Best treatment for mudfever please

[Sierraspider]

Hi please can you tell me your opinions on how to treat mudfever? Pony I bought is riddled with it. Didn't notice as she has a huge amount of thick feathers and neither did the vet who passed a vetting! Its spread up her legs (wet weather must of brought it out as her field is just green and dry). I've hibiscrubed her legs today and rinsed and dried them. A lot if thr scabs have come out leaving pink, bald patches but there are still scabs in her lower heals on all 4 legs. I've smothered them in legs in 'Carr an Day Martin antibacterial Salve' and turned out out this evening as I do not have a stable. What else can I do and how to I go about treating it? Do I need to hibiscrub, rinse and dry every day or once a week? What products are best to applying to the skin? Someone suggested sudo cream? Sorry for all the qquestions but have never delt with mudfever before. Scabs are just crusty not pussey and legs don't seem swollen, which is suprising. Trying to avoid the vet (just spent an absaloute fortune on vaccinations, teeth and xrays and would rather not another vets bill just yet!) but will get vet out if needed of course. Help?

[mrslaughan]

Are you sure she doesn't have mites in her feather? I know someone who really struggled with mud fever, but part of the issue was mites in his feather. The solution was to take the feather off, and treat for mites and then with filtabac antibacterial crime.

[mrslaughan]

I am not sure if there is only one type of filtabac - the one that the people on our yard used successfully had a zinc oxide base. So like a combo of sudicreme and antibiotics. The creme creates a barrier.
You can but filtabac online

[Sierraspider]

If there were mites wouldn't I see them crawling in her feathers? Thanks I will look for filtabac.

[JellyMould]

I too would trim her feathers to make it easier to deal with. With mud fever the ideal is to wash clean (with hibiscrub), then cover with sudocrem or cream of some kind and put some kind of cover over that to keep the dirt out (i.e. bandage), but that's not practical in the field.

[Merlin333]

I was going to suggest mites aswell as quite common if they have feathers and more live on the skin rather than lice that you would be able to see. I had a cob at work which suffered badly with them and the scabs were caused by her scratching (she would scratch her back legs on the gate) and used to get very sore. If so clipping legs is a good plan and I was given front line. She also had an injection which helped. Strange it wasnt noticed in the vetting! Hope you get it sorted :)

[WanderWomble]

I don't like to use hibiscrub too often because it can be harsh on healing skin.

You want the legs to dry out- I'd clip his feathers because they can hold water against the skin. I don't pick at the scabs, just leave them be and they'll come away as the skin heals.

I've had really good luck with this- www.animalmedicationdirect.co.uk/hydrophane-protocon-ointment-for-horses-250g-500g-pr-4021.html

It works best if you can get the hair/legs bone dry. Slather it on, keeping the legs as dry as you can for a few days. Reapply every morning, rubbing gently and the scabs should start to fall away.

Mites can be very tiny and you won't always be able to see them.

[mrslaughan]

As someone else has said - you can't always see mites.

[Sierraspider]

If its mites how do I treat as I haven't seen a powder or spray for mites like you do lice?

[WanderWomble]

I think the most common treatment is pig oil and sulphur. You can buy it on Ebay for about a tenner. Do a patch test first- some horses will react to it. It's also good for mud fever. To use, give the legs a good coating and reapply as needed. (I used to do it about once a month.)

Been a while since I dealt with mites, but I seem to remember the vet giving my daughter's cob an injection to get rid of them. Might be worth ringing to ask?

Does she stamp her feet a lot, especially the hinds? That's a sign of mites.

[Sierraspider]

She doesn't stamp her feet at all ive sat and watched her today for nearly 2 hours in the field! I've bought pig oil and sulpher so going to use that. If no improvement in a few days will call vet. Her back legs are a bit hot.

[BirdsOfFoo]

Are they white?

Its possible it could be photo sensitivity...looks like mud fever sometimes.
I have dealt with it twice now, once in a coloured and again with my tb with white legs.

If you feed alfalfa or there are buttercups in the paddock then this might cause it to pop up.

My tb is off alfalfa and away from buttercups this year and not a hint. Last year the scabs got infected and flies attacked it making it worse.

I used to smother in sudocreme with a good wash every few days with salty warm water and maybe some iodine.
I tried everything else and this is the only thing that helped clear it up in the end.

Good luck!

[Sierraspider]

Hi yes she has white legs, shes piebald. I looked this morning and it seems to of cleared up since hibi scrubbing it, theres no buttercups in her field but does hoofkind chaff have alfafa in it?

[Sierraspider]

Theres no more angry red scabs left just tiny, annoying little yellow ones?

[Sierraspider]

Hi everyone I caved in this morning and got the vet (bloody expensive pony what have I got myself into lol) out because her legs has fresh, red bleeding scabs on. Definitely NOT mudfever. The vet said it is feather mites and it looks like shed had them a long time (previous owners left it untreated, current vet not sure how other vet didn't notice at vetting...) vet wormed her with a wormer beginning with 'i' and has told me to use Netex mite powder after washing in a lotion used for humans with scabbies?! She said it was much, much cheaper than her prescribing the horse version. Hopefully my mare will be happy soon, but I thought ide give this information just in case anyone elses heavy feathered horse or pony is suffering with mites. I think the wormer was Ivermetican??