vegetable oil for mud fever?

[lornaA]

Someone mentioned in the mud fever thread on liquid parafin that you could use vegetable oil or oilve oil as a barrier by applying it to the lower legs in the same way as liquid parafin or pig oil. I am just wondering if anyone out there uses such oils as I had wondered about using them but wasnt sure.

 

[Jingleballs]

I use veg oil. Sometimes mixed with sulphur, sometimes not. Never had any problem with it and it basically has the same affect as the pig oil but at a fraction of the cost.

 

[rowan666]

i use smart price veg oil on one of mine! its cheap and works i use it on his dry skin patches aswell works wonders the sod always trys to lick it off tho he seems to have really aquired a taste for it!

 

[lornaA]

Well after much thought I am trying sunflower oil. My deciding factor was that they use sunflower as a base for massage oils for babies so surely it is ok for horses if it is ok for newborn baby humans. I can see this being a very long wet winter so I want to do my best to try and avoid mud fever at as an affordable price as I can.

 

[Shay]

I get pig oil at a fraction the price of vegetable oil. Or at least I thought I did. £6 for 10 liters. You can't get veg oil that cheap can you? (before anyone asks - I cook with olive oil and don't own a deep fat fryer - so no culinary use for veg oil. Nor do I feed oils to the horses. Which is why I don't know how much it costs!)

 

[lucymay9701]

Hi Lorna, Please can I just ask you if you are going to rub the sunflower oil into the legs or just smear on the top? I was also thinking of trying oils but on my other thread someone said just smear on and don't rub in. I was unsure of the reason why and just wondered if you may have found out anything? I used to rub the requisite leg guard (mainly liquid paraffin) in as thats what it said on the instructions. Thanks. Lucy

 

[HaffiesRock]

I was thinking of pig oiling my boys legs as he lives out 24/7. Can you just use any own brand veg oil instead? Its just the water repellant action I want, not fussed about the sulpher in the pig oil. I did think to use baby oil but thats really expensive! Cheap and cheerful if possible.

p.s. does the veg oil smell? x

 

[Shysmum]

Doesn't veg oil go rancid ?? Pig oil is a MINERAL oil, completely different in makeup to veg oil (which I assume washed away quite quickly ?).

I'll stick with pig oil and sulphur

 

[lucymay9701]

I would also be interested to know if vegetable oil should just be smeared on the legs or rubbed in if using for prevention of mud fever. I used to use requisite leg guard (liquid paraffin) and the instructions were to rub in but remember someone saying just smear on so was interested to know what people do? I've got a tub of muddy marvel to try but am thinking of trying the veg oil after that. Thanks for any tips!

 

[HaffiesRock]

Is baby oil a mineral oil? I know nothing about either! Ha ha. x

 

[curran]

Liquid paraffin is better than veg oil - no smell * doesn't go rancid. I also use sulphur powder to help dry off the legs but you need the sublimed flowers of sulphur otherwise it can be gritty and do more harm than good.

 

[lornaA]

well I have been using the veg oil for a good few weeks now and it is working a treat. I have had no problems with it being rancid and no sign of mud fever. If anyone can tell me where I can buy liquid parafin or pig oil as cheap as veg oil I will happily try that as well.

 

[lucymay9701]

Hi Lorna
Would you mind letting me know what type of veg oil you'e using please and also do you just wipe it on or rub it in? Thanks

 

[Tiffany]

A few on our yard use under cream. Protects legs & quite easy to brush out

 

[Tiffany]

Udder cream above should have said

 

[wench]

Nappy cream should work as well.

I have sucessfully used a product made by IV horse before. Its got liquid parrafin and other goodies in it. Costs £6 a bottle, but its really good, as it only has to go on three times a week, so saves quite a bit of time. My horse never got mud fever using this.