Sand Fever?

[sweetbriar]

My pony was ridden in the sandschool last Saturday. It was wet and disgusting and she got covered in sand.

I put her in her stable and let her roll without a rug on for a while. The sand was so wet you couldn't really brush it off.

On the Sunday I noticed what looked like 'nettle rash' on her tummy and round her barrel. I asked the livery yard owner and she said that they would turn into scabs and not to put anything on them. As predicted she has bald patches and you can feel the scabs underneath. She's very sore as well. If you run your hand gently along the underside she tucks up her belly. I can't even put a girth around her.

Is this a form of mud fever? She is grey and has very pink skin. Should I treat the scabs with anything or leave them? How long does it take for them to clear up?

My poor little pony is so sore bless her and I was wondering if anyone could help.

[Chantal]

I'm no expert on these matters, but extract of Aloe Vera plants is very good for healing human skin. I have a plant at home - it's kind of cactussy with gel in the leaves. I squeeze the gel out of the leaves and apply it. I used it on my cat's paws after he burnt them (he jumped onto a baking tray that had just come out of the oven!) and it worked wonders. I guess Ponyvet could tell you whether Aloe preparations would be suitable for equine use.

[ponyvet]

Aloe is fine for horses and very soothing for mud fever.

Mud fever is basically just a type of irritation which leads to skin inflammation and mild infection. It can be caused by anything that leads to irritation of the skin, but most commonly muddy damp conditions, and that's why the feet are most commonly affected.

Your pony will have quite thin sensitive skin if it's pink skinned grey so it's not surprising that wet mud has brought her out in a bit of a rash.

Keep her nice and clean and dry. Wash it if you want with some mild solution of hibiscrub, and use some cream like aloe or get some sudocrem from the chemists to rub into the skin to help soothe it.

[H & Bailey]

When I come back from the beach I always used to wash my horse off to get the sand off..you know what sand feels like on your skin so Im not surprised your horse had a rash.
I know its not the weather to wash the horse off,but if her legs were wet anyway you coulda sponged her down and towel dried her and put anti sweat rugs on.If the sand had rubbed under her girth I used to put sudocrem or zinc and castor oil(nappy cream) on to get it to heal over

[sweetbriar]

Thanks for your help everyone.

I've got some sudocreme so I'll use it on her sore bits. I felt her scabs last night and she doesn't appear to be so tender. There is a patch under her girth area that is still very sensitive though. The rash did not extend to her legs or feet, its just concentrated around her barrel and girth area.

I am loathe to wash her in the winter. I rub her down when she's wet either with a towel or some straw. However, I think I will give it a go next time just to see if it works. I've just bought her a cooler rug so hopefully it should all help.

[sweetbriar]

I went up to see my pony last night. I was checking her over and it seems that she now has a fluid filled lump between her girth area . She is still covered in some hives on the top of her legs where she's clipped (she has a high trace clip) and her belly.

I know its probably a mistake but I looked in a few vetinary manuals when I got home and she seems to have all the symptoms of urticaria. It did say that often there will be an oedema with this (which is a lump I understand). I'm not professing to be an expert, far from it, but it seems to be the nearest thing to describe what she has.

Should I get a vet out to look at it or will it just go down on its own. I really want to know if its a threatening lump or not. I've prodded it and she's still sensitive to the touch.

Ponyvet, if you're out there I'd appreciate your thoughts.

[lamprellsarah]

i ride my horse in a sand, and even if it's wet i get a body brush and brush it off, cos it comes off very easily!!! and no probs :) occur from this!!!

[sweetbriar]

I also do the same as you lamprellsarah. I managed to brush the sand off her legs used a soft brush under her belly.

I can't understand where this allergy has come from. I know that they recently mixed the sand with some rubber granules so that it wouldn't harden so much in the winter. Whether she's had a reaction to that or not I don't know.

[lamprellsarah]

hmmm maybe but has she ever had a rubber mouth peice or is it made of a different thing????

[sweetbriar]

Not as far as I'm aware. I ride her in a plain metal snaffle.

I've had her for 2 and a half years now and know nothing about her past history. She came from a local dealers yard with another horse and was used in the riding school until I took her out on loan.

This is the first time she's had this complaint. Apart from the swelling under her girth area, scabs and hives she's fine. She's eating, not in any discomfort, not lame or not wanting to move. Its a real mystery.

The livery yard manager said that it was because of the wet and moist conditions (thats when she had the hives) and it would get scabby and she'd be OK.

[happyhorse]

our school is made of the same, sand and rubber which prevents it from freezing so much, our horses get turned out in the school to have a run round and roll if they are staying in and we haven't had any problems with it, the sand just brushes of. have you had the vet out as it seems strange?

[sweetbriar]

I had a word with my yard manager and we are going to see how it goes. If the lump hasn't reduced by tomorrow or Wednesday I will get the vet out.

Apart from this lump you wouldn't think there was anything wrong with her. She's not in any discomfort, she's eating, pooing, and moving without any problems. My yard manager thought that it may be useful to keep exercising her as it may help the swelling to reduce. When I left yesterday it was no smaller or bigger.

There is a pony who lives next door to mine who is 28 and her owner was telling me that she had this lump. She claims its related to mud fever and that it will go down.

[sweetbriar]

Hi, everyone. The good news is that the lump has now reduced in size. I think it will be gone by the end of this week.

She's still a bit scabby under her belly though but I can ride her with her saddle on now.

In future should i put some liquid paraffin or udder cream under her belly and over her legs to avoid this kind of thing in the future?