I have noticed a huge increase in my blog statistics again
over the past few days and funnily enough, although we are still in the middle
of summer (well....), people seem to be researching mud fever.
Whether you are preparing for winter or your horse is
struggling with mud fever now, then no doubt it will be a stressful time for
you.
What is it?
Mud fever is a group of diseases that causes irritation and
dermatitis in the lower limbs of horses. Often it is caused by a mixture of
bacteria called "Dernatophilus congolensis and Staphylococcus spp".
Although mud fever is normally associated with mud, it can also be caused by
mites; this is less common but owners should be vigilant.
Before Ceaser was got mud fever last winter I thought it was
something that was associated with winter, wet weather and mud. However, this
myth is wrong and a horse can suffer an attack at any time of the year -
autumn, winter, spring and summer.
How will I know if my horse has mud fever?
Any of the following can be signs:
- Thick, creamy, white, yellow or greenish discharge between
the skin and overlying scab
- Raw looking skin
- Inflamed, sore looking legs
- Raw looking skin
- Inflamed, sore looking legs
- Lameness
- In bad cases: lethargy, depression, loss of appetite.
In Ceaser's case, sometimes his legs looked clean and I
struggled to find the scabs. However, I was told once that even the smallest of
scabs can cause swelling and lameness. You have to be very vigilant when
checking the legs and almost go through with a fine tooth comb to ensure you
get every scab off.
Last year Ceaser suffered with mud fever continuously for a
year. Whilst it was both a stressful and worrying time for me, it gave me the
opportunity to research what exactly caused mud fever for hours upon end whilst
trying to find a cure.
If your horse is suffering with this awful problem then take
a look at my previous two blogs about mud fever.
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