would you buy a horse with mudfever

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traceyell

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i have posted on here about mudfever and people have been very helpfull but i am now questioning what to do generally as the horse is on trail
apart from the mudfever she is lovely, she is a branded belgium warmblood and i do like her only had her 3 weeks so early days, can hack out on own but a little nervous but she doesnt know where she is, fine with another to give her confidence, but my dilemma is do i buy a horse with a problem like the mudfever it is bad on one leg to the point it is swollen i will getting her vetted when i get the mudfever cleared
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At my previous yard then yes I would have - we rarely got any mud as on sandy soil all of the time. I had a horse on loan for a while who came to me with mud fever and went back to his owner without due to there being no mud.

At my yard now then absolutely no way could I have a horse with mud fever as the poor thing would have to stay in 24/7 to avoid said mud!
 
Ditto JM. Mild mudfever is an annoyance at worst, but at its worst it is awful and can lead to other issues.

Would you be planning on keeping in or out? What is your turnout like? Is there a history of MF at the yard?
 
I have had a horse with Mud fever who had thick feathers and I used to hunt him regulary. However the best thing for cleaning his legs and irradicating the mud fever was twice weekly trips for a paddle in the sea. Thankfully living on an island this was fairly easy to do & the rougher the sea the more he enjoyed playing in the surf. And yes on calm (and warmer) days I loved swimming with him!! No need for creams, lotions n potions when you have the sea on your doorstep.
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No, it wouldn't put me off - as long as it was something that was going to be treatable.

How are you treating it at the moment?
 
is Lymphangitis a bad prob never dealt with it i wonder if that is what she has it is really up in a morning but goes down with exercise but at moment it isnt going all way down she isnt lame our fields do get muddy in winter but i put boots on
 
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do i buy a horse with a problem like the mudfever it is bad on one leg to the point it is swollen i will getting her vetted when i get the mudfever cleared
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Sorry if I'm being a bit thick here but I'm finding your post a bit confusing myself. Are you saying that the horse has one leg that is swollen now, and you are riding her? If mudfever has got to the point where the leg is infected (swollen), in my opinion you need the vet now as this horse most likely needs antibiotics. I wouldn't be riding her until it had gone down at least. You need to be managing the mudfever now, not planning on doing something if and when it becomes your horse. I presume you discussed with the owner who would be paying for vet's fees while you have the mare on trial?
 
i have had the vet last week she has had antibiotics and the vet says to ride her lightly turnout with boots she is not lame vet doesnt think more antibiotics will make a differance
 
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antibiotics loads of sudacream turnout boots and now aloe vera juice in feed

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Ah, I wondered if I responded to another post from you about this??

I would have thought that the boots are just going to make the situation worse - warm, moist conditions is what the bacteria feed on.

If the legs are swelling because of the MF you are going to need something like Flamazine cream from the vets, as well as the antibiotics, to clear it up.

MF is so often a management issue (I learnt to my cost when my then new horse had it badly over one winter). And needs to be rigorously looked after - and thereafter worked hard on to prevent reoccuring.
 
No, MF certainly would not put me off if it was just a general case. 90% of the horses at my yard have patches of MF to one degree or another during winter. All are managed in different ways. Some just leave it, some treat it, some hose and dry nightly, some use oils/creams/lotions/potions, some use TO chaps, some keep in, some dont hose but brush the mud off daily, some clip, some don't, etc... People here just accept it as another pain of winter. I should add that we have 24/7/365 turnout at out yard if people want it, so the horses are out for extensive periods of time all year.

That said, like others have already said, if the horse is particularly bad and had other issues looming as a consequence... maybe no, then. I'd ask for my vet's opinion on the particular horse, in that instance.
 
I would buy it anyway as long as it is not really widespread. I bought one that had quite bad MF took a long time to get rid of completely but she has not had it since and I no longer use barrier creams or clean her legs up as she just doens't get it now! I tried many things to get rid of it and found in the end that warm soaking with hibbiscrub and gently taking scabs off worked very well. One tip though is to wash/disinfect whatever towl etc you use to dry the legs as it could otherwise be covered in bacteria. I also used some antibacterial cream the vet got me (didn't cost that much) and really seemed to clear it up.
 
It wouldn't put me off, but it would depend on where I was keeping it.

Mudfever is caused by a bacteria in the mud, of which some places are bad for it, and other places are fine. I kept one of my horses in an area that was very bad for this bacteria and my horse had slight mudfever all year round. He never had it at all prior to moving to this area, and has never had it since moving out of the area.
 
When I bought Buck he had mud fever all the way up his back legs and had not been out for 4 weeks, creamed and cling filmed his legs, got the scabs off and kept a barrier cream on him turned him out and touch wood up to now we have had no reoccurance so yes I did and would
 
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