Curing mud fever without boxrest..

[MrA]

Is it do able?

My boy has suddenly developed 2 small bald patches and one about the size of a satsuma of his back fetlocks (on the side, not his heel)

The skin didn't look too bad this morning so I washed with hibi scrub and dried, then covered in sudocream. But then I turned him out in all the snow.

Tomorrow morning I will clean as necessary and apply more sudo cream, but I really want him to continue going out in the day. Will he be okay?

Unfortunately I can only get up the yard in the mornings and although I can ask the yard staff to clean/apply more cream evenings it prob won't get done :/

Really upset and worried that it won't heal up, he always gets a tiny bit but normally higher up and the fields are usually a lot drier.

 

[Ruby.27]

Try pig oil & sulphur. You can buy it separately & mix it up yourself or ready made in a litre container (around £6.) Also if you wash with hibi scrub first then thoroughly dry before putting on the pig oil & sulphur, even better. The hibi scrub will kill all the bugs and continue to work for hours and the pig oil and sulphur will help it heal, keep it lubricated and protect the mud from adhering to the skin. Luckily(!) its pretty cold everywhere just now so hopefully your paddock isn't too swamp like and he should be okay

 

[carthorse]

Mud fever has to be very bad before I box rest for it.

I don't keep hibiscrubbing because as well as killing bacteria it also kills off the cells needed to heal the sores. Hibiscrub once then, if you absolutely must wash, do so by hosing with cold water & don't scrub or brush the mud off wet legs. Pat them dry, again don't rub as you don't want to weaken wet soft skin.

When legs are dry apply & gently massage in the cream of your choice, two of my favourites are Equine America's Fungatrol ointment & Equimins MSM cream. I put the cream all around the area, not just on the scabby bits.

I think pig oil & sulphur is more of a preventitive than treatment, but I don't use it because it makes Jim very sore, as does udder cream & sudacreme.

One word of warning, mudfever can be very sore so be careful when treating it, getting kicked won't help either of you.

 

[domane]

TB Roo's went with no box rest. I just cleaned, dried and slapped on LOADS of Sudocreme every evening. It stayed in place as I was cleaning off the day's before every evening and after a few days his cleared up. My one and only brush with the dreaded MF, thank goodness!

 

[Trewsers]

Our vet told us to only wash when absolutely necessary. I would be inclined to use a cream such as Aromesse if it isn't that bad cos you can put that on even if there are scabs still there.