs we off I wouldn’t wrap the legs personally.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Struggling with the same at present I don't think wrapping the legs helps they need air, I think if the scabs are gone and his in I would put nothing on them now.

 

[Brownmare]

I have had a nightmare with one of my horses this winter whose mud fever turned into Leucocytoclastic vasculitis. Anything I put on it seemed to make it worse (even products that worked well for us last winter) until I got a supplement called Immunall and a 10 day course of that turned her around. I also got her a set of Silver Whinney Sox and she is now back living out 24/7 in these and no sign of any skin irritation whatsoever. I would post photos but my phone is refusing to play ball!

 

[HashRouge]

I have had a nightmare with one of my horses this winter whose mud fever turned into Leucocytoclastic vasculitis. Anything I put on it seemed to make it worse (even products that worked well for us last winter) until I got a supplement called Immunall and a 10 day course of that turned her around. I also got her a set of Silver Whinney Sox and she is now back living out 24/7 in these and no sign of any skin irritation whatsoever. I would post photos but my phone is refusing to play ball!

Re Silver Whinney Sox, I want to try these but they're so expensive I've been unsure whether they're worth the cost! With your horse, how does it work if she lives out? Does she have them on all the time? Do you have to change them for a fresh set regularly? Do they stay on okay?

 

[DressageCob]

I wouldn't wrap, as it just traps moisture in, particularly if you're using cling film (which I wouldn't personally use anyway).

If you're keen to wrap, then something like the thermatex wraps may be better, because they at least wick moisture away, but if you're putting ointment on then it just gets greasy.

I'm not an aroma heel fan anyway, as my horse had an allergic reaction to it and it's super greasy. If you can't use flamazine I'd go for a powder-based option, like the muddy buddy mud Kure powder. Less sticky.

I've seen people use these with good results https://ofw.one/sox-for-horses They look like normal tube socks. I wouldn't want to use creams or ointments underneath though, since they just hold the moisture in. The silver is good for healing, plus if you use a powder it's all good.

 

[HashRouge]

Hello.
My section B currently has mud rash on his two white socks. It started out with scabs which have now come off and left bald patches of skin which seem to be growing on size.

he is on box rest and i am treating with aromaheel which I put on morning and night. I am finding that because of the aromaheel on his legs his bedding and dust/muck from his daily walks or stable gets stuck to his legs but it is suggested not to wash legs unless absolutely necessary.

i was wondering weather to apply the aroma heel then wrap his legs with cling film and vet wrap to prevent things sticking to his legs? Or will this make his mudrash worse?

any tips greatly appreciated ?

So I always see the "don't wash" advice on this forum but I have never, ever managed to make that work for my horse! She is prone to mud rash and gets it from wet, long grass, even when we have no mud. This year at the end of November she had quite nasty mud rash on her three pink legs and I decided that keeping her out 24/7 and trying to treat it wasn't working. So I brought her in over night and followed this routine - bring in and wash legs using water and dilute hibiscrub to remove any mud/ sudocreme; then towel dry and apply cream from vet (an own brand one they make; then in the morning apply sudocreme (no bedding removal needed as she's on straw) before turning out. I did this for two weeks and by the end of it her legs were completely healed. The reason I had to wash her legs is because with the sudocreme and then any mud stuck on it, I couldn't apply the cream from the vet. However I think the sudocreme stops the skin drying out as much when it gets wet (maybe!). Once her legs were healed she went back out 24/7 and I bring her in to wash and dry legs and reapply sudocreme every 3-4 days. We're a month on and so far, so good!

So washing the legs does work for some horses! I would say though, if the bald patches are getting bigger I'd consider stopping the Aromaheel in case that is causing it!

 

[Brownmare]

Re Silver Whinney Sox, I want to try these but they're so expensive I've been unsure whether they're worth the cost! With your horse, how does it work if she lives out? Does she have them on all the time? Do you have to change them for a fresh set regularly? Do they stay on okay?

They are expensive but totally worth the money IMO. I nearly cried when they slipped down and she shredded the bottom of one on the first day but I stitched it up and (with the aid of a bit of electrical tape) haven't had a problem since! She does wear them all the time, at first I was changing them daily but now it's healed up I only change them twice a week

 

[PurBee]

A fair few people have found adding a good amounts of copper and zinc to the diet eliminates mud fever.
i found the same too!

