Cellulitis - erm WOOOOOOOO

PurplePickle

PurplePickle

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Can't be a better title for it really
As some of you know my warmblood was receiving treatment from my vets since Nov 09. Diagnosed Cellulitis but also had scans and x rays as it wasnt responding and they thought it might be tendon or hairline fracture
nothing drastic could be seen from the scans so he went on baytril, box rest and in hand walking. But of course with the ice it wasnt happening, he was getting a small amount of turnout per day.

Anyway it was slowley responding and after a further 3 weeks of baytril looked like this

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So next vet visit and they suggested him going in for another scan and x ray ?? and possibly staying in.

Given another week of norodine and bute with flamzine and left as was with in hand walking and tiny amount of turnout.

By this point 8 weeks on it just didnt feel right to me, I wasnt happy and with him being the worlds worst traveller i didnt want him going in again and just gut instinct all felt wrong

So his cuts all healed and after reading some of the replies on here for other posts, I turned him out in a small paddock and left him overnight, my choice, and I was fully ready to accept the consequences.
I had also decided to move vets, new vet came out, and said that his leg really didnt look bad at this stage, the overnight turnout and a bit of cold hosing had reduced the swelling to this

DSC00038-1.jpg



Vet took him off antibiotics completely and said his body needs chance to sort this now, I was quite pleased as 8 weeks of heavy antibiotics cant do much good. She also recommended spa therapy but thats another story as insurance wont cover it.

Anyway today after another day and evening out in the paddock mooching around

we are here
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Cant quite beleive it, but so happy that I went with my instincts and moved vets. Ok theres still some swelling there but compared to before, its more noticeable touching it as I can now feel bone and the lumps and bumps he has there, very little puffiness.

Fingers crossed this continues. Ive also ordered him so clivers and looking at any supplement that might help his imune system for any future bouts
 
hurrah!

my boy is in the midst of a mild-ish bout at the minute and its just hell, so easy to aggravate it an make it worse i feel.

i have just put him on NAF echinacea (sp?) supplement, but too soon to tell if it makes a difference(literally been on it 3 days).

he's on norodine currently, have eased off the flamazine as it really didnt seem to be doing anything at all and i think was stinging him as he will snatch his legs away from that but stand for sudocreme?????

iv kept on turning out and also working lightly to keep swelling to a minimum as the stretched skin over the swelling makes it even more painful so with vets go ahead have worked him gently every other day approx.

again too early to tell if it will help but have bought him some turnout chaps to wear to keep all external germs/muck off his legs in future. after discussing with vet i have gone for the equilibrium summer weight ones, which are more mesh-y than standard turnout chaps, as we felt thick neoprene was asking for sweating and thus rubbing and thus would only make it worse, where as the summer weight ones dont fit so closely and allow airflow. they wouldnt work if you have thick mud though(im luckily on sandy soil so no mud issues to deal with).

so currently i cant offer any tips but maybe we can hold each others hands and pray together for normal legs?!
 
YAY!!! What a relief and such a vast improvement in such a short space of time!

I really do think that exercise helps these things far more than some vets think... Mine said box rest but after a week my boy was climbing the walls so I had to do what was right for him... it certainly didnt make teh cellulitis any worse!! and vet agreed that it was ok...
 
I found the flamazine is very cold no matter where I store it, I thought that was why my horse didnt like it being applied, he like yours snatches his leg just on the first touch of it, then is fine.

CBFan, thank you, sometimes I doubt myself as I was looking at it so often had to take the photos so i had something to compare lol

Fingers crossed for both the horses Prince33Sp4rkle . I just noticed your signature, do you travel to Derby? can you PM me your lesson costs if so.


thanks
 
Improved further today, now the snows melted its getting muddy so live bandaged so nothing can get in at all. The swelling that is remaining is now very soft not hard like before so hoping that is a good thing as well.
 
good news
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my boy's swelling has only ever been soft and is now a bit cooler and less painful but the volume of swelling is no less today and he finishes his antibiotics tonight so looking increasingly like we will need the vet out again
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i really want to try the soft chaps iv bought for him but darent until the swelling is gone, in case it aggravates it/presses on it-do you think im being soft?
 
Erm, I guess it depends on how aggravated the skin is? Ive been badaging when out so that dirt doesnt get into any remaning scabby areas, but these are fleece. If it keeps the dirt out though maybe try them for a hour and see?
 
well, yesterday evening his legs were a LOT less swollen-all tendon definition back etc, this morning a bit puffy but not actually swollen if you know what i mean so fingers crossed we are on the path to recovery now....

the skin is now normal pink rather than sore looking red/pink and only a few small scabs but think i will leave the chaps off until this last puffiness has gone.

pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease lat this be the end of it, please......
 
Good news! I bandaged yesterday over night to keep dirt out but wish I hadnt, I think it agrravated the leg or the flamazine. But the swelling is more squishy today not hard and Ive cleaned it up again as usual flamazine and vasaline on any scabs left

I think we have a way to go but seems to be going in the right direction
 
My horse had bad attack last year and it was much worse being stabled..This year I have used a mud block and touch wood seems to have worked.
grin.gif

Hers was back leg and it went right over the hock and was huge .I used clivers as well
 
Started the Clivers today, hes off bute for 24 hrs to see what happens and if we can take him off it, I use devils claw alot so can hopfully go back to using that.

His leg is hot still, couple of stubborn scabs so keeping on the flamazine but the swelling is softer again today fingers crossed.
 
Last update, heat in his leg has gone and almost all the swelling.

So 10 weeks to get right but we are here. whether the clivers helped, Id like to think so, the bute did the main job though I think. Back to work soon I hope
 
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