Cellulitis

[RachelFerd]

At what point would you bring a horse which has cellultis and a had a filled leg back into work?

Trying to make my long story vaguely shorter - horse came in last week very lame with an abscess - got that cleared up and Tia looking sound - hoped for farrier to come and put shoe back on thurs, but he couldn't make it - she then comes in hopping lame on friday, with the leg in the poultice-boot very fat, hot, swollen and generally BAD looking.

I am instantly worried by suspensory - without a shoe on, her toe is very long and heel is low, so she is obviously pre-disposed, and the leg was swollen and sore, not around the back of the tendon, but around and above the fetlock. So farrier puts shoe back on (abscess totally healed) and I put her onto box rest, cold-hosing, bandaging, clay treatments and short walking out in hand thinking I have a suspensory problem on my hands.

Then yesterday, with further investigation, found a 2-pence piece sized infected graze right under her tufty fetlock hair (presumably where the poultice boot had rubbed her) - so hair has been clipped away, and I am keeping it very clean now - dry poulticed under bandages, walked out twice a day, on bute and YO has injected her with antibiotics.

Her leg is already looking an awful lot better - in fact not far off normal, so I think we have caught it early enough.

Would it be useful, do you think, to start hacking at walk fairly soon to help shift any residual swelling?

And how long would you leave it before turning out again? fortunately our fields are not muddy!

 

[Nailed]

My horse suffers badly from lymphangitis which is much the same.. infact is the same.

I bring him back into work, after a bad bout, as soon as he is sound.. as soon as possible basically.

You may find you will now have to stable bandage,

Lou x

 

[miss_bird]

I had a horse with this a couple of weeks ago, and found turning her out in the day and bringing her in for the vet to inject each night really helped to bring the swelling down.
I had so fab replies from other HHO's my post is maybe a couple of pages back

 

[Fiona]

Start to hack as soon as pos (though don't ride in school if if has an abrasive surface ie sand based). This will help the fill to disperse. My mare is prone to cellulitis, so am unfortunately v clued in on its management.

Good luck.

Fiona

 

[scotsmare]

We had a mare who developed this earlier this year after a tiny touch of mud fever. We found that bandages in the stable as well as riding at walk did the trick. If you can turn out onto a cleanish surface that will also help as the more horsey moves the better.

 

[RachelFerd]

we are on sand/rubber, so will avoid the school for now! Although if I put polo bandages on, I think it would protect the area fairly well, so at least I have that.

will hack her out gently tomorrow if she seems ok today

thanks for your help!

 

[Fiona]

I have used polo bandages too, as long as the area higher up than pastern roughly. Exercise really helps to get rid of the swelling and get back to normal.

Fiona