This thread talks about it:
https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/how-would-you-treat-mud-fever.783401/

 

[Honey08]

If you’re costing the mud fever area with a greasy substance you’re probably creating a breeding ground for it, especially if you cling film it.
Flammazine does tend to make the area look a bit pink/sore initially, but it’s quite soothing. We were given a steroid cream this time, which worked well (sorry the name escapes me). I always find keeping the legs dry and allowing air to circulate works better than any wrapping.

mudrash is strange. One of my horses had it really bad this year -the first time in a decade, yet four others in the same field didn’t have any. It can be an allergic reaction too.

 

[Gloi]

A fair few people have found adding a good amounts of copper and zinc to the diet eliminates mud fever.
i found the same too!

This thread talks about it:
https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/how-would-you-treat-mud-fever.783401/

My pony had problems with his white socks being sore and scabby the first year I had him but since feeding first progressive earth pro hoof and now Equimins advance he has never had a repeat attack.

 

[JR201200]

I have had a nightmare with one of my horses this winter whose mud fever turned into Leucocytoclastic vasculitis. Anything I put on it seemed to make it worse (even products that worked well for us last winter) until I got a supplement called Immunall and a 10 day course of that turned her around. I also got her a set of Silver Whinney Sox and she is now back living out 24/7 in these and no sign of any skin irritation whatsoever. I would post photos but my phone is refusing to play ball!

oh that’s interesting! I’ll look into that if

I wouldn't wrap, as it just traps moisture in, particularly if you're using cling film (which I wouldn't personally use anyway).

If you're keen to wrap, then something like the thermatex wraps may be better, because they at least wick moisture away, but if you're putting ointment on then it just gets greasy.

I'm not an aroma heel fan anyway, as my horse had an allergic reaction to it and it's super greasy. If you can't use flamazine I'd go for a powder-based option, like the muddy buddy mud Kure powder. Less sticky.

I've seen people use these with good results https://ofw.one/sox-for-horses They look like normal tube socks. I wouldn't want to use creams or ointments underneath though, since they just hold the moisture in. The silver is good for healing, plus if you use a powder it's all good.

Thanks for the advice, yeah that’s why I wanted to jump on here and ask about wrapping as someone at the stables mentioned clingfilm under vet wrap but I wasn’t sure about this, it’s not something I’ve personally ever used but wondered if people did when treating mud rash as it’s not something I’ve dealt with much.
Thanks

 

[JR201200]

So I always see the "don't wash" advice on this forum but I have never, ever managed to make that work for my horse! She is prone to mud rash and gets it from wet, long grass, even when we have no mud. This year at the end of November she had quite nasty mud rash on her three pink legs and I decided that keeping her out 24/7 and trying to treat it wasn't working. So I brought her in over night and followed this routine - bring in and wash legs using water and dilute hibiscrub to remove any mud/ sudocreme; then towel dry and apply cream from vet (an own brand one they make; then in the morning apply sudocreme (no bedding removal needed as she's on straw) before turning out. I did this for two weeks and by the end of it her legs were completely healed. The reason I had to wash her legs is because with the sudocreme and then any mud stuck on it, I couldn't apply the cream from the vet. However I think the sudocreme stops the skin drying out as much when it gets wet (maybe!). Once her legs were healed she went back out 24/7 and I bring her in to wash and dry legs and reapply sudocreme every 3-4 days. We're a month on and so far, so good!

So washing the legs does work for some horses! I would say though, if the bald patches are getting bigger I'd consider stopping the Aromaheel in case that is causing it!

Thats interesting, thanks for the advice. It seemed the bald patch got bigger because a large scab came off taking to hair with it. So I wonder if the aromaheel is just removing the scabs but it’s also supposed to help promote hair regrowth ?? I’ll see how he gets on with it and if I notice is getting any bigger I’ll stop putting it on him as what you said may be the case!

 

[JR201200]

If you’re costing the mud fever area with a greasy substance you’re probably creating a breeding ground for it, especially if you cling film it.
Flammazine does tend to make the area look a bit pink/sore initially, but it’s quite soothing. We were given a steroid cream this time, which worked well (sorry the name escapes me). I always find keeping the legs dry and allowing air to circulate works better than any wrapping.

mudrash is strange. One of my horses had it really bad this year -the first time in a decade, yet four others in the same field didn’t have any. It can be an allergic reaction too.

