Keratex Mud Shield Powder - any good?

[wendyihts]

Naff, Naff weather! We've had incessant rain for the last two months so Lutine now has mud fever. It's only two little now scab-less patches, one on each white sock, but she's got swollen legs today and tonight they're not going down, despite the latest round of washing, drying, creaming etc. (So it'll be bute and anti-b's tomorrow - typcal! Always the weekend! )

Anyhow, she's not always in the mud and wet because she has the barn to come under and eat her hay, and that has a huge, thick, dry bed of straw in it. However, she's bottom of the 'pecking order' which means she regularly has to take a hike through the mud to the other side of the barn when one of the other horses chucks her out.

All that to say - is Keratex Mud Shield any good for helping prevent the problem in the first place? She can't be stabled, I can't pen off a bit for her as she will break through whatever fencing I put up and those gaitor thingies can only be worn 12 hours a day. So I need to do something to protect her skin and Sudocrem-ing hasn't worked so far.

(BTW, this winter has been BLOOMIN' miserable. )

[Liz]

Wendy - I do know someone who used that with great success on her Arab who was very prone to mud fever. If he did get mud fever, she hibiscrubbed his legs and applied the powder.

[kofihorse]

I use it regularly, having tried most of the products out there, and all I can say is that it has never stopped small amounts of scabbiness appearing somewhere but, fingers crossed and touch wood, Khan has never had the full blown swollen legs etc since using it.

My vet is sceptical of all preventative products, he says it is warm dampness that allows the bug to break into the skin but he does say that Keratex powder won't do any harm! I think I use it a bit like a magic charm so I can feel as if I'm doing something.............LOL

It is much cheaper to order it direct from the Keratex website,BTW

[l17]

I have used keratex with some success as a preventitive and on low level mud fever and rainscald.

[lizr]

My horse suffers every year with mud feaver and I swear by this stuff. He is however stabled over night so I put it on every morning when his legs are dry. I never wash his legs off when I bring him in as I think it makes things worse, then I brush of the dry mud the following morning before re-applying keratex.

[marianne]

Dec 19, 2008 23:25:56 GMT 1 @wendyihts said:

(BTW, this winter has been BLOOMIN' miserable. )

I can't believe it's been so awful so early on :-( If we have another 3 months of rain I might as well move back to the UK

In case Keratex doesn't work - and I firmly hope it does for you - I've been using something called Tifene from Audevard for the last 6 weeks and it's working on the Kingster. Does involve washing the legs and reapplying every day though :-(

[wendyihts]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to give the Mud Shield a go as she's not stood in the mud all the time, it's just that she has to splodge through it several times to a day when she gets chucked out of the barn by Crystal and Mascagne. Hopefully, as you say, it'll help keep on top of things sufficiently. I'm also putting her on Global Herbs Mud-Ex and the acupuncture vet, who is coming on Monday, is going to stick some pins in her too.

thanks again!

[KateD]

I use it too and like it, but I do find it a fag to apply as the powder gets everywhere as well as the legs.

[sandy]

My mare had mud fever for the first time since I have had her about 3 months ago. I kept her in during the day and smothered her legs in the keratex powder and then when she went out at night she wore sportabac turnout socks with the powder still on her legs. The mudfever healed very quickly. Now shes in at night I'm using the same routine but reversing it. I really like the powder cos if her legs are a wee bit damp you can still put it on. Only [problem is you do wast a lot as it drops all over the place and if its windy you get a faceful!