Mud Fever and Filled Legs

[Emily Hunt]

My Irish hunter Harvey has severe mud fever. He had this when my husband and I first bought him and it has been an uphill struggle to try and resolve the problem ever since. His symptoms are yellow gunky heels that scab and bleed, resulting in very inflamed red skin and filled legs.

So far we have tried the following:

Washing heels in tea tree oil shampoo to remove gunk!
Thoroughly drying the heels and applying Sudacrem (on vets advice) to soothe and waterproof as it's antiseptic.
This has it's down side as constant washing removes the natural protective oils from the skin, however you cannot leave the gunk and scabs intact as they will re-infect and make it worse.
We have tried neat HibiScrub as well as Surgical Spirit to no avail.
He is in at night and out all day (his legs fill overnight but are fine after a day in the field on the move).
We have had him on a course of antibiotics that made his heels a lot better, however when we stopped the problem returned again. We have him back on antibiotics and are calling another vet for a second opinion.

Our next course of action is to purchase some insulite leg wraps as these dry of the legs completley and prevent filling, and bedding him down on shavings (he is on straw at the moment)!

Does anyone out there have a similar experience of mud fever this severe and if so what was your course of action. I am concerned that we haven't even entered the worst of the winter yet, and that the longer it goes on the more chance there is of Harvey becoming lame.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Emily Hunt

 

[Bebe]

My mares last owner had the same problem as you and in the end had to resort to the leg wraps. Bebe didn't have the problem last winter due to being on different grazing (the bacteria resides in the land so moving him to a new field may help if possible). I have now moved her to the same yard as her old owner kept her one (old owner is still there which is handy) so the thought of mud fever has crossed my mind to say the least.

The one thing you haven't listed is homeopathic remedies. I use them for various problems with great success (not forgetting to consult my vet when called for). Arsen Alb is recommended for mud fever and is worth a try. The linked website has some good info if you're interested:

http://www.meditrina.net/horseailments/horseailmentinde.html

The filled legs are likely to be a result of him being stabled. If the mud fevere is severe enough to cause inflammation then filled legs will go hand in hand with it. Stable bandages may help but if it clears quickly during turnout I wouldn't panic too much.

A friend of mine uses a mixture of lard and flower of sulphur powder to keep her horses severe mud fever at bay. May be worth a try.

I know this goes against most advice but try not to wash the legs. Leave them until they're dry and then brush the mud off. Use vaseline to get the scabs soft enough to rub off with the pads of your fingers and coat with the potion of your choice. If you absolutely must wash them, athletes foot powder or even cornflower (!) shaken onto the fur, left and then brushed out, will make sure the legs are completely dry.

Also, once (if) you manage to get on top of the problem, use something like vaseline or zinc & castor oil ointment (cheaper version of sudacrem) to create a barrier to stop the bacteria from getting into the skin again. I've been coating my mares pastern area with z&c cream and so far, so good.

And if none of that works, get your vet to take a swab of the area. The bacteria that cause mud fever are all different and the antibiotics that are prescribed may not be the most appropriate for this particular strain of bacteria. Once you know the type of bacteria, the more specific the treatment can be and hence, hopefully, the more successful.

Hope this helps
Amanda

 

[Maria]

I've found Equimins Udder Cream to be useful in dealing with mild cases of mud fever.

Also Hilton Herbs do an essential oil mix could Smoothe and Soothe (gel) or Smooth and Spray which I've used under the udder cream for worst cases.

Maria

 

[Roz]

Mud Fever

Know how you feel,my mare had it really bad last year,right up to her hocks.Here's the treatment she recieved.Had to be boxed 24/7 with only walks in hand as could not go in field til it cleared.Don't know why but it still got worse.We started off with Pevidine (neat) put on ,left for 10 minutes then rinsed off,legs dried and dermobion(?sp)applied,still had no affect.This treatment continued along with oral antibiotics,still didn't clear.Then we tried a mixture made by vet,was linseed oil and some other stuff,still no joy.We eventually used same Pevidine washes but put on stuff got from vet,it was stuff they used for cows with mastitis,put antibiotic straight onto areas.This worked a treat.Was given a tub of Antiseptic Teat Cream for prevention,this is good stuff,looks like and sticks like chewing gum,but vet said it would help as it also had antiseptic in it.Haven't been bothered again since(touch wood).Hope this helps some.Good luck.

 

[intouch]

Heeling creme

200gms emulsifying ointment (BP from pharmacst) 12 drops lavender oil, 12 drops tea tree oil, dash of liquid paraffin, melt it all down in microwave and allow to cool. Apply daily till clear, (3-4 days) then use as prevention.

 

[Pixie]

My cob mare has had mud fever several times and I have spent a fortune in the past on Dermobian and Hisiscrub etc, than I moved yards and although she still suffers mildly a lady at my yard suggested sublime sulphur powder and Zinc and Castor oil cream. I smear the fetlock area in Z+C before turnout, then I put the sulphur on wet legs when she comes in. It has saved me a fortune as sulphur is only £3 odd and Z+C oil is 99p for a large pot. Hope this helps.