equusengland | INSTAGRAM | NOV 01

What is Mud Fever? 🥸 To give it its proper name, ‘Pastern Dermatitis’, mud fever refers to a whole range of skin reactions to a number of different irritants. You may also hear it referred to as “greasy heels” or “cracked heels”. The horse’s skin provides a home for many foreign bodies such as bacterial organisms, fungi and other parasites. When the skin is healthy, they don't cause a problem. However, if the skin is compromised, the organism is able to enter the horse’s body through the compromised skin. Once inside, the infectious agent known as ‘Dermatophilus Congolensis’, then multiplies in the damp, warm epidermal layers. Its threadlike tentacles spread in all directions from the original entry point. The result is an acute inflammatory reaction. Under normal circumstances, it lives in soil as “spores” which can actually survive from year to year. However, these spores are activated by wet weather, and this is why it’s more common when the ground is wet. #equus #equusengland #mudfever #horses #horsesofinsta #horsesofinstagram #winter #wetweather #equestrian #equestrianlife