Mud fever is a term that can refer to several different skin conditions. It’s often a bacterial infection, but fungi and parasites like mites can also cause skin flakes, inflammation, itching, and spots. Cracks or wounds can also occur with mud fever. To treat mud fever properly, you need to look at the form it takes: Is it ‘dry’ mud fever or ‘wet’ mud fever?

Wet Mud Fever

If the skin in the coronet and around the mud fever spots is wet from wound fluid or if you see blisters or open inflammation, it’s called wet mud fever. It often also smells. In cases of wet mud fever, a bacterium is usually the culprit. The moisture on the legs comes from within, from the inflammation of the skin. If your horse stands in mud or a wet stall, the wet mud fever can worsen. The treatment for wet mud fever starts with a wash with soap or shampoo. Then remove the softened crusts. Let your horse's legs dry well, or gently pat them dry with a towel. Next, you can spray the affected areas with ‘good bacteria.’ A spray with effective microorganisms (EM) supports the health of the skin and coat. A horse’s skin has a whole ecosystem (microbiome) of bacteria, fungi, and yeasts that maintain skin health and balance. In wet mud fever, that balance is severely disrupted, and harmful bacteria have taken over. By adding good microorganisms, you can restore the balance in the skin.

Dry Mud Fever

Dry mud fever mainly has symptoms of a lot of skin flakes and sometimes cracks in the coronet. There is no moisture from within or wound fluid. Dry mud fever also doesn’t smell. For dry mud fever, it can be useful to wash the legs once, but not more frequently. If the dry mud fever is caused by parasites like mites, you should treat the horse for that. For dry mud fever, you should leave the crusts alone; they will eventually fall off on their own. Actively removing the crusts can cause open wounds that may become infected. So, don’t do it! After washing and drying the legs, you can use a soothing mud fever ointment, but this is usually not necessary. Steroids like hydrocortisone often have adverse effects, in our experience. If the mud fever remains persistent, the vet may prescribe an antibiotic ointment, but only as a last resort. Since antibiotics also remove the good skin bacteria, it's good to use a spray with effective microorganisms for a while after the mud fever is gone to replenish the skin’s microbiome with good bacteria.

Conclusion

In short: for wet mud fever, you should remove the crusts. For dry mud fever, you should not. Pretty simple, right?