mud fever???

My friend is away and I have to ''look after'' her horses until they came back...but before they left he had mud fever and still does but its sorta getting worse than before ...wat do I do to help it do I brush it out and then leave it to grow back(the hairs) or is there any cream or somthing that could help me...

My horse gets this and the vet told me to put anything on it that will block moisture. Vasaline, bag balm. I clean it off first with betadine shampoo and let it dry and then put on a 3 way antibiotic/antimicrobial salve. Since you are just horse sitting I would see it they have any vasaline you could slather on.

Koolies thnx

Washing the legs with Teatree Oil Shampoo, and then applying a Mud Gard cream is supposed to be really good for mud fever.

One of mine tend to get it in the wet months. I normally use hibiscrub or anyother anti-bacterial shampoo. Scrub the infected areas until all scabs have gone and then apply a nappyrash cream. I use sudocrem. Works wonders.

Thnx heaps

My app had mud fever soon after I got her it was all swollen and really hurt her. I read up on mud fever, or scratches and found out that if the leg starts to swell, you need a vet in there right away. Well I called the vet, she gave me cream to put on it and also a steriod to put into her food to help give it a jump start. It cleared up in a few days and havent come back yet. Also if you can, clean the area off with water and dry it with a towel. Also make sure she isn't in mud when she's turned out.

This might make me sound stupid but whats mud fever??

There are no such thing as stupid questions!
Mud fever occurs when bacteria make their way into small scratches and breaks in the skin around a horse's pastern or heel. The legs swell, get hot, and become very painful to the horse. My big gelding gets this once every couple of years. I try to nip it in the bud when I see the first signs but I usually end up having my vet out to give him antibiotics. This last year was horrible, as my barn burned, and I had to repasture quickly in the middle of winter. A wet year, and a new barn in a poorly drained field were a bad combination. Betadine scrubs can be helpful! Good luck! -M

Thanks for letting me know