Mud Fever in the summer in the UK, how can I get rid of it?

Question

I cant believe both of my horses have got mud fever in the middle of summer. Neither have been in particuarly muddy fields and their legs are cleaned daily. One of the horses has never had it before.

What is the best way to treat it and keep it gone?

Answer 1

Get hibiscrub, warm water, and a towel.

Wet the legs, shampoo in the hibiscrub.  When the scabs are soft  (the warm water does this not cold!)  remove all of them every last one.  Then rinse the legs and re shampoo with hibiscrub.  Then rinse thoroughly and dry. Repeat this daily until its gone.  Try to keep the horse out of the conditions causing the mud fever until the  mud fever has gone. When you turn the horse out rub a preventative grease into the legs.

Feed a supplement to prevent mud fever I think it is a Naf product.

Don't bother with a vet unless the legs are swollen and badly infected as it will cost you money and they will only suggest hibiscrub anyway.  If the infection is bad they will give antibiotics alongside the hibiscrub.

One of my horses gets mudfever from wet mud in the winter and dry dusty conditions in the summer.

Answer 2

go to the vet and get your horses treated there!!

Answer 3

drink lots of pina coladas and water lol.

Answer 4

That's what happened to me this year. No mud fever in the mud, but when it's completely dry bam! The one thing I found that cleared it up quickly and they didn't get it again was a bleach water solution. 1/3 bleach to 2/3 water. Can get it up to half and half if necessary. Worked wonders within a couple of weeks. Just make sure to keep trying to remove the scabs. Keep them as dry as possible and possibley trim the hair around the affected area to keep it from spreading (depends on conditions). Good luck!

Answer 5

Get swabs taken.  I know it seems a bit extreme for mud fever - but there is a fungal infection which presents exactly the same as mud fever, and doesn't respond to any mud fever treatments.  If you have somehow managed to secure the only non-muddy field in the British Isles this summer (well done! mine are a mudbath) it's well worth speaking to your vet to see if it really is mud fever.

One of my mares had what I thought was the worst mud fever I had ever seen.  I cleaned her legs with Hibiscrub daily and bought Camrosa by the bucketload; she was barely in the field all winter because she'd be so sore she was visibly lame.  I didn't think of calling the vet out because as far as I was aware it was only mud fever, but when he came to scan her (to see if she was in foal) I asked him to take a look and he took swabs.  Turned out it wasn't mud fever at all; I felt rotten for not having done anything sooner, but she's fine now.

Answer 6

Sudocreme!! (I think that's how its spelt)  You will find it in the baby section of any chemist or supermarket, its for nappy rash but it works brilliantly on mud fever and costs a lot less than the horsey remedies (about £3 per tub).  One of mine seems to always get mud fever in the summer when the weather is dry (totally not what you'd expect) and Sudocreme sooths the irritation and softens the scabs at the same time.  I use it preventatively now and he hasn't had any symptoms this summer!

Look at www.soloequestrian.com blog for more interesting horse stuff!

Answer 7

Another person aksed ths question a couple of days ago.

Here is the answer I gave her.

I hope this helps and good luck :)

I found some info about mud fever. Here is a webpage for a cream that treats mud fever. Below the product shows some shampoos that could help too!

http://www.horse.com/Horse-Health-First-...

Prevention

Paddock Management

Preventative action should be taken as soon as the paddocks start to become wet and muddy. Rotation of paddocks keeps horses from having to stand in wet, muddy ground. Electric fencing may also prevent horses from standing for long periods in the deep mud that collects in high traffic areas.

Grooming

Washing the infected area with an antiseptic solution is part of the treatment for mud fever. However, washing a horse's legs repeatedly can remove the natural oils in the skin and may allow the condition to become established. The legs should be dried thoroughly after washing with antibacterial shampoo using paper towels,

Care Products

There are many products available to help protect the skin from the constant wet by forming a barrier between the mud and the leg. However, barrier creams have the disadvantage that the horse's legs are still covered in mud when they come in from the field. Alternatively, some form of covering for the leg may be used such as Anti mud fever boots.

Treatment

Keeping the horse out of the wet and mud is the first step in treatment of mud fever. Initial treatment also consists of clipping of the hair away from the infected area and use of an anti-bacterial lotion on the scabs to soften them and gently remove them. When the scabs are removed, the skin is kept clean and dry. A Veterinary Surgeon is consulted for further treatment