[Ravenmoon]

I have an 11 year old mare who according to the research I've done and the vet has mud fever/scratches. It's been an on and off thing since August. She's never before had anything remotely like this until recently. Back in August, the scabbing was primarily on the lower half of her left hind leg. The vet removed as much of the scabbing as possible, said to clean the area daily and apply an ointment twice daily, and prescribed an oral antibiotic. The scabbing subsided but never completely disappeared and now the scabbing is appearing on the same leg but seems to have spread and that leg is noticibly swollen. Again, the vet prescribed more oral antibiotics and said to cleanse the area with an antibacterial scrub. We're already gone through half of the prescription and her condition doesn't appear to improving, though I can't say it's worsening either. I'm really at a loss at what to do, and our vet can't seem to offer any other suggestions. From the research I've done, some seem to suggest soaking the scabs in order to remove them, then apply ointment daily, while others say just to apply the ointment directly on the scabs until the area is healed. And of course there are a wide range of ointments people suggest. Also, it's been very wet and rainy here and as a result, her pen is muddy and the pasture wet but not muddy. The vet never suggested taking her off the pasture and as a result, we have never done so. Does anyone have suggestions as to how to treat, what to treat with, and issue of keeping her confined to her stall during treatment or if releasing her in the pasture is ok? Thanks guys.

 

[SavvyHearts]

scratches is simply rain rot but on the legs. What I use all the time is MTG. I pick off the scabs (or rub them off if my horse will let me) and then pour MTG on it. Normally they go away really fast.

All my horse's are kept in a pasture. If the pasture is very wet, see if you can move them to a pasture that is not so wet and muddy. If everything is extremely muddy and wet, stalling is alright, though I am not a fan of stalling a horse

 

[ericforum]

have you got this sorted now!

 

[Stencilbum]

Our TB is prone to this on her one white sock.

We tried all of the vet remidies which didn't work, and then my sister (who has kept horses for over 30 years suggested using Nappy rash cream (Sudocrem in the UK).

We put it on fairly thick and kept applying it and the mud fever went completely within a couple of weeks.

She had mud fever for about 6 weeks before we tried this and nothing else works.

Try it

 

[Ravenmoon]

Ok, so let me clarify...it seems that some apply a topical directly on the scabs without removing them and some try to remove the scabs first. In either situation, you just try to keep the leg clean. If that particular hoove gets muddy or wet, just clean and dry it before reapplying the cream. Does this sound accurate? I was really hoping not to keep my mare stall bound for a long period of time, because since she's used to be on pasture for years, she'll probably go crazy if she has be stuck in a stall for so long.

 

[Vidaloco]

I use Cowboy Magic Krudbuster to remove the scabs its great stuff and has an antifungal in it. I then use MTG as a topical.
Krudbuster

Vida used to get it pretty bad. Surprisingly she is an all black horse without a spot of white. I think it helps to keep them off the wet/dewy grass. I bring her into the dry lot at night during the warm months and don't let her back out till the dew dries.

 

[Appyt]

I just slather on the baby butt ointment(desitin) and reapply as needed, knocking off the loose stuff. I don't have to go buy something special and it's relatively easy to do.

 

[Stencilbum]

Ok, so let me clarify...it seems that some apply a topical directly on the scabs without removing them and some try to remove the scabs first. In either situation, you just try to keep the leg clean. If that particular hoove gets muddy or wet, just clean and dry it before reapplying the cream. Does this sound accurate? I was really hoping not to keep my mare stall bound for a long period of time, because since she's used to be on pasture for years, she'll probably go crazy if she has be stuck in a stall for so long.

We use the nappy (Diaper) rash cream direct over a clean dry area and use it as a barrier cream so it goes on fairly thick every day. We only pick the scabs if they are lose when we are applying the cream. A scab is a natural barrier against infection so by removing it, you only risk opening it up to more infecton.

We turn her back out into the field either way.

 

[Gidji]

Well, my friend's horse who I look after has had mud-fever for a while.
Before I began looking after him, his legs were covered in mud and never cleaned.

I treat them by scrubbing them and removing all the scabby scaly stuff. And then I use a mixture of Vetadine (its like betadine for horses) and Triocil. Don't know if you have that in the US but its pretty much a shampoo that helps relieve skin conditions. Remember to wash off all shampoos you use really good or else it might do more harm than good. If his skin is really irritated after washing, I spray a wound-cleasing spray on it.

In general, just try and keep her feet clean. It doesn't mean keeping her in a stall, but it is easier because she will get less muddier.