Yes I agree about letting the air get to it. Makes more sense. Someone had mentioned about wrapping so that’s why I posted on here to see if people actually do that. It’s not something I’ve personally ever done so just wanted to check before I tried it. Thanks

 

[Birker2020]

In your position I would use warm water and dilution of hibiscrub, let it soak into the leg, then gently take the scabs off, some are better than other. I could practically chainsaw my horses leg off and they wouldn't object, but others are very wimpy I know. Then I would dry with copious amounts of kitchen towel (Aldi do a massive roll for £1) and a towel. Once its dried I always apply sudocrem and then the next day a liberal helping of Keratex mud fever talc if you turn out your horse yourself. This prevents the mud from sticking to it.

In the 80s and 90s we used to use 'Flower of Sulphur' from the garden centre, mix with lard and make a cheap 'mess' which we used to cover our horses leg with and then wash out on the Saturday with copious amounts of washing up liquid and reapply on the Sunday for the following week. I believe you can buy the same now, marketed as Pig Oil and about 1,000,000 times more expensive

 

[JR201200]

In your position I would use warm water and dilution of hibiscrub, let it soak into the leg, then gently take the scabs off, some are better than other. I could practically chainsaw my horses leg off and they wouldn't object, but others are very wimpy I know. Then I would dry with copious amounts of kitchen towel (Aldi do a massive roll for £1) and a towel. Once its dried I always apply sudocrem and then the next day a liberal helping of Keratex mud fever talc if you turn out your horse yourself. This prevents the mud from sticking to it.

In the 80s and 90s we used to use 'Flower of Sulphur' from the garden centre, mix with lard and make a cheap 'mess' which we used to cover our horses leg with and then wash out on the Saturday with copious amounts of washing up liquid and reapply on the Sunday for the following week. I believe you can buy the same now, marketed as Pig Oil and about 1,000,000 times more expensive



View attachment 63645

great thanks for the advice! I actually have some of the keratex power I ordered it last week. So I will try this tonight.
Thank you ?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I have used flamazine, sudocreme and silver ointment none seemed to work it was just spreading, so I went back to an old thing I used to use Daktarin athletes foot spray and it's looking much better, no new bits forming and the bald bits are scab free so I am sticking with that for now, the anti fungal foot powder is really good for drying it out as well.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I don't get the scabs off I think they should be left alone, scabs form to protect vulnerable skin so why would you expose that let them fall off when they are ready.

Mud fever is fungal same as rain scald you have to get rid of the bacteria and the wet conditions causing it hence why the athletes foot stuff works.

 

[Elno]

Mud fever is basically a type of eczema with a possible underlying infection.

I've always treated it this way:
Done morning and evening,

1. Put on a heavy salve (NOT CREAM!) to soften the scabs. In Sweden we have a cream with salycilic acid which is good for this, that is usually used on patients with psoriasis.
2. Wash with Hibiscrub. Let the Hibiscrub lather sit on the skin for 10 minutes before you wash it away.
3. Remove the scabs that easily peel off. Let the other ones sitting tighter be.
4. Either use Alcogel (minimum 60% alcohol) and rub it in, or even better, If you can, use 1 % solution of Vircon S that you spray on. Yes you read that right, Vircon S. One of it's many, many uses is actually mud fever and rain scalds.
5. Finish off with putting on a cream of your choice. I like Manuka honey, but it honestly doesn't matter. On really severe cases I've used corticosteroids, sometimes with antibiotics, but then you have to be sure it's not a fungus involved because then it will get worse. If you're thinking about using corticosteroids call a vet.

DO NOT wrap over mud fever.
DO NOT peel of scabs that are not easily removed.

Doing that regime I cured chronic mud fever in three weeks time in a mare that had those problems since she was a youngster with massive scar tissue formation (she was 21 when I got her, poor thing). If a horse I own gets mud fever this is always the regime I use, and it usually relsoves in about a weeks time.

 

[JR201200]

Mud fever is basically a type of eczema with a possible underlying infection.

