experiences of lymphangitus and cellulitus

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smellsofhorse

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Anyone have any experiences of lympabgitus or cellulitus.
Especially on the hind legs.

My horse may have this.
But having x rays and a scan tomorrow to see if it related to the old stifle injury.

What makes me unsure is there were not cuts in the skin until this morning when serum started oozing out of the old scar.
plus the swelling was around the old injury and inside the thight, now its spread round to his hock and down due to gravilty.

So we wont know until tomorrow :-(
 
My boy got cellulitis last August after a BE event.

He finished the cross country sound as a pound with the smallest scuff on the hind fetlock. This was treated as normal so hosed down and a bit of antiseptic.

The following morning I came down the stables (12 hours later) and he could barely put weight on it, it's was hot and swollen pretty much up to his sheath plus he had a raised temperature and just looked pretty ****.

Vet called, confirmed cellulitis, had an immediate shot of painkiller and he was prescribed penicillin shots 3x day for a week plus a course of oral anti-bs. Leg was cold hosed as much as possible, bandaged and stable bound. He came sound within a few days and was much happier. The swelling went down massively and I continued to cold hose.

Horse recovered well however he now does have a tendency for that leg to puff up when he is kept in - but this may also be down to his age as he is now 14. Although the leg is puffy sometimes it does not bother him and he is as active as ever.

I read that horses that have had it once are more likely to have a repeat episode, but I've not had that problem.
 
Thank you beh.

Its the location that seems wrong on my horse.
plus no wounds, not even a tiny one.
The serum has burst through the skin 36 hours after he came in with the initial swelling and heat.
 
Hi, My older girl had Lymphangitus just after Christmas. She'd been filling mildly at night around her fetlocks for a couple of weeks then wham. Overnight she came up with a sausage leg. She could barely shift it, sort of swung it sideways to walk. Honestly, it scared the life out of me.

She is a retired (19) polo pony and does have an old stifle injury also (this is a pattern I come across more and more). After antibiotics and bute she is now right as rain, but we've had to change her lifestyle.

She lives out 24/7, no more living in. No (or as little as poss) cereal in her feed. I have her on micronised linseed, cleavers/clivers (stickyweed) and she is ridden a lot. I also give her 16+ cubes for the glucosamine and oils.

If they have to live in stable chaps or just good old fashioned bandaging helps and lots and lots of walking.

Feel for you, really do. :o
 
he's never had filled legs.
he's only 8.
the swelling stared right on the point of the stifle joint. inside his upper thigh then has moved downt hock 36 hours after I found it.
So its not acting as other have said.
Plus no cut or sight that the bacteria or fungus could have entered.
 
Yeah I understand the bacteria could get in through a minute hole.
but for the serum to be oozing at the sight of the scar plus the swelling not acting as other caseso lymphangitus its makes me think more is going on and its related to his previous injury and not just a coincidence :-(
 
Mine had lymphangitus over Christmas due to a minor case of mud fever, according to the vet.

He was fine in the morning, never had filled legs before. I left him in for the day as there were no others in the field and when I went up in the evening he had an elephant leg and couldn't walk on it properly :(

It was difficult because it had obviously been caused by the mud in the field, but it also wasn't good for him to be stood in the stable all the time!

It cleared up within a week; vet put him on antibacs and anti-inflams. We bandaged the legs and regularly walked him out.

Luckily it hasn't come back as of yet and the fields are much better now!
 
Never had a horse with it, but I have it! I don't think I had even a scratch, but there are two big patches of cellulitis on my 'good' leg. Antibiotics are normally the way forward, my vet mate mentioned Noradine and cold hosing are also useful. I refused the cold hosing!
 
Don't want to worry you but I lost my ID mare to septicaemia following cellulitis. She was living out and being checked twice a day. At one check we sw tht her near hind was swollen, got the vet, cellulitis diagnosed from a tiny,new cut. She was given anti-b injections daily and cold-hosed. In retrospect i think the anti-b dose was too low. I had to ring the vet for a longer course of a/bs a day later she suddenly started shivering and sweating with a very high temperture and fever. Vet came out quickly but it she went down while we were discussing options.

She had a previous injury on that leg, from before I bought her. I will not buy another horse with a scar on a leg.

Good luck with your horse.
 
Thank you

Pearlasinger

Yes I am concerned.
its so near the stifle and so swollen.
it has crossed my mind it could get very serious.

He doesn't have a temperature at the moment so thats a positive.
No anti bs yet until he's been x rayed so vet knows if he needs them or not.

Also both my nan and grandad had very bad cellulitis in their legs.
They were very bad and talk of amputation on grandads.
They both died of other issues
but suffering from that for a few years continuously before, we feel contributed.
 
Hiya

My geldings back legs filled from above the hock to his hoofs to the point where he literally couldn't walk. This happened between being checked in the morning and tea time. Vet diagnosed cellulitis and hammered him with drugs. Turned out to be a reaction to barley!
 
my TB had it. she was fine in the morning, in the afternoon her leg was really swollen and she couldn't put weight on it. the vet gave her a course of anti b's and some other things (can't remember now as it was about 5yrs ago). was told it would help her. it did for about a week then one day we noticed it was oozing pus/serum. the vet came back out and scanned and could see alot of congeled puss in her leg, he cut it open and had to scoop it out with his fingers. it was pretty gross what was coming out, more like gone off custard/scrambled egg!
after 2 weeks of cleaning it and anti b's she was better. but always had a bald leg and a bit of bump there.
my big horse has had lymphangitis 3 times in as many years. it's nearly killed him each time (other problems haven't helped it), he had to be turned out 24/7, cold hosed, lots of steroids and anti b's, bandaged if in. the swelling would go right into his sheath and he would be in agony.
 
Just counting the hours until the xray tomorrow.
Atleast then we will know if its related to the previous bone chip.
Or if it lymphangitus.
I don't know which would be s better diagnoses! :-\
 
We just had a horse have lymphangitis, the poor mite was hopping lame we thought he fractures his leg it was so bad especially as at the point we found him there wasn't much swelling as we caught it early. The next day after lots of cold hosing antibs and draining he was in considerably less pain. We found a tiny nick on his leg that we think caused it.

Hope your gets better soon :)
 
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