Any advice? my horse wont allow me to treat his summer mud fever!!!

annamica

annamica

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Hi everyone

Has anyone got any advice.....my horse has developed mud fever (yes I know its summer!!!) and I have tried to soften the scabs so I can remove them but he just won't let me near his leg. The minute I try he spins round (he is tied up), tries to trapple me and goes into a panic. Other people have tried and get the same response. They are obviously very sore for him but he just wont let me treat them and I am now at a loss. I even tried sedalin to sedate him the other day.....when the suggested 3ml's didn't work he was given some more....eventually after a whole syringe full he still wasn't sedated just more upset by the whole ordeal. I have also tried feed and mints but still no success!! :(

Any suggestions?

Anna and a very sore Alby!!!
 
Not sure how to handle that, Flicker wasnt half as bad as that he would just lift his leg up + we did the pressure release.
Have you tried MudGuard? (its a green powder you put in feed ;) )
It worked really well with us.
L&L x
 
the only way is to twitch him so that you can really get to attend properly to the area, especially as you'll want to do it regularly. we have exactly the same problem with a yearling, and it would be literally untreatable without twitching. Good luck
 
my mare has mud fever and hates it if i prod and pick so i tend to have a pot of sudocrem ready, and when i pick out her feet i slap a load of sudocrem into her heels.
The sudocrem really does help, it softens the scabs so the next day you can literally just rub the area and the the scabs just rub off.
It also stays on in the rain ;)
 
I know it sounds odd - but it works for us... Put his travel pads on for a couple of hours. His legs get all nice and warm underneath. When you take the pads off you can just rub over the area with your fingers and the scabs that are ready will rub off really gently. You will then have to wash your pads though as mud fever is cuased by a bacterium which - I presume - gets all over the pads.

Once they get worked up about thier legs it seems like a never ending battle. My daughter's pony has almost permenant mud fever scabs - although it never gets weepy it can make him a bit akward about having his legs handled. I discovered the travel pad trick by mistake last summer going to and from shows and now we use it when his scabs are sore.

(You can also get Flamazine off ebay at a fraction of the vet price)
 
Try pig oil and sulphur but do a test patch first.

Its simple mixture and all you have to do is apply it at thats it (with a sponge) you can still turn out as well and not worry about the legs as they will heal themselves, hair will grow back etc . You do not remove the scabs which saves you and your horse from getting upset with the process. Its extremely painful removing scabs and can cause infections to best option using this product that they can stay on and will fall off themselves when healing

It will heal and prevent it coming back

You can apply every 7 weeks. a little more when first starting to treat.
 
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I tried aromaheel and it didn't work, I also tried so many other idea's from Sudocrem to Pig Oil with Sulpher and other things.

My horse would also jump and spin and even lie down in an attempt to stop me touching his legs, I don't blame him though.

I'd never twitch a horse it is just too cruel IMO

Instead I decided to phone the vet, he sedated my horse which menat the vet could shave the area and apply an antibiotic cream then bandaged it up.
This was left for two days to which I then removed the bandage and already there was a huge difference.

So much so that my horse let me treat his legs and this cream was the only thing that worked but only available from the vet. I needed an extra tub which was about £15 but after I'd already spent a fortune on previous mud fever applications getting the vet and this cream was the best thing I could have done.

I am at the yard tomorrow so can find the name for you if you want
 
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Just a thought, do you have any yellow plants in your field? there is a plant called st.johns wort, it attacks the white on a horses body, it causes mud fever like symptoms and lameness, its very painful.
 
If you cant get anywhere close to treat him, then I suggest he is really sore and you should think of getting the vet in to sedate him. Have a good look around, see if he needs antibiotics, then lather the cream on. :)
 
notpoodle said:
spray sulphur/pigoil on from a distance?
Click to expand...

Or apply with a cloth both methods are okay but spraying may help more if oyur horse won't let you get close enough.

However Pig Oil And Sulpher is more of a preventer than a cure and I agree with cassiusbaby, different creams etc work for different horses.

Please don't twitch though as this will make your horse more distrusting of you.
If your horse is in immense pain the best bet is the vet.
 
Demson said:
However Pig Oil And Sulpher is more of a preventer than a cure and I agree with cassiusbaby, different creams etc work for different horses.

Please don't twitch though as this will make your horse more distrusting of you.
If your horse is in immense pain the best bet is the vet.
Click to expand...

Pig and sulphur was the only thing that 'cured' voltan. I had 4 red raw legs and had tried everything from flamazine, to antibiotics, to a million lotions and potions. My vet was involved the whole way through and couldn't do anything to help my lad. I know it sounds like a corny advert but i seriously would be lost without pig oil and sulphur and it was like a miracle the way it healed my lads legs and also allowed him to be turned out etc. I would never be without it now.

I did twitch my lad also at first it save him chucking himself into concrete walls and chucking himself around in general, twitching allowed him to be safe why it was applied. My horse does not distrust me in any manner. As soon as the initial healing was underway he stood like a gem (sleeping) and still does to this day to get it applied.
 
using a twitch can (but not always) make horses head shy, I've seen the raised head and wide eyes and snorting of horses as the twitch was about to be put on. In some cases the twitch was not used correctly or the horses still struggled causing bad cuts.
As you can tell through my years of exeperiening this I am not a great fan of twitches but do understand at times they may be a last resort. for me though I'd never use one.

Great to hear the PO & S worked for you Nookster, I wish it did for me, I spent hundreds of pounds trying to find the treatment that worked but instead the mud fever was getting worse and I had to call the vet. Best thing I ever did. My fella does have sensitve skin so maybe that was his problem. My other boy can get a small area of mud fever and it heels very quickly.
 
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