I've always treated it this way:
Done morning and evening,

1. Put on a heavy salve (NOT CREAM!) to soften the scabs. In Sweden we have a cream with salycilic acid which is good for this, that is usually used on patients with psoriasis.
2. Wash with Hibiscrub. Let the Hibiscrub lather sit on the skin for 10 minutes before you wash it away.
3. Remove the scabs that easily peel off. Let the other ones sitting tighter be.
4. Either use Alcogel (minimum 60% alcohol) and rub it in, or even better, If you can, use 1 % solution of Vircon S that you spray on. Yes you read that right, Vircon S. One of it's many, many uses is actually mud fever and rain scalds.
5. Finish off with putting on a cream of your choice. I like Manuka honey, but it honestly doesn't matter. On really severe cases I've used corticosteroids, sometimes with antibiotics, but then you have to be sure it's not a fungus involved because then it will get worse. If you're thinking about using corticosteroids call a vet.

DO NOT wrap over mud fever.
DO NOT peel of scabs that are not easily removed.

Doing that regime I cured chronic mud fever in three weeks time in a mare that had those problems since she was a youngster with massive scar tissue formation (she was 21 when I got her, poor thing). If a horse I own gets mud fever this is always the regime I use, and it usually relsoves in about a weeks time.

Great thanks for the advice!

 

[JR201200]

I have used flamazine, sudocreme and silver ointment none seemed to work it was just spreading, so I went back to an old thing I used to use Daktarin athletes foot spray and it's looking much better, no new bits forming and the bald bits are scab free so I am sticking with that for now, the anti fungal foot powder is really good for drying it out as well.

Oh that’s interesting I isn’t realise you could Use that. Thanks

 

[Elno]

I don't get the scabs off I think they should be left alone, scabs form to protect vulnerable skin so why would you expose that let them fall off when they are ready.

Mud fever is fungal same as rain scald you have to get rid of the bacteria and the wet conditions causing it hence why the athletes foot stuff works.

Mud fever, as well as rain scald, is usually bacterial, not fungal. Most often it is caused by Dermatophilus congolensis. The bacteria in question looks very much like a fungus, but is, in fact very much a bacteria ?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Mud fever, as well as rain scald, is usually bacterial, not fungal. Most often it is caused by Dermatophilus congolensis. The bacteria in question looks very much like a fungus, but is, in fact very much a bacteria ?

I knew it was bacterial but a vet told me anti fungal stuff will help get rid of it, it's a bloody Pita condition I know that

 

[Elno]

I knew it was bacterial but a vet told me anti fungal stuff will help get rid of it, it's a bloody Pita condition I know that

I know, it's vile having to deal with all the washing, and rubbing and spraying, all while you try your best to avoid angry hooves swinging millimeters from your head ?... When I bought my recent horse I said to my future husband : "And look! No white socks! ?" She's the only one of mine to never have gotten mud fever so far, and concidering how wet and muddy this autumn been for us I think she probably never will.

 

[Birker2020]

I don't get the scabs off I think they should be left alone, scabs form to protect vulnerable skin so why would you expose that let them fall off when they are ready.

Mud fever is fungal same as rain scald you have to get rid of the bacteria and the wet conditions causing it hence why the athletes foot stuff works.

You need air to get to them. That's what I've always done and its worked fine. The only problem I'm having now is that can't treat as I would like as I'm unable to go up more than once a day as we are on hour timeslots.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I know, it's vile having to deal with all the washing, and rubbing and spraying, all while you try your best to avoid angry hooves swinging millimeters from your head ?... When I bought my recent horse I said to my future husband : "And look! No white socks! ?" She's the only one of mine to never have gotten mud fever so far, and concidering how wet and muddy this autumn been for us I think she probably never will.

I know it's a nightmare my horse only has it on his 2 white socks luckily other horse has no white, but my old mare who didn't have white used to get it so you just don't know, I must admit the sprays and the powder seem to work better than creams as it's dried up with no more weepy bits.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

You need air to get to them. That's what I've always done and its worked fine. The only problem I'm having now is that can't treat as I would like as I'm unable to go up more than once a day as we are on hour timeslots.

I did trim the bits of feather that were hanging on the scabby bit and I think that has really made a difference as it's stayed drier, not that there is much feather his an Arab lol!