When to call the vet out with mud fever???

[Princess P]

It was my vet who suggested hibi scrub!

Have started a new routine tonight. I have clipped his legs (with the help of my husband and a twitch) and washed with bicarbonate of soda in luke warm water, dried and then applied betnovate (steroid cream from the doctor for my eczema but recommended by my farrier and several other people) which was mixed with some aqueous cream.

I am not going to wash his legs again this week, I am going to apply more cream every evening before I ride, hopefully the cream will keep the sand from the arena out of the sore bits.

I am also not going to bandage even though it stops his legs filling, as you are not supposed to bandage on top of steroid creams.

If I'm not having to take bandages off in the morning I can spend that time walking him round the yard and hopefully that will prevent his legs filling too much, as I can only ride in the evening.

Watch this space!
x

 

[AmyMay]

I think that steroid cream may be the last thing you want to put on.

And you should never bandage on top of MF - so well done for leaving off.

 

[silverncrown]

I have had exactly the same problems with my grey arab. It makes you so frustrated as it is very tricky to deal with. However, I THINK (touch wood and all that) I have got over the problem now. My main advice is to stop washing the legs. I know the scabs get worse short term but long term it is better. What you want is to start building up the oil in the skin again and you cant let this happen when you are wasking lots. If you have to wash do it ever third day. Keep in unitl scaps stop weaping as even dry dirt/mud will agravate. The only thing I have found that works it a purple spray. It is actually a sheep purple spray (got it from local farm shop). Spray it on twice per day. No picking/washing 0 it dries the skin and the scabs just drop off. Dont bandage, this makes the legs swell more when you remove and turn out on concrete/frosty ground so no wet/grit/dirt. The thing that I found made it really bad was the sand in the arena. I have ridden for first time today in 4 weeks - but only on road and wont be returning to arena until leg are back to normal. Probably not what you want to hear but the sand seemed to make the scabs thick and crusty like you said your were if you didnt wask.
Good luck - I know how horrid it is!
x

 

[showqa]

Oh my life - I have exactly the same problem and have just posted not having noticed yours.

I thought my mare was over it and hey presto, since the rain has returned so has the mud fever. I must say that I feel for her, hibiscrub would just be too harsh. It seems scab free now and the flesh is healthy pink so I'm coating it in flamazine and hoping for the best - sooooo sick of it, as is she poor girl. Brewer's Yeast sounds an interesting idea.

 

[only_me]

my horse got mud fever through too much washing & then bandaging not totally dry legs (my fault, plus fact horse has white legs & pink skin)

He was very sore, so washed in tea tree oil shampoo, added herbal cream & got vet out to check as very odd type of mud fever (dosent look like normal mud fever, hence we were so confused as to what it was, due to it looking more like a burn/skined section of skin with no scabbing what so ever) and we started him on course of ABs to get on top of it, and horse has been not allowed out in field for past 2 weeks (he is ridden & is out in a yard for most of day).

We seem to have got on top of it, and when our fields start to dry up he can go out, with camrosa on his heels to act as a barrier!
I have also invested in thermatex leg wraps which I can put on his legs after washing, to make sure they are totally dry

We have a horse down the road from us who had the worst mud fever we have ever seen - there are SCARS on his legs from the amount of mud fever he has suffered with over the years His is nearly all gone now, he is not allowed in a field (but is ridden 3 times a day hacking normally) and it was a process of dilute hibiscrub taking scars off at start, and then smothering leg in the herbal cream I use. Legs were covered in the cream morning and night!
He is a lot happier now, and mud fever has nearly almost gone!

 

[DougalJ]

I'm completely drained by reading this post and all the conflicting advice.....I have a warmblood with two back white socks that always get mud fever in the winter. I have tried every single remedy going, with everything that has been mentioned on this post. I have had the vet out a few times to try and sort it out too with £££ in bills. I have spent so much on lotion and potions I dread to think how much it would all be together. The only solution to mud fever is no turnout in muddy fields. This I know is not a pratical solution, and its not pratical for me too but its the only way it clears. Ive kept mine in for 3 weeks, totally cleared just by keeping the legs clean with brushing the mud off. As soon as he is back out in the fields with a couple of inches of barrier cream...it comes back. I now give him limited turnout with barrier cream and just battle my through the winter muddy months dealing with the MF the best I can.

 

[FlyingCoo]

I feel your pain in dealing with this and have my deepest sympathies. My boy suffered terribly with this last year and had mega vets bills after many antibiotics and the shampoo scrub stuff and it did work wonders. Didn't help that the only thing I cannot touch on my pony is his legs so he had to get twitched everytime we went near them.
This year has been a success why?...I refused point blankly to clip his legs from September last year as he is a TB X but somehow has inherited shire feathers from somewhere!! He looks completely ridiculous fully clipped out and these 80's fluffy leg warmers from the knee/hock down but it has been for medical reasons and not vanity and the feathers are so thick have acted as a barrier on their own.I have not had to put any additional barrier creams etc on. I am mortified when we go anywhere but then hey ho. Roll on the spring when I can get the clippers back out to them!!
Maybe worth keeping in mind for next winter and avoid clipping.
Good Luck and hope all gets better soon

 

[Ella Bella]

Hi there, I can sympathize, it's wicked stuff and can take months to get control of. I work primarily with draft cross breeds (Clyde in particular) and this is a fairly common ailment....aka, Clyde Itch.

