Infectious?

[millie n pride]

Following on from my 'Mud fever?' thread...
Pride's mud fever/scabbyness thing is going now (if it was mud fever...) but i found out today that another horse had something similar a few weeks ago and another has just started getting it. They are all in the same place and apparently look the same ( i haven't seen the others). Could it be something other than mud fever? :confused: :confused:

[Ms Kitty]

Don't know about mud fever spreading, I don't have much experience with it.. But infections can spread through the mud. It is sometimes a problem in big stables where loads of horses are kept on the same field, especially if the field is stretched to the full capacity it can hold. I am not really clear how it happens, but I would assume somehow the bacteria from the infections gets into the mud and if it is in contact with another horse and gets into their bloodstream (via a wound), it can cause a bigger infection than the wound would have originally merited. Bad thing is that it seems like the bacteria in the mud can stay there for years, even when no horses are kept there..

Nina x

Edit: I am hoping someone with more veterinary experience will share the light on this matter for the both of us.. :p

[millie n pride]

thanks. I don't think mud fever spreads, thats why i thought it was maybe something else. The two other horses who have it are in different fields. It could be that they just have mud fever too but it's a bit of a coincidence that it's in the same place on each horse :confused:

[Tangle]

My understanding was that quite a lot of mud caries the bacteria that causes mud fever, but that unless the horse has damaged skin that gets in contact with the mud and stays in a state to allow the bacteria to flourish (ie warm and damp) then mud fever is very unlikely to develop.

Mud fever tends to develop low on the horse's legs, as that's the area that's most often in contact with mud.

The other horses could have something other than mud fever, but even if it is (and if that is what Pride has) it's very unlikely that she gave it to them.