Woof Wear mud fever boots - anyone used these?

[teddy_]

Bit of background… My mare has almost completed a third course of antibiotics for infected mud fever on one hind pastern.

Now, I’d normally suggest using a barrier cream however, after this particular bout of mud fever setting me back almost £700 in veterinary attention - I’m a bit hesitant to simply put some cream on when she’s been so badly afflicted and is generally hyper sensitive .

I won’t be turning her out until the weather improves somewhat. However, she is only three so ideally, she’d be back out as soon as reasonable to do so. At present, she is being hand walked for 20 mins twice daily - this is all I can manage whilst working full time and general darkness outside of work hours.

So! Has anyone used mud fever boots with success? The Woof Wear offering looks the most robust and the most like it might actually keep her legs dry. Some people say they are great, others say they are useless.

Thoughts… Anyone…

 

[PurBee]

When mine started grazing this (mostly damp) land which commonly has patches of mud they have to cross, they got mud fever. It was after failing with external topicals, that i introduced a mineral mix and the mud fever never recurred.
I introduced the minerals after learning the hay and grass has imbalanced minerals - it was purely coincidental that the minerals then helped heal their heels/fetlocks.

Copper and zinc, vit E primarily help skin and immune system, aswell as the other supportive nutrients in balancer powders on the market, supporting overall shortfalls from hay/grazing.
I havent looked back since doing that, and truly, this land is a nightmare to manage for mud due to a very rainy climate, some of the land even very acidic, yet they’ve got very clean fetlocks and heels now. It healed from the inside out. I was hosing the mud off daily to bring into dry lot after grazing, and now think that was the worse thing to do as the natural oils their skin produces acting as a natural barrier was being hosed-off daily.

If the skin is badly affected, still use barrier creams until it improves, and maybe trial an introduction of balancer minerals, which should show an improvement within 2 months given at the correct dose. Forageplus offer a variety of mineral mixes including good copper and zinc levels. Some commercial bagged balancers dont usually offer high enough levels of nutrients.

During the mud fever time i bought mud turnout boots - neoprene and tight - i didnt fancy enclosing their sore skin, and generally prefer wounds to access oxygen to heal, so didnt end up using them! They would be ok for short turn-out periods, rather than the horse being in all the time, so do have their use. Mine were out for 12+hrs and i didnt want to cause more issues with microbes.
The woofwear boots look loose and offer breathability, so i’d definitely trial those to give your young horse some turnout.

 

[Gloi]

I had a similar experience in that the first winter my pony lived here he got nasty dermititis on his white socks and was worried he'd keep getting it. However since feeding minerals he hasn't had it again thank goodness.

 

[teddy_]

When mine started grazing this (mostly damp) land which commonly has patches of mud they have to cross, they got mud fever. It was after failing with external topicals, that i introduced a mineral mix and the mud fever never recurred.
I introduced the minerals after learning the hay and grass has imbalanced minerals - it was purely coincidental that the minerals then helped heal their heels/fetlocks.

Copper and zinc, vit E primarily help skin and immune system, aswell as the other supportive nutrients in balancer powders on the market, supporting overall shortfalls from hay/grazing.
I havent looked back since doing that, and truly, this land is a nightmare to manage for mud due to a very rainy climate, some of the land even very acidic, yet they’ve got very clean fetlocks and heels now. It healed from the inside out. I was hosing the mud off daily to bring into dry lot after grazing, and now think that was the worse thing to do as the natural oils their skin produces acting as a natural barrier was being hosed-off daily.

If the skin is badly affected, still use barrier creams until it improves, and maybe trial an introduction of balancer minerals, which should show an improvement within 2 months given at the correct dose. Forageplus offer a variety of mineral mixes including good copper and zinc levels. Some commercial bagged balancers dont usually offer high enough levels of nutrients.

During the mud fever time i bought mud turnout boots - neoprene and tight - i didnt fancy enclosing their sore skin, and generally prefer wounds to access oxygen to heal, so didnt end up using them! They would be ok for short turn-out periods, rather than the horse being in all the time, so do have their use. Mine were out for 12+hrs and i didnt want to cause more issues with microbes.
The woofwear boots look loose and offer breathability, so i’d definitely trial those to give your young horse some turnout.

Thank you, that is really useful information.

I will absolutely get some form of mineral supplementation for her.

We do have restricted turnout where I am at the moment, because our ground is totally waterlogged. She'd only be wearing them for max three or four hours a day, so I'll give them a try in that case .

