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For the past several months Focus has been battling a bad case of mud fever. It started at the end of September and did not clear up until early January. I tried everything that people had suggested and nothing seemed to work.
Next The vet supplied me with a scratches and mud fever cream. Although I had been told this was the best way to clear it up quickly, after a month of application the mud fever had yet to clear up. It was not getting any worse but it surely was not going away. My next attempt at clearing Focus’ mud fever was with Vircon powder. I dissolved the powder into hot water and scrubbed any scabs off. This only worked for a while and then the mud fever came back worse that before. Next I tried Penaten cream. This just made a mess of everything. The cream didn’t seem to come off and it made the mud fever spread quickly. By the time Christmas rolled around the mud fever was still there one all three white legs. I purchased Keratex Mud Shield Powder. This was my last try. By putting this powder on Focus’ mud fever had dried up within a week. I continued to apply the powder for a week after to prevent it from returning and she has not had mud fever since.
Once a horse gets mud fever they are more susceptible to get it again. If your horse does acquire this fungus there are a few things that I recommend you do:
1) Experiment around with different methods. No one method will clear the mud fever up. What works for one person may not work for the next.
2) Be sure to keep your horse out of moisturized areas such as a wet field.
3) Where you can applied a water proof cream to act as a barrier to any unwanted moisture, mud fever thrives on moisture.
4) The most important thing with treating mud fever is to be sure that it isalways dry, especially if you are using water in the treatment, make sure you dry the area when you are finished.
5) Continue to treat the area for a few days after even if it has cleared up. This will prevent it from coming back.
6) Be consistent. Treating the infected area twice a day is not a bad idea.
As far as Focus’ training the mud fever did not effect her to much, besides the fact that her legs were mildly swollen. Focus is now back in consistent work as a coming four year old. Currently I am trying to mix her training up with different things to keep her “happy”. She is ridden five or six days a week. One of those days includes a hack part way around Campbell Valley park. At the end of some schooling sessions I will jump her a few times as a means of relaxation for her. I will continue to inform you of Focus’ progress and obstacles this year.
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