Mud Fever Special:
(or as we call it, 'the evil affliction).
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| Henry, what do you think about mudfever? BORING |
It's rained since October and my land is at saturation point, and still it rains. Tom & Henry are in at night because of the wet mud in their turnout. They have grass, the grass is growing, because although we may not like all the rain, it does keep the temperatures on the mild side for January.
As you will know if you're a regular of TCJ, I battle with mild mudfever here at WW. When the boys get even a small patch, I panic, because I have learned the hard way, even the smallest patches can turn into a big painful problem. So this year I trialled a new strategy by using a barrier: udder cream.
Yes it's pink, yes it's gloopy, and yes, I have a cream-phobia myself, but nothing is going to stop me keeping my boys fit and healthy - even a mild panic attack.
So, it's January, and mudfever is absent completely. Here's how I do it:
1) Let them out to eat breakfast after being in all night, brush their fetlocks, pasterns and coronet band gently with a hairbrush from Boots. The mud is dry and comes off easily. be sure to get around the bulbs of the heel too. The whole are must be super clean before the cream is applied - otherwise you're just trapping dirt against their skin, which causes irritation.
2) Smother the clean 'feet' with your fingers with udder cream, get into the hair, around the heel and right up to the fetlock.
3) Then apply a few times a week, a hoof dressing specially designed for surviving winter - I have used this one from Effol - you can get it, along with the udder cream, at Amazon UK. It smells wonderful too, so putting it on isn't a chore.
4) Let them out into the wet mud.
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| Too wet for Lemmy |
It's not quick, but once added to my morning routine, it just becomes a part of the tasks to complete before work.
I have been doing this since the beginning of November, I'm on my 5th large tub of pink cream, and there's not a single trace of scabs or mudfever.
BUT: just in case....I saw a product in a monthly horse magazine from Equimed AG, which claims to help mudfever sufferers. It's for after they get it, so I haven't tried it yet. I have bandages for dressing the area, and a special easy to use boot for in the stable, that claims to speed the healing process and kill the bacteria that causes it in the first place. WOW, I'll of course rave about it if it works, but I'm hoping they will be an unused part of my First Aid cabinet. The testimonials on their website are encouraging too, so give it a go. At £80 a pair, cheaper than a vet visit and repeat prescription of Fuciderm cream!
Here modelled by Tom and Henry are the boots, you can get them for just the heels, right up to a full boot to the knee. I opted for a heel and fetlock boot all-in-one, since that's where mine get it. Quick and easy to put on, the idea is the feet get washed and dried and these boots are worn in the stable at night, couldn't be easier.
...here's hoping these small things will help you fight mudfever once and for all.
