uh-oh we may have a spot of mud fever

[notpoodle]

oops :rolleyes:

not sure how that came about ... lived out in boggy fields last winter with no trouble at all. Didn't do anything different this year. I'm a member of the 'don't hose because you won't get it dry again' philosophy who waits for the mud to dry and then brushes it off (daily).

Today I found (the light during the week in the evening is not so great at the yard, so it's very hard to spot things like that unfortunately ...) a couple of knobbly/scabby bits just above the frog. Prodded them carefully, pony flinched so I gather they feel a little sore. So far I've Hibiscrubbed it and slapped some udder cream on. Is this the right thing to do? Should I leave her in till its cleared up or is she ok still goign out in the day? Anything else i could/should put on as some sort of barrier?

And where does it come from? She didnt't get it last year.

Julia

[becs]

We used Sudocrem successfully on our native pony last winter.

I bought a little book on mud fever and they recommend what you say - don't wash & dry frequently unless they're v. bad; brush the dried mud off thoroughly with dandy brush and apply barrier / zinc oxide based creams. Also they nag to collect muck frequently (so they're not standing in it), keep their nutrition up and ensure they have somewhere dry they can stand / come in to dry off. If you do have to scrub, they suggest twice a week with Hibiscrub or similar, thoroughly patting dry (not rubbing) with a clean towel or better still use a hairdryer! LOL - mine would be gone in 1 second...

Hope it goes as quickly as it came.

[Jessey]

I have just spent weeks battling with bad mud fever on my boy, he never got mud fever before even where he used to be in clay mud up to his hocks, now with no mud in sight he got it real bad ??? who knows why its like that.
I used loads of different things, but Bo's was so bad we ended up getting the vet. Our vet suggested to wash as little as possible and use a cream to get rid of the scabs (like udder balm or aquious cream to soffen the scabs but not oil based as that seals the nasties into the leg) then once the scabs are gone use sudocreme or something oily to keep the nasties out.
Good Luck

J x

[sheer bliss]

Hibiscrub, sudocrem, and vasaline are brill, my horse used to get mudfever so i put her on the herb, echinacea, it builds the immune system therefore helping to heal, and also prevent . It is fed for 2 weeks and then have 1 week off. i used it for 2 winters and 4 years on i still have no problem with mudfever

[notpoodle]

argh! i still can't see what is actually happening. although i was at the yard when it was still light! there doesn't seem to be any obvious sore bits, all i can feel is a couple of teeny bumps on one front leg :rolleyes:

nevertheless, angel was, err, wary when i tried to pick up her feet with anything other than a hoofpick in my hand (ie sudocreme on finger or brush ...) :rolleyes: had to get someone to hold the front end in the end as she kept doing a little 3-legged kangaroo motion :rolleyes:

angel is normally fine with anything on and around her feet but is VERY protective of herself when she is a bit ouchy (dramaqueen ...) :rolleyes:

what's wrong?

julia
x

[FudgieFoo]

a couple of knobbly/scabby bits just above the frog.



Is that on the bulb or on the leg.

My horse gets knobbly bits on her heels in the winter which are just cracked foot.

[notpoodle]

bulb i think (oops language problem ...), the bit just over the frog that isnt quite foot yet but has some fur on it!

julia
x

[FudgieFoo]

Yep exactly where my horse gets them.

Is the gap between the bulbs deeper than usual?

[notpoodle]

not sure, doesnt seem to be though. am just worried because she seems to tetchy :rolleyes:

julia

ps: its very difficult to get the feet dry when shes coming in from the field (cant do hairdryer as no mains power and she'd run a mile!), esp the bulbs ...

pps: have keratex mudshied powder, would that help?

[Jessey]

If its cracked heals (like chapped hands/lips) than some udder balm would really help and won't sting or anything, mud shield should help keep the mud fever at bay (it gets in when the skin is broken etc) but if the skin is cracked then the powder may not be the best option, you may be better with some vasaline or something, help the cracks but also seal the mud fever out.

