Weather and feet issues? Advice appreciated!

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Nicole-Louise

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With winter looming around the corner, I'm already feeling as if I'm ready to give up!

My girl (3yo ISH) suffers badly with mud fever, even through summer she gets it. The yard I am on suffered with horrendous flooding. They were to remain in the summer paddock for a few weeks more, but due to the weather conditions, knee-high flooding, and the field turning into sinking mud, plans changed.

I'd ideally like her to be turned out 24/7 as she has always been with myself, and her other owners. However, things just seem to be impossible lately. Her mud fever has struck back, so have her on a balancing feed to try and supplement her with sufficient vitamins and minerals as advised to decrease her chances of mud fever so regularly.

Last week she ended up with black spots over her coronet, and it actually looked as if it was eating her feet away. I put her on box rest for a week to dry her feet out and see if it would heal up, and it did, it practically disappeared. I turned her out for a few hours and BAM, it's back with vengeance. Originally, everyone thought foot rot/thrush infection. No smell, frog and sole intact, no changes or swelling in her hooves whatsoever. No signs of mud fever now either.

Instead, she now has black patches only over the top of her hooves, one appearing to create a small "hole" in her hoof. I'm losing my mind, I've had a few mention iodine flushes.. it seems when her feet are dry it clears up then suddenly, an hour of turn out and it comes back.

It literally looks like it's eating away at the top of her hooves, like the "cuticle" section. The black patches aren't as bad, but still continue to re-appear. No smell, damage/changes/crumbling to frog or soles. She's fine if you touch them too.

Anyone have ANY idea what I can do? She HATES stabling, but it's the only way to keep her feet dry and prevent this getting any worse. The farrier is out on Friday and has agreed to check her over, but it's unfair to keep her locked up 24/7.
 
The only suggestion I can come up with is that you get her legs super-clean and dry then cover them in pig oil and smear petroleum jelly round the coronets. This will just stop the mud from sticking to her if it's mud causing her problem
 
hiya

at risk of me sounding like an advert, i was recommended this
http://www.equitech.uk.com/acatalog/Mud_Stop.html

by lady on the yard for my mare who like yours has fallen victim to mud fever with all this awful wet weather turning the fields to mud baths. To be honest I was put off by the website as to me it looks really gimmicky and the stuff's not cheap ! but am now recommending to everyone its fantastic stuff and has cleared up my mare in 2 weeks ( she had bad scabbing on all 4 but really nasty on her hinds) - I went for the spray version which is great but the spry bottle is useless! had to switch it to a different squirty bottle
but failing that am also a lover of pig oil :-) works a treat
 
Speak to your farrier,especially about what appears to be holes in the hoof.if he can come out nd see,he may have some suggestions. Of course,the politically correct thing would be vet,but IMHO,a farrier would have a much better specialist knowledge and be able to help better as it is their specialt area.
I use keratin mudguard for mud fever prevention,brilliant stuff.
 
Right, is there any heat in the hoof and is the horse lame, or are the areas sore for you to touch?

Because it's actually quite normal for the "cuticle" at the top of the hoof to shrink slightly and develop little holes so that it almost looks lacey when the hoof is constantly wet. When the weather dries up, this goes away. It's not a problem - unless you make it one by spraying lots of harsh antiseptics and disinfectants on what's not actually a problem.

I would suggest pics ;)
 
Some sort of barrier between her and the mud might really help, lots of good
suggestions here, I use cow salve and udder cream mixed, the salve is like vasaline (only lots cheaper) the udder cream has tea tree and anticeptic so help any existing infection. Both are designed for industrial cow herd use so cheap and you can put loads on creating a really barrier.
Maybe moving paddocks would help as there are some suggestions the bacteria who cause the infection live in the mud and that's why some fields cause it more than others.
 
Polos Mum said:
Some sort of barrier between her and the mud might really help, lots of good
suggestions here, I use cow salve and udder cream mixed, the salve is like vasaline (only lots cheaper) the udder cream has tea tree and anticeptic so help any existing infection. Both are designed for industrial cow herd use so cheap and you can put loads on creating a really barrier.
Maybe moving paddocks would help as there are some suggestions the bacteria who cause the infection live in the mud and that's why some fields cause it more than others.
Click to expand...

I agree with this last sentence that is what is causing the problem. The field has the bacteria. If the field is wet ie winter dont use it. Find another field and perhaps just use the bad field for summer grazing.
 
Brightbay said:
Right, is there any heat in the hoof and is the horse lame, or are the areas sore for you to touch?

Because it's actually quite normal for the "cuticle" at the top of the hoof to shrink slightly and develop little holes so that it almost looks lacey when the hoof is constantly wet. When the weather dries up, this goes away. It's not a problem - unless you make it one by spraying lots of harsh antiseptics and disinfectants on what's not actually a problem.

I would suggest pics ;)
Click to expand...

This.

Id also suggest you get the legs clean and slather with pig oil and sulpher. Also do not wash the legs too much - its strips all the natural oils away and weakens the bodies defences to bacteria.

If you are really worried you need to move yards.
 
Brightbay said:
Right, is there any heat in the hoof and is the horse lame, or are the areas sore for you to touch?

Because it's actually quite normal for the "cuticle" at the top of the hoof to shrink slightly and develop little holes so that it almost looks lacey when the hoof is constantly wet. When the weather dries up, this goes away. It's not a problem - unless you make it one by spraying lots of harsh antiseptics and disinfectants on what's not actually a problem.

I would suggest pics ;)
Click to expand...

No lameness, no heat and she allows me to touch all her hooves and pick them up without a problem. The problem are these black patches that are starting to cause a small hole in her hoof wall. They come and go, but this hole isn't massive. However, when you touch you can feel it is in fact a hole through the hoof wall.

No abscesses, nothing. I've checked her over and over. It's driving me mad lol
 
We've moved her into a completely different field, one that is a lot drier. The winter paddock she was shifted from a few weeks ago.

Checked her over again today and the black patches seemingly have disappeared again!? It's driving me insane. I don't wash her legs off a lot, especially during winter it's very rare I do so. But, have pig oil and sulphur on order, if this doesn't work, will try another solution.

Thank you for all your input! :)
 
TigerTail said:
Can you get some pics? Is it soft as in if u poke it with ur nail does ur nail go in? Whats farrier/trimmer/vet say?
Click to expand...

It's not soft, her hoof wall is still hard (the one with the hole in). This hole was a cause of the black patches. Will try and get some tomorrow, see if it's any better. It's only a small hole, but still very worrying.

Farrier is coming out on Saturday, the only time she can make it. I've booked her in to have all her shoes taken off, and the farrier has agreed to look over her and advise on the problem.
 
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