Equine Lymphangitis

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lg4770

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Hi, my horse has recently had the above, its been 2 and half weeks now, the horse is back in work but every morning i go to the stables and the leg is swollen, obviously not as bad as before, but still abit swollen upto the hock, but if i take him for a hack for half hour the leg goes back to normal, but the next day it will swell up again..... do you think my horse still needs treatment, like more antibiotics ??????? -- im not sure if i should be riding him or just lightly lunging him each day
 
Once a horse has had lymphangitis, they will always be prone to it. If it was left untreated for a while it will be more difficult to get rid of!

If the leg goes down with a gentle warm up, continue to ride. You may just have to get used to the fact that that leg fills when he's in overnight now. x
 
My previous horse had mild lymphangitis which was treated immediately with antibiotics so wasn't a problem after. My vet's advice was for the horse to be out as much as poss so they are walking around and to work them as much as you can - when my horse had swelling which with him was localised to his fetlock, I worked him twice a day. Can you ring your vet to ask their advice?
 
Yes i will phone my vet tomorrow, the horse is not lame and looks fine when working, but because the leg keeps swelling overnight i thought i was doing something wrong.
 
Hi, one of mine had this a few years ago. It happened in the Autumn, and during the first winter if she was kept in overnight, her legs would swell up but go back when she was turned out, so I left her out as much as possible. That was a few years ago, and it has not recurred and neither do they swell up when she is kept in.
 
I have just tried to reply previously to this post, but as a new user think ive pressed the report button in error!! sorry

My old boy has had 2 bouts of lymphangitis, one very severe, resulting in all four legs swelling up and his sheath grew to the size of a cows udder, this was treated with almost 2 weeks worth of injections, the 2nd bout not as severe was treated with an oral gel (much easier), however, i was recommended that I exercise him as much as possible because the movement helps the lymph system to drain and will reduce the swelling. With lymphangitis exercise and movement is key and if possible turnout wherever possible, my boy is out 24/7 all year round, but i found gentle exercise helps more.

Hope you get it sorted.
 
My mare has a mild case of Lymphangitis and her lower halves of her hind legs swell overnight but go down after exercise. Ive found that in the colder months, if I bandage them with fleece bandages and fibagee overnight then they dont swell :) obviously its important not to do them too tight though.
Hope this helps!
 
kirstyl said:
My previous horse had mild lymphangitis which was treated immediately with antibiotics so wasn't a problem after. My vet's advice was for the horse to be out as much as poss so they are walking around and to work them as much as you can - when my horse had swelling which with him was localised to his fetlock, I worked him twice a day. Can you ring your vet to ask their advice?
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The above advice.

My mothers horse suffers from this, she has had 2 very serious cases, first was hospitalised for a week. She now suffers regularly, When its bad, she is on steroids, antibiotics and bute.

She has her stable door left open for her so she can walk around outside at night and she has to be exercised as much as possible
 
My mare has a thickened hind leg, undoubtedly from a bout of lymphangitis and has suffered two more bouts in the same leg since I bought her. It will fill in a matter of an hour or two, to the extent that when I took her to shows, I would bandage the leg between classes to stop it filling. The lymphangitis scars the lymph system and makes it less efficient (and the hind legs being further from the heart makes the situation worse) so the leg backfills and also it makes it more likely to become infected again. I recommend the use of homeopathic apis mel at 30c. I can't use the usual medication (apart from penecillin) for my horse when she gets a bout due to it clashing with other medication she takes, but apis mel has always done the business for me and very quickly too. Its also great for insect bites and stings - I use it for myself and it beats antihistamine into a cocked hat.
 
I know a mare that had Lymphangitis permanently. She was sound on bute and was happily ridden for a number of years. The swelling seemed to go down with work, and her legs were bandaged at night to help to reduce the swelling.
 
Apis mel is made of whole crushed bees. It works on hot swellings (but got rid of a strange fluid filled sack which hung between my mares front legs for 6 weeks when nothing else made a jot of difference). You can buy it in Boots or health food shops. Two pills 3x per day while the leg is swollen. I have a science degree and can't explain why homeopathy works because it really shouldn't, but it does for me, no question, and even if it doesn't work for you, it can't do any harm either.
 
the 'thick leg' caused by lymphangitis is a form of lymphoedema which develops because the lymphatic vessels in the affected leg can no longer work adequately. There's no cure for lymphoedema but there is a treatment which reduces the oedema and improves the health of the tissues, making further infections less likely. It's called combined decongestive therapy, is backed up by scientfic research and decades of use with human patients. More information can be found on www,equinemld.com
 
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