Treating and Preventing Mud Fever/Scratches

As summer closes into fall/winter and the wet seasons approach, we are beginning to see the signs of mudfever/scratches show up on some horses. This year seems to have grown a particularly hardy strain of fungus which is making treatment extremely frusterating. Through some research that I have done for several clients, I have put together a summary of things you can do for your horse when you find him/her being plagued by the pesky fungus as well as some preventative measures.

Mudfever/scratches is not to be confused with rainrot or rainscald and the treatments for each are actually different. Mudfever/scratches (also known as dew poisoning, greasy heel ..) is the condition that affects the heels/lower legs of the horse. Rainrot usually occurs above the knees/hocks, while rainscald occurs on the horse's back.

Young horses, poorly nourished horses, horses with low immune systems and horses with white legs and/or long hair on their legs are most susceptible. It often starts as an inflammation caused by a fungus and then develops into swelling. As the skin stretches it secretes pus which dries and glues the hair together forming hard scabby lumps and matted hair. Breaks in the skin (caused by anything from chapping due to cold weather to abrasions from working in a sandy ring) give the fungus a place to enter.

First of all, having a vet culture the fungus (most commonly Dermatophilus congolensis) to determine what type it is can help you figure out what the best course of treatment is. You should also contact your vet if your horse's condition develops into a very bad case (eg. Swollen legs, lameness, very bad/fast spreading scabs) as a course of antibiotics might be in order. If the condition is bad and left untreated it can lead to an infection in the blood stream and/or lymphangitis.

Your horse's environment can play a large factor in both prevention and treatment. Horses kept in poor quality/wet/muddy pastures will be more prone to mud fever. In either case, keep your horse in a pasture that has dry areas so your horse is not always in the wet. Certain grasses (such as fescue/alfalfa) can make your horse worse. Once your horse has mud fever, you should keep your horse off the grass overnight until the dew dries in the morning and bring your horse in if it rains as any moisture will worsen the condition. If you can keep your horse in a stall overnight that is often most helpful – make sure the bedding is kept very clean and dry. Try not to keep your horse in 24/7 – movement will help heal by promoting circulation to the area.

Diet is also a factor. Your horse's diet directly affects their immune system, and a poor immune system makes your horse more susceptible to infections. Beyond a basic good nutrition program (good grain, good hay, good water, free choice minerals, good basic mineral supplement, probiotics etc.) you can also look at copper, iodine and trace mineral supplementation. All three improve immunity if your horse is deficient in the particular mineral. MSM can help as a circulatory enhancer and Excel can help to detox the lymph systems.

Do not share your horse's brushes, tack and/or equipment with any other horses. Completely and regularly disinfect your horse's things so that the fungus doesn't keep spreading.

You can clip your horse's legs so that mud/moisture/scabs won't have a place to sit. Some people recommend scrubbing the scabs off daily with a gentle antibacterial or antifungal (eg Tea Tree) shampoo – this works for many horses but on some you need to be careful as this can actually drive the infection deeper and spread it. Keep your horse's legs as dry as possible. There are hundreds of topical treatments out there for mudfever – usually you need to try a few to find one that works for your horse. Some homeopathics you could try include graphites, malandrinum, petroleum and thuja. Natural solutions include tea tree oil, aloe cream, Vit E/A, lavender or apple cider vinegar (restores skins pH). You do need to be careful when using products that contain tea tree oil as it tends to drive other ingredients deeper into the skin. Spraying Release on the area will give your horse some relief as well. Others have had success with things like MTG, Special Formula (from your vet), Desitin/Corona or homemade mixes of desitin(40% zinc oxide)/cortisone cream/neosporin (2:1:1).

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