 

[seaofdreams]

I had some when my gelding had a horrible time with it a couple of years ago, I found the sizing very odd but this may have improved or it may have just been my gelding!
However the item that worked was the silver whinnys horse sox, I had seen the vet and used their potions, I had tried boots and other of the self potions for weeks possibly months, ordered these and within a few days I could see healing, he lived out 24/7 but they still worked.

 

[airliner]

I got them a few months ago and just sold them. Despite measuring before buying them, I wasn't thrilled with the fit but they seemed okay. A few hours later, I took them off and they had rubbed the tendon sheath on each leg which created little lumps that gave me a heart attack! They resolved by that evening with cold hosing and poultice. He does have some white hairs on one leg from one spot. To be fair, he has had a reaction like this to certain boots (notably the Dalmar XC boots) that have a similar design/construction with the neoprene and how it is stitched. I really like the concept of the boot so it's a shame that they didn't work out for my horse. Please be careful with the way that they fit your horse if you do end up getting them!

 

[teddy_]

I got them a few months ago and just sold them. Despite measuring before buying them, I wasn't thrilled with the fit but they seemed okay. A few hours later, I took them off and they had rubbed the tendon sheath on each leg which created little lumps that gave me a heart attack! They resolved by that evening with cold hosing and poultice. He does have some white hairs on one leg from one spot. To be fair, he has had a reaction like this to certain boots (notably the Dalmar XC boots) that have a similar design/construction with the neoprene and how it is stitched. I really like the concept of the boot so it's a shame that they didn't work out for my horse. Please be careful with the way that they fit your horse if you do end up getting them!

Thank you for the feedback. When you mention the neoprene, do you mean the part at the top seam? Or do they have neoprene in other bits as well?

 

[TPO]

I know someone who swears by them for a horse who had reoccurring cellulitis and mud fever.

 

[Palominoproblem]

I am in the states, Pennsylvania. The tiny bit on Lake Erie. It's very rainy here. Green too but very wet and muddy. Last two or three years it hadn't had a hard freeze either so it's been mud city from November to March. I have an OTTB that developed mud fever very quickly very badly last year. In fact, it was the worst case I’ve ever seen in a horse that was being regularly cared for.

So I got one pair for the back legs in early December and a second set about a month later wound up with another set. He’s on dailey turn out. Even when the mud is bad and I’ve had no problems.

The mud fever immediately got better and didn't return all last season. It's been muddy here for weeks and he's in mud most days. He is getting hosed off at least once a day but often is out 20 hours a day.

Anyway. One boot broke literally yesterday. So I'm also impressed with how long it lasted.

I would swear by them.

I will admit that he has also been on a mineral supplement now for over a year and recently moved to a different yard. It's muddier but sometimes the dirt is different.


Anyway I would swear by these boots. They're awesome. I'm not a shill I promise.

It's funny. I found this thread because I am shopping for a replacement pair. I googled them and this thread pops up.

 

[santas_spotty_pony]

I use them and they definitely help.

 

[dreamcometrue]

I have some. They are very effective at keeping wet and mud off the pastern and fetlock and they are easy to wash and dry.

 

[Oisintirnanog]

I’d like to try them. But confused, cos my YO who is very sensible, says that they’re only effective if you have a new pair for every day of the week. Otherwise they just hold cold damp muddy water onto the legs…I’m embarrassed even posting this idea. But what if I turned him out with soaking bags on? Or is this as crazy as it looks? Would he slip and fall ? Or just start sweating like crazy. He’ll be up to his knees in muck 24/7.

 

[TPO]

Soaking boots aren't meant for turnout, or any movement. They are literally for soaking a foot in.

You will need changes for any turnout/mid fever boots unless you have a way to clean and dry them overnight. Assuming horse is in overnight and legs gets some time boot free.

You won't need boots for every day of the week but two sets would ideally be needed, unless they can be clean and dry for the next day.

 

[Oisintirnanog]

Soaking boots aren't meant for turnout, or any movement. They are literally for soaking a foot in.

You will need changes for any turnout/mid fever boots unless you have a way to clean and dry them overnight. Assuming horse is in overnight and legs gets some time boot free.

You won't need boots for every day of the week but two sets would ideally be needed, unless they can be clean and dry for the next day.

Grand so, now I know.
No, he’ll be out 24/7. only gonna take them off to ride him. Dont have somewhere to wash and dry them overnight unfortunately. So sounds like YO is right, as always. Only work if have a clean dry pair daily (however that happens). I don’t, so yeah, no point wearing them I suppose?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I wouldn't use them for 24- 7 turnout anyway having any sort of boot on consistently will cause problems.

 

[Caski]

Do Equilibrium boots still exist? They were great, breathable and easy to fit as stretchy.