Preventing mud fever

Preventing mud fever
 
Sarah Radford

17 February, 2003

Mud fever can be a time-consuming and difficult condition to treat, with efforts to manage the symptoms often frustrated when the owner has no choice but to turn horses back out into the environment that aggravated the condition in the first place.

Although it is not always possible to guarantee complete protection, half the battle lies in effective preventive treatment.
Methods of prevention
To prevent mud fever, keep horses’ legs as clean and dry as possible. There is some argument over the best way to do this. Leaving mud to dry before it is brushed off avoids the risk of chapping due to cold hosing and drying, but may not be practical when there are time constraints.
Hosing should not cause problems, providing legs are dried thoroughly afterwards. Find what worksbest for you and make it part of your routine. Using barrier creams or protective boots, such as Equi-Chaps, can also help.
Horses with thin skin, white heels or a lot of feather are likely to be more susceptible to the condition. Keep an eye out for early warning signs. If horses are turned out, it is advisable to keep their feathers clipped.
The condition must be managed to prevent it spreading, if possible, isolate horses with mud fever. The dermatophilus bacteria can survive forup to 42 months in removed scabs, so these should be disposed of carefully and not allowed to fall into bedding or pasture. Shared grooming kit should also be disinfected.
Treating the established condition
Remove scabs to treat theskin, but be aware that doing this forcibly could aggravate surrounding tissue. Many mud fever treatments soften scabs so they fall away naturally
Prevent skin from coming into further contact with wet or muddy earth while the condition is beingtreated. Horses should be stabled, if possible.
When scabs have been removed, treat the infection with a product that attacks the bacteria, or an antibiotic cream in more advanced cases.
Once the bacteria is destroyed, keep on protectingthe area while new skin and hair grows. If it is not possible to stable your horse, apply a barrier cream when the horse is turned out.
Choosing a barrier cream
There are several creams available for topical application and, ideally, the cream you chose should provide:

a bactericide to fight the infection
a soothing or emollient ingredient to make the skin more supple, prevent further cracking and loosen scabs
a waterproof barrier against further invasionby mud and wet
anti-inflammatory agents and ingredients that promote healing