Spring Cleaning of Mud Fever/Scratches
by Arnold Warmels
With the coming (and welcome!) spring-weather change we are looking forward to the longer days, sun and finally get to ride outside again. Babies will be born and furry coats will be shedded.
Exciting times for all!
Spring time also means "clean-up time" of our horses. Clippers are oiled, shampoos bought and washbays readied.
Grooming is an important part of horse management, not only for looks and apearances but also to monitor the horses health and skin condition.
One of the dreaded conditions that appear especially in spring is bacterial and fungal infections on the lower pastern of the horses legs.
These infections go by many names, commonly referred to as scratches, grease-heel, mud-fever
and many more. These conditions can have a variety of causes, but as "feathered" horse owners, we are usually confronted with a combination of causes. The long hair of the legs retain dirt and water better than short haired or clipped pasterns.
Combined with warmth, this area provides a perfect "incubator" for the development of bacterial
and fungal manifestations. Scratches is a dermatitis, or inflammation of the skin, and the most common cause seems to be the fungus Sporotrichum schenki.
Also, the long hair makes it
difficult to spot the conditions in an early stage, and by the time it is visible a lot of damage to skin tissue and hair loss has already ocurred.
The healing process will take much longer unless caught in the early stages.
The best method to locate these infections in an early stage is to wet the legs, apply shampoo (we use iodine shampoo weekly on the fetlock area) and massage the legs, fetlocks and pasterns.
If it feel like there is dirt or crusts matted into the hair that will not come out, further treatment is
neccessary. If you would pull or comb the dirt out, you will pull out the hair as well.
During the first treatments, let it just be. The crusty matter will come out later as you continue the process.
Many methods of treatment are available. If you search the internet for all articles regarding scratches, you will find hundreds of treatments! Every stable has their own remedy.
We have found that not every treatment method works on every horse, but have
managed to fight these infections quickly and in a matter of days got rid of the infection on the
skin and the crusts.
Remember - Prevention is the key and regular (weekly) short scrubbing of the pasterns with
iodine shampoo goes a long way. In case we do treat a horse with crusts in the fetlock &
pasterns, we start with iodine-shampoo scrubs at the first day. Then, we examine the
condition of the skin for infections.
In case there are open sores, medical treatment is necessary.
In case the skin did not break, we treat the legs for a week with sulpher based ointments, either liquid or powder or a combination. Drying the hair (and keeping it dry) is important, although oils can be used to keep water out, and prove very effective. The most important thing is to continue treatment daily until the skin is healed and the crusts are gone and "stay gone"!
Daily monitoring is important and will reduce the time to heal significantly. After 4-6 days, most of the conditions will be gone, but if not, then different treatments should be examined. There are numerous products on the market but it is best to consult a vetenarian before changing the treatment.
A special note about chronic "scratches" that just will not go away. The University of Ghent and Antwerp (Belgium) and UC Davis (California) have studied a condition known as "CPL" which stands for Chronic Progressive Lymphedema.
CPL is a condition of the lymph nodes in the pastern area. The deformation of the lymphnodes make the natural healing of external infections very diffcult and horses may never cure from infections in the pastern area.
Continous treatment is necessary to prevent severe leg infections. If not attended properly can even result in death
of the horse. I encourage horse owners of the affected breeds to read up on this condition and seek immediate veterinary treatment
if their horses are affected.
The studies
done in both countries concluded that this is a common condition is several draft breeds, The Clydesdale, Shire, Belgian and Gypsy Cob/Vanner.
The University of Antwerp has included the Friesian breed in their studies but have not
found this condition in Friesians.
CPL is analyzed as an genetic disorder but which particular gene is responsible is being studied.
There is no cure for CPL and only selective breeding will make it possible to eventually prevent this condition.
Owners of the affected breeds are encouraged to participate in the UC Davis study.
(more info can be found on the UC Davis link)
MINTSE 384 SPORT
handled by children. Great manners all around and loving personlity. Has been shown at a variety of events. Has jumping experience. Flashy front-end action. Lots of feathering. 16.1 hands. Baroque Style.
Congratulations to Lisa Kaatz & Laterak of Starry Knight, a 6 year old FHANA registered gelding that