J x

[notpoodle]

so uddercream rather than sudocreme?

should i leave her in for a couple of days or can she continue to go out in the day (field quite very boggy in places ...)
?

julia

[Jessey]

Leaving her in will help alot but you don't have to, just dry her legs really well when she comes in, I found kitchen towell to do the best job, and the more expensive ones are best, they really sap the water out of the hair and cause you throw it away there won't be any cross contamination between the legs if there are any nasties.

If you're sure there is not mud fever but just cracked heals choose something greasy as it gives a seal and stops further cracking etc but if you're not sure go fo a water based cream so the air can still get to it or you will just seal the nasties in to the cracks.

I found a good cheap option is Aquious cream (£4 for a big tub) with tea tree oil (brought neat) and mixed at a rate of 8 drops of tea tree per 20ml of aquious (200 drops in a 500ml tub), this soffened the scabs and cleans the skin all in one or udder balm but check the base ingrediant (greasy or water)

J x

[FudgieFoo]

I never kept my mare in while she had m/fever or cracked heel.

Vasaline in the heels will be the trick. Put a big dollop in the heel right down to the bulb before you put her out. Dont wash when you bring in try and brush off in morning. Also try oil either veg or baby on legs. Is inexpensive and keeps the wet off. Might make white socks look stained tho.

[chickflick1066]

Hows the problem now? Have you sorted it?

[notpoodle]

nope :( today it was extremely difficult to just pick out her feet. she had her ears flat back, pranced around, threatened to kick me and almost bit me. she has never tried to actually bite me before (she will sometimes pretend she will when i tack up but never follows through with it ...), today i could hear her jaws snap about an inch from my arm :( and this was with every foot, ie not just one that might be sore or something.

got someone to hold the front end again, si i could at least pick them out and see (with torch ...) if there was anything wrong.

but, no weepy bits, no obviously cracked skin, no bad smell, no soggy frog, no scratches, no heat, no swelling ... no nothing :rolleyes:

managed to dry off bulbs with looroll (no kitchen towel as yet ...) and applied big dollops of uddercream.

i really dont know what to do!! if she had a cut, surely it'd be visible or swollen or something and surely it wouldnt make her freak out when i try and pick up ANY leg :rolleyes:

she is normally absolutely fine with lifting legs etc and will do it automaTically, so this really isnt like her at all.

she seems fine otherwise, eats, drinks, poos, pees, is alert etc.

julia
x

[notpoodle]

anyone?? im getting worried and am not looking forward to trying to do her feet again tonight :rolleyes:

Julia

[Jessey]

Could she have harvest mite's in there? when I have the vet for Bo's mudfever he also gave me Frontline to put on his legs as he said there has been loads of mites this year which make the legs sore and itchy, the horses normally stomp their feet a bit although some don't.

A cob at our yard had then in the spring (still from last autum as they thought it was just remneants of mud fever they couldn't get rid of) and a dose of fle stuff and some antibiotics (for the infected skin where he had itched them raw) cleared up the problem, he is the most laid back chap but was going nuts if anyone went near his legs.

J x

[notpoodle]

how would i know if she had mites? can you see anything? because whatever she might have seems totally invisible :rolleyes: ... theres no holes in the fur or anything. where would mites come from?

julia

PS: forgot to say, she is fine with me brushing the actual legs, its just the feet/hooves she doesnt want to give

[alfie1410]

Zinc and Castor Oil, honestly, is all you need, its cheap and effective and it actually works, I found that if I used it every day until the mud fever had cleared up, I could then apply it every other day but keep applying it otherwise the mud fever will return. Prior to that I'd used all sorts of expensive stuff which did work but cost me a fortune.

[Jessey]

As far as I can tell the only way to see mites is under a micorscope (skin scrapings) so often if its possible vets just offer the treatment as its not that expensive.
If its her feet that are sore though , There is no way she has suddenly become foot sore (stone bruises etc)? no signs of damage to the sole or anything? perhaps she had just scuffed that leg a little and the two things are totally un-related? I assume she is not coming up lame at all? :confused:
How old is the mare, could she have a touch of arthritus thats playing up in the colder weather?

