Mud Fever, what do YOU do when your horse get's it?

I couldnt see the first picture to see the stocking up. From my own personal experience though, athletes foot spray, instant relief and healing! It works better than anything else I have tried over the years. My horse got scratches sooo bad to the point that she had swelling and would even try to kick me in the head when I washed and shaved it because she was in so much pain. The spray gave her such instant pain relief and the healing was noticeable within a matter of days and the tenderness went away. I swear by this stuff. The cream doesnt work as well though. Just spray a few times a day....amazing!

My thought is to get the vet out. He could have cellulitis.

My friend's horse got cellulitis from Scratches when she left her over 21-very horse savvy niece in charge him while my friend went away for two weeks.

Cost her a hefty vet bill and many days of cold hosing. Fortunately there was no kidney or liver damage.

I would not mess around with a leg stocked up like that. Something's going on somewhere.

Cellulitis : Equine Medical Services

This article does talk about scratches as being one possible cause of cellulitis.

Only seen very very early stages of mud fever in Alli last winter- might not even have been it tbh- but I hibi-scrubbed (disinfectant) and dried the leg out. I think your ment to peal the scabby bits off because the bacteria need the protection from the scab to survive.

So disinfect, keep dry, remove scabs, keep clean!

For my horse (who has fairly chronic scratches) I have to keep the area dry, and using Desitin (or zinc oxide) actually makes it worse because it keeps the skin moist and prone to breakage.

I will wash with fluorhexadine (Hibitane is the brand name) about once a week - or less if I can at all manage it, then apply either my vet's magic steroidal/antifungal/antibiotic cream or if it is less severe, I can get away with using polysporin. I also keep the area dry and am very careful not to open the skin as it makes the infection worse - this includes wrapping as it gets rubbed raw and infected.
Oral antibiotics do little for my horse's scratches as well. He also gets the "rolls" you are describing and all I've found to bring them down is turnout and application of a topical antibiotic as well as keeping the area well clipped.
I have an appt. With my vet to discuss further treatment options.

I know people have success with different things. One person I know had great success with her horse's scratches by soaking his hay and cold hosing the leg. Other people find wrapping helps, etc..

Good luck!

I used betadine base shampoo, get it at the feed store. I soak the scabs and pick them off kind of gross but didn't seem to bother my gelding. If that hadn't taken care of it in short order then I would use vetricyn, its a bit pricey but if something takes to long to clear up I use it. If you do use it make sure you don't leave it in a hot car or barn the temp of it needs to be kept at a certain degree range of temperature or it turns into nothing more then water. Best of luck

Again thanks to all of you who have replied!

For my case, I have continued cold hosing to reduce swelling, checking for a digital pulse and/or heat, finding none, just fluid build-up I believe.
I check his temperature before beginning everything and today it was at 100.8 which is .4 above the suggested normal, but by no means a fever to even note.
Once the swelling starts to reduce, I scrub the area with right now baby shampoo with antibacterial properties that is also wax, perfume, and all free.
I dry the legs (I do this to both back legs because the other also is a white hoof, and has a matching sock, that has been exposed to the same, and most likely suffers from a pre-stage of what it's counterpart has.
Once towel dried to the touch, I begin peeling any new scabs that the hose didn't remove already (which hasn't been much of anything) When I feel that the area is clean enough, I clean and treat all hooves with a bleach and water mixture for what I think may be thrush on the underside as a just in case measure.
Its finally now that I start treating the scratches, I begin with the triple antibiotic cream, and pat on the zinc powder Calesdene or something, and send him out (while temporarily wrapped for 30 minutes or so with just some gauze and vetwrap) into the round pen to walk about, roll, etc just to get him moving.
I did hop on him bareback and did some walking and trotting which he was completely sound for, I didn't attempt canter.
The farrier is coming out tomorrow morning to do his feet, and he did (while didn't complete) attend several years of vet school, and has been a farrier for 30 plus years, so I trust his opinion, and information because it hasn't lead me astray yet.
Saturday is a big show, while I'm not against dropping, I really hope by some miracle he can say yes he can compete with what he has going on, shall I cross my fingers?
And while how I put all of this may seem dramatic, I really don't think it's bad enough to call the vet out yet, because in my experience unless doing some biopsy or something of the sort, which I would have to refuse, all he can really do is put him on an anti-inflammatory and sulfa tablets, so I don't really see the point RIGHT NOW.
Sorry for such a long post!