Cellulitus, all experiences please.

Roasted Chestnuts

Roasted Chestnuts

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 July 2008
Messages
8,721
Location
Scotland
Visit site
My mare has contracted this, Vet has been hoping to stave it off after her injuries but unfortunately its not been successful.

I would like to hear peoples experiences of this and also how well their horses recovered and any longterm effects if had on them.

it is currently under treatment, and also in its ealry stages, but I want to hear real life approaches and info.

Thank you

Nikki xxx :)
 
Have had huge problems with cellulitis with my current horse. He got it after a reaction to some neoprene boots, and it's taken months to get rid of completely. The horse is currently fine, though - a course of baytril and steroids seems to have banished it *touch wood*.

My advice would be to closely monitor the sypmtoms, if it seems that the cellulitis is going, don't assume it's completely gone! It can linger in the hair folicles etc. Finish every course of antibiotics to the letter, and if one type of anti bi doesn't seem to work, speak to your vet; it may be that you need a different kind. Regularly disinfect any brushes you use on that horse (and don't use them on any others). Keep all bandages/saddle pads/rugs that come into contact with infected areas washed and clean.

Keep an eye out for cuts and scratches and treat them immediately with a cream such as betnovate or flammazine.

I would also advise against washing the area too much, I find it can make the skin dry out and precipitate sloughing off. This might not apply to your horse, though, so follow the advice of your vet.

Its worth seeing what you can do feed-wise to try and give your horse a boost; I used immuforte by NAF with some effect.

Good luck!
 
My old boy suffered from this a few months ago.

I thought he was dying!

I have no idea how it happened - I couldn't find any injury that started it all. I just know he was fine on Friday evening and Sat morning he had a leg like a tree trunk and couldn't walk!

A week's worth of IM antibiotics and he was fine.

He scratched his leg on a wheelbarrow a few weeks later (my fault) and instead of just spraying it and putting him out. I instigated Defcon 4 - inadine, stable bandage and in for the day!!! He looked rather smug at all the attention.

He is (nearly) 25 and his immune system isn't what it was.

I feed 2000iu capsules of Vitamin E squeezed out into his feed and I feed a variety of herbs as part of his forage replacer diet.

I deal with cellulitis at the hospital all the time. It is considered contagious for 48 hours from starting IV antibiotics. Some people suffer with it frequently and a mad old doctor used to tell them to bath in Hibiscrub for a week. "Scrub with it, up your bum and everywhere"

I tend to find those who get it bad enough to be in hospital only suffer the once though.

It was mad that I am so calm when dealing with a patient, but I was a hysterical wreck when it was my old horse!
 
NiknKia said:
Thank you.

Your info is very helpful has your horse retunred to normal activity?? Has there been any restirctions??

Nikki xxx :)
Click to expand...

Yep, he'd be back in work now, were it not for the ice! :rolleyes:. Despite having it quite badly in his legs, he was never lame with it, so technically could be worked. His skin sloughed off quite badly, though, so I didn't want to work him on a surface in case it irritated his skin further.

There's no reason I know of that your horse can't return to full work as soon as she's recovered, though :).
 
MIne had one bout in one leg with no obvious entry point. We thought he had a joint infection, the lameness was so severe. One course of antibitics and a week later he went showjumping and we never had a problem with it again.

I hope yours is as easy to treat.
 
My mare had this a couple of years ago, it started with a very small puncture wound. After her course of antibiotics (touch wood) she has been fine.
 
Thank you all. She is still VERY swollen and VERY lame although she has an abcess on that leg too now :rolleyes: :(

Please anthing you can tell me about how it changed your management of the horse would be appreciated as well.

Nikki xx :)
 
One of my mares had this a few months ago, it started with a small puncture wound that went unnoticed while she was out in the field that day. When she was brought in her leg had swollen massively and she could barely walk.
It took a course of antibiotics and daily vet visits for 2 weeks before she was back to normal.
For 2 weeks there was horrible gunk coming out of the wound and we were cold hosing up to 4 times a day and walking her out.
After 2 weeks however she was completely back to normal and was back in light work
She recovered fully with no scar, or any sign that she once had it
 
I never changed my management of the horse at all Nikki. I later found teeeeeny scabs where the entry point presumably was, or that might have been follicles dying later (?). I never wash my horses' legs, I just leave the mud to dry overnight and I carried on doing the same thing and it didn't recur that winter. He died of heart failure that spring so I have no idea if he would have got it again, but none of my others ever have.

Try not to worry too much, my horse was on three legs, he found it so painful, but once it was reduced in size and under antibiotic control he was perfectly sound in a day.
 
Cellulitis should be a one time occurance, if treated correctly and shouldn't give any lasting ill effects. I would second the use of Baytril for this condition, it is very strong and hits it hard and fast. I hope your horse is on the mend soon.
 
