Please help - nightmare mallenders/mud fever

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Mb23

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Apr 6, 2008
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Someone please help me – I have no idea what to do and am getting quite desperate!! My boy (fully feathered h/w cob) suffers badly from mallenders/mud fever, he gets horrible scabs behind his knees (fronts only, hinds have so far been clear). He is on strict pig oil and sulphur regime (applied every two weeks since October to all four legs) which seems to help a bit in that most of the scabs (but not all) fall off. When the scabs get very bad I have also applied aromaheel which also seems to help a bit though makes a right mess of the feather and is difficult to apply. However, no matter what I do the scabs keep on returning and seem to be getting worse each time. So far my boy has been sound but lately I have noticed that he has started getting some heat in his legs where the scabs are. His hair has also stopped growing in the scabby bits (though you can only notice it by lifting the feather on top) and he seems more impatient during his fortnightly oil applications, though whether this is due to pain or boredom I am not sure. Does anyone have any other suggestions as to what I should do to stop/treat the scabs or am I fighting a losing battle? :confused: The scabs are limited to behind his knees only, his legs and heels are otherwise clear so it’s no ordinary mud fever as he hardly gets a spot of mud on him these days with all the oil dripping down his legs!
 
Personally if the pig oil is not clearing it up completely I'd be looking to possibly get the vet out as he may need something stronger to treat it.

Would you consider clipping his feather - this will also alleviate the problem and make it much easier to apply the treatments.:)
 
When all else had failed, including the vet, we had good results on our feathery mare's chronic mud fever with Camrosa ointment. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and some think it contains 'unpleasant' ingredients, but in the final analysis it was the only thing that worked for us. It seemed quite expensive initially, but actually it saved us money in the long run because it sorted her out and we could stop spending money on treatments and visits from the vet.

It is the consistency of axle grease and because of that it makes an exceptionally good barrier to protect against the wet which lasts for several days. However, I would caution that this means you really do need to cleanse thoroughly before you apply it so that you are not sealing in anything nasty.
 
I would use any barrier I could get my hands on if the problem was wet/mud but our fields are dry at the moment (no real muddy patches either, we are quite lucky in having massive winter fields) and in any case the wet/mud never even reaches his knees (even less so with all the pig oil on him) so it can’t be that – the legs and feather behind his knees is always clean and dry which is why I can’t figure out why he keeps on getting the scabs. :confused: Could it be mites? He never, ever stamps his feet, rubs them or bites them which I thought were indications of mite infestation. I’ve been reading about grease and he doesn’t fully fit the symptioms there either in that he doesn’t get get any greasy discharge either, just the scabs. The scabby areas are limited to behind his knees only. Very puzzled, any ideas anyone? :confused:
 
I wondered about mites.. especially as he's not getting wet and manky all the time.. although I'm not a feathery horse person so could be way off here!
 
Susceptibility to fungal infections is often nutrition related. If the horse is copper, iodine or sulphur deficient for eg. it will be more prone to these probs. Topical stuff does work to treat the infection that's there at the time, but it doesn't stop it recurring. Trimming feathers off is actually not recommended, as they actually help the coat drain & dry quicker when wet.
 
My old cob got mallenders & mud fever in mid-summer! I think it was down to his skin being in poor condition from lots of washing with harsh cleansers (hibiscrub mostly) before I bought him. He got loads better when I let his feathers grow, stopped washing him all the time & started supplementing his feeds with evening primrose oil. I always assumed the mallenders were down to sweat, he was a very sweaty boy, and they looked awful but they never seemed to cause him a problem & he got very cross when I tried to treat them, so I just left him be in the end :)
 
your not the only one

Hi there, we have a 12 year old cob who suffers from the same problems, loss of hair in patches, scabs and mites, and that thick waxy muck in the hair round his legs, as soon as you get it cleared up it comes back asap. on the last worm count he had a sky high reading witch is associated with mite problems. He lives out all year round with our shetland who is all ok. I have frontlined the cob, used shampoos from the vets but find fairy household green soap (very mild) as recomended by others just as good for cleaning. What i cant find is a quick soloution to get that horrid wax out, being a bloke i dont have long nails. i have thought about a metal hair comb as they never used to have sharp teeth. I am waiting to see someone down are stables about using a copper sulphate soloution but the poor horse does have a cracked heel and i dont want to hurt or irritate him as he is sensative there. I need an instant wax remover so i can get the problem areas clean and quick to avoid any discomfort to him so any help with this would be welcome.

Thank you for reading
Graham.
 
I have a h/w hairy cob, who tends to be a sweaty boy too. Mites don't seem to be a problem with him, though another horse I had did and vet recommended Ivermectin injection for her. Used to spray frontline on her too, which was really helpful.
However, with hairy boy, I mostly wash area with a mild baby shampoo and use liquid paraffin on the backs of knees, let the scabs soften overnight and then brush out the scabs gently with a plastic curry comb. Once its cleared, he gets this area brushed couple of times a week as keeping on top of it seems to prevent it getting to the stage where his skin cracks.
If there is heat on the area with your horse, might be worth contacting the vet, as he may need antibiotics or 'cracked heel' cream which contains steriods. Just remembered.. Flamazine is good too, vet gave it to me for one of mine, you may know it as a treatment for burns patients.
Loads of different lotions and potions out there, just depends on what works for your horse....not much help really,sorry.:eek:
 
For the scabs on the back of the knees (strange as may sound) use wound powder - after a couple of days of applying the scabs literally fall off as the powder drys them and being antiseptic will kill any slight infection. If the scabs r bad maybe try sudocreme and clingfilm to soften the scabs first then wash thoroughly , dry then start with wound powder - it can be applied straight on with no washing!

I would add ive no experience with Mallenders but believe it to be dermatitis more commonly affecting heavier horses which means if that is what is causing the scabs and there is a lot of heat id ask tthe vets advice in case antibiotics or an ointment is needed to killl any underlying infection which is preventing the healing process

Good luck and hope u get it sorted :)
 
Dlace thanks for the link, I couldn't find that article having read it a while back. I had a cob that suffered with mites and eventually clipped her feathers off and was very surprised to find she had Chronic Progressive Lymphedema. Her legs looked like Nora Batty's stockings, (reference to Uk programme, The Last Of The Summer Wine.) Ivermectin injections were very effective with her.
 
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