Sorry not being much help really, I would probably have another really good check of her legs and feet and check for any even tiny ammounts of lameness by troting in a circle on a hard surface, if not try washing her legs and feet with a salt water solution, might just be enough to clear up any nasties or show up any lumps or bumps (all this fluffy hair hides so much this time of year :D ) Well thats where I would start.

J x

[notpoodle]

nothing looks damaged, i dont understand why shes funny about ALL the feet though :rolleyes:

she's 13 and not arthritic as far as i know, and she doesnt come up lame at all :rolleyes:

julia
x

[Jessey]

Then I think someone is perhaps a summer person ;) :D bad weather and short days make me grouchy too :D maybe she is having you on :p little munsters.

J x

[notpoodle]

i dont think she is. she will take the mickey every now and then but NEVER in a nasty/potentially dangerous way like she is now. i only know that sort of reaction (kicking/biting) from her when something hurts her or makes her uncomfortable. thats why im a bit worried cos i cant put my finger on what it is ... and its getting more difficult to actually look at her feet/hooves since she keeps jumping away and threatening to kick/bite ....

julia

[Jessey]

Hmm, have you checked her back, if that was sore it would make standing on 3 legs uncomfortable, I would see if she is ouchy anywhere there, maybe she slipped in the field and pulled something?

[notpoodle]

managed to have a good look again by doping feet while the front was busy eating dinner ... still cant see anything wrong :rolleyes: put udder cream on bulbs again. she wasnt keen on giving her feet but did it, at least.

lunged her, she is definitely not lame

tried pikcing up her feet again in the stable ... that turned into something err out of the benny hill show very quickly (think pony running round the stable ....), but managed to at least hold each one for a little bit.

her back seems ok from what i can tell, had a good prod at that again, too.

?!!

thing is im going away for a couple of days over xmas and a friend is doing angel for me - now im worried she'll try and bite/kick my friend ...

julia
x

[FudgieFoo]

She may just be playing up cos she's been prodded and poked and picked. Try just leaving them for a couple of days.

[notpoodle]

she started not wanting to give feet before i had done any prodding, which is why i decided its probably worth having a closer look.

julia

[notpoodle]

aha!!

i think i know what is causing this now! managed to wittle it down to one leg that was particularly poblematic (and still is a bit iffy to pick up ...). nothing on the actual leg BUT ... she seems very tetchy about her shoulder on that side (though its not swollen, she isnt lame and theres nothing obvious on it), so i figured that maybe she got kicked in the field.

it would make sense ... if the shoulder is ouchy, lifting the leg up high might be uncomfortable and when i pick up the leg i start with my hand on the shoulder normally which might have put her off. it seems better if i just pick up the actual hoof ..

would that make sense? is there anything i can do for her? it has gotten better already but i won't ride till after xmas so it (i presume it to be a bruise) can sort itself out.

julia
x

[tracyward]

Since clipping my mares legs i have discovered that just behind her knee on her front leg it started scabbing,the other day they started to bleed and look extremely sore. (Could this be mud fever, people at the yard seem to think it is). She won't let me look at it now nevermind touch them, they must be so sore poor thing :( She is kicking out at me or anyone else that tries to touch her leg. I got some cream that my friend recommended, can't remember the name of it now but struggle to even put that on her now. I tried to bath them today with no luck, don't think i even made contact. But i did manage to get a bit of cream on in between strikes!!!!!!!!!!

The scabs do seem to be lifting from the wound but it still looks really roar :( . I can't bath it, not sure if i should with weather been so cold. Should i try keep it dry and pull the scabs of as they work theirway up the hair?

Should i get the vet to have a look, would he have to sedate her, or should i twitch her. :(

HELP, not sure what to do. :(

[notpoodle]

have you tried getting the cream on while she is eating? maybe that would help.

julia
x

[notpoodle]

argh! just got back from xmas away ... angel STILL doesnt want *that* foot picked out. her babysitter just pinned her down and did it that way but ... uh-oh ... she's normally great with her feet so not sure whats wrong :rolleyes:

julia
x