My now 2.5yr old had this on New Years day this year. He came in hogmanay with kick wound, and a little swelling. The Vet came out and cleaned it up and gave AB's. Next day, the leg was huge and swollen and we really did think he might have broken it. A call to horsepital and they had a game plan (was way to icey to contemplate going to horsepital.

He was sedated and the wound cleaned and cleand. He then had IV gentamicin and antiinlamatories, plus another AB. This was repeated daily for 5 days and the leg came ok. He has no scars, and seems fine.

Only thing is I now have a toally needle shy horse who won't let a Vet near him. Any injection is life or death for the administrator!
 
There are two conditions like this - cellulitis and lymphangitis.

Lymphangitis is the one where it reaccurs.

I don't think it is possible to distinquish the two during an acute attack. You can onlly tell if the horse gets recurrant problems such as swelling in the leg.

Obi was dragging his leg, completely unable to lift it on Saturday and Sunday. Emergency vet said 'tendon' on Saturday morning so he was denied any useful treatment all weekend! I thought it was his last weekend.....

Another vet came back Monday morning and I said in my clearest voice that is was cellulitis;)

He had IM antibiotics and was much better by Tuesday morning.

By Thursday he was doing his Black Beauty act in the field:)
 
I was just about to mention the cellulitis/lymphangitis thing as have heard people confuse the two before. My experience is that lymphangitis is much less amenable to treatment and tends to reoccur under known circumstances.

I've looked after three with cellulitis. Two had entry wounds (small but more obvious when the infection took hold) and responded very quickly to antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and hot compresses. Alarming but easily treated. The other had is secondary to a vasculitis so essentially had open ulcers on his legs. It took healing up the ulcers to make him completely out of risk but that came down to nursing as much as anything.

I had it myself - it's INCREDIBLY painful. Hospital, IV antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and back to normal in a few days. Alarmingly though, an equine physio who came to our barn saw it early on and said it was a strain and suggested massage. My doctor blanched when I told him as he said that could have made the situation much worse. Luckily it hurts so much I can't see a horse letting you massage it!
 
A mare I look after developed cellulitis a couple of years ago. She was normal one evening, next morning she had a hind leg like a tree trunk, and was hopping lame. Over a few hours the swelling started in the other three legs. She was very fed up and reluctant to move. She was treated fairly aggressively with intravenous antibiotics and steroids. This was the second time it has happened to her, the previous time she went on to develop purpura haemmorrhagica hence treating it so aggressively this time. All we could find was a tiny, tiny cut. She made a complete recovery and was back to normal in a fortnight and no more recurrences (fingers crossed!)
 
Thanks guys keep them coming please!!

She wasnt very happy today as her boyfirend was taken away but he needed excercising but hey ho needs must.

Leg is still swollen and hot and shes VERY reluctant to let me near it.

Nikki xxx
 
my mare gets this in one leg - the slightest scratch causes it to blow. It all started with heavy bandaging from another injury. Experience of missing one scratch & consequence of elephant leg & antibiotics says that if I spot anything in that leg now I give her bute to keep it down, hibiscrub to within an inch of its life and smother it in - now I can't completely remember the name - but Silver Sulfadine rings a bell. They use it on burns victims, it's pricey but cheaper than a vet visit and it works. Your vet can probably get you a tube or two and I found some more on ebay (really) from someone I suspect doing the NHS a disservice.
 
I also got Obi to the tap and cold hosed with a gentle spray in an upwards motion, twice a day.

Theory is that if it's Lymphangitis you are encouraging the fluids back up into the circulation and away.

The cold is soothing too.

Obviously there are implications to this plan during frosty weather - the other liveries may lynch you for soaking the yard;)
 
It sounds more like cellulitis than lymphangitis from what you say, but I'm sure your vet has diagnosed which it is. When is he next visiting, I ask because with the right drugs your horse should be comfortable and moving happily again in 24-36 hours, even if there is still some swelling.....
 
Vet is due again tomorrow as I had a mishap today :rolleyes:

Went up to the stables to find I had two horses in one stable. Eowyn has obviously climbed over the wall (no idea how but there are scuff marks) and was in Kias stable nose to tail with him quite happily.

So I bunged the pair of them out after talking to the vet, shes a nightmare in a stable

nikki xxx
 
Mine had it last yr, went to bring him in from the field and he had a massive leg and refused to move. Took 3 of us (including vet) an hour to get him from field to stable - 100 yrds! Vet initially suspected fractured splint bone but after first night of being in with a full leg bandage he was much better so vet then thought cellulitis. After xrays confirmed no break it was treated as cellulitis. He had no work and limited turn out for a week I think and then slowly returned to normal work over about another 2 weeks (i think) and is now back to normal. No reoccurence or further problems from it.

The worst thing is tho I claimed on insurance so now the company has excluded cellulitis from his policy... grrrrrr
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top