You have some conflicting advice here and I don't wish to add to your confusion but I think I've figured out a system! It has worked with the last few severe cases so I think I'm on to something.

First step, be diligent, don't let a day go by that you do not treat the scabs.
Clip legs as best you can.
Wash with warm water and an iodine based antiseptic cleaner, Betadine solution is my choice. (the dark orange stuff). Once the scabs become moist they are fairly easy to *slide* off. Sounds gross but my thumb nail is my tool. Every miniscule bit of scab (looks like bacon bits) HAS to be thoroughly removed.
Next gently but thoroughly towel dry. I will use a paper towel after the towel to blot away any moisture remaining.
Apply a very generous layer of zinc (diaper rash cream) mixed with furazone (yellow paste). Take a dab of each and mix on your palm (don't premix and take care to not contaminate the tubs of cream, use latex gloves).
Leave unwrapped, stall rest is not recommended as this only leads to more stocking up (thickening of legs).
Lastly, dexamethoxone injections are extremely helpful with the heat and swelling.
If you enlarge my avatar photo you'll see the hind legs puffed like balloons and the raised nasty scabs on my mare. I think she got it from my clipper blades. Anyhow it's completely gone!
Best of luck!

 

[lady lou]

I have been using mud bar from Bite Back. It is an ointment containing no harsh products. The beauty of this is you don't have to wash their legs constantly meaning less irritation. I started using this and a few days later the scabs were dropping off leaving the skin healthy underneath. The legs have to be very dry but not squeaky clean meaning I could rub it in and turn out. I have been washing her legs just once a week and can still feel the barrier working.
This is Excellent stuff the best I have used so far, so if you are struggling give it a go! I found it to be much cheaper than a lot of other products too. I found it on eBay.
Hope this helps

 

[daisalph]

Completely agree with you DougalJ - if you're trimming and clipping legs and feathers, you've got to substitute the protection of the hair with something else. Either don't let them get wet and muddy by keeping them in and/or apply a really good cream for limited turnout. (I haven't tried mudbar Jazzer but will give it a go if I can find it).

 

[ImogenBurrows]

Mudfever is always a provocative topic

The trouble is every case if different and I have horses at one yard that respond to one treatment and then others at a yard down the road who respond to a different treatment.

The problem is the disease is multifactorial - environment, individual predisposition, bacteria, fungi the list goes on.

I think we all agree on some points -
prolonged wet is bad
dry is good
skin needs time to heal (longer that the scabs disapperaing)
constant daily treatment can aggrevate the skin further
some topical products are irritant if too concentrated/too frequently applied.

E.g.
Have the horse in a dry area (yard/box) while recovers is essential.
Cleaning the legs a scabs removal (within reason) is necessary in most cases
Don't rush to get the horse back out in the field or you will see relapses rapidly!
I see a lot of problems with long term repetitive use by owners with hibiscrub

I believe this is because of two reasons primarily: it is used WAY too concentratedly in most cases - the correct dilution is 0.05%...hands up who works that out?!!!
A rough guide from me is a capful in a bucket of warm water is enough! Too much isn't better for the bugs and is way worse for the skin.
Secondly Hibiscrub is drying and irritant for the skin - ask anyone who washes their hands that aren't damaged in it!!

Personaly I prefer to use Malaseb for several reasons: First it works if you only use it 3xweekyl so the horse and skin have time to recover and you can keep the legs dry; second it is gentle on the skin as it is more shampoo like; and thridly it is antibacterial AND antifungal.

I suspect as vets we miss the fungal component frequently and I know Evelyn is particularly a big advocate of Imaverol or ther antifungals as a treatment. I'm a bit more a half-way house kinda girl

THERE IS NOT ONE FIX AS EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT - so for all of you giving the others a hard time for not doing it "your way", stop it....you might be wrong too. Just because it works for your horse, won't mean it'll work for all.

Re: the steroids - they may well be appropriate here to reduce the imflammation and the infection may have either gone already or be being treated with the other drugs.

I constantly battle with horses with this disease. It is a PITA. When one of you finds the cure for all, be sure to let us know!

BTW - very interested in the manuka honey idea - was that used neat w/o any other treatments???

Hope that helps, fwiw.

Imogen

 

[MozartK]

ImogenBurrows - Hi, I have sent you a PM. Something you may be interested in.

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

Imogen - I use my manuka honey neat and put it on like you would any topical cream, my fingers are cleaned afterwards by the horse being treated . I didn't even buy a medical Manuka honey - just a squeezy tube one from Sainsburys that you can buy to put on toast. You can buy honey impregnated dressings and I'd be tempted to use them next time under leg bandages.

I've since used it on a scabby heel caused by mites and that has healed well and I used it on some grass warts on my 3yold's nose (by accident I hasten to add - she sampled the product in the hand cleaning process and it got smeared on her warts in her haste to lick). They came up like little purple brussel sprouts and dropped off the next day with no scar or mark left........

Hope this helps

 

[ImogenBurrows]

Thanks both - re the manuka, we already use a lot of the impregnated dressing for chronic healing wounds but never neat on mudfever as yet....maybe will give that a try