Help please penicillin injection reaction!!

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jessieblue

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Any help or advice please. I am very worried about my horse. I posted a few weeks ago as my horse had fever of unknown origin and ended up in RVC being tested for everything and being told he was very very poorly! He recovered within 10 days and responded really well to antiobiotics although they never found a cause for the illness. On the last day of penicillin injections he had a bad reaction to the injection. His rump swelled up hugely and he could barely walk. They scanned it to look for abcesses and could not see any obvious abcessed area. They sent him home with bute. After a week his rump was even bigger and more sore. My vet came out and scanned again. Said it could be an abcess but may only be a haematoma and bad inflammation. Put him on antibiotics and bute. Over the next 10 days he got considerably better. Every day his rump went down some and became less painful. Yesterday he was really good hardly any swelling and comfortable. I rode him and he felt good. Today, he can hardly walk. He has swelling lower down on his stifle/flank. Like a big bag of fluidy swelling and its terribly painful to the touch. He is reluctant to walk although he moves easier once he starts walking. Vet doesnt really know what it is, whether its an abcess or infection or just cellulitis type inflammation. Has put him on doxycycline and metacam. I am so worried, has anyone any experience with a problem like this from poenicillin?? Aparently penicillin causes reactions sometimes but my vet has never seen anything like this before!
 
Hi

To me it sounds like the 2 things aren't related!!!

Firstly - your horse hasn't had an allergic reaction to penicillin - its been very unlucky and abscessed / bled and that's caused its painful rump - a true reaction is an anaphalaxis type reaction! unfortunately that's the risk of sticking a needle into a muscle! Can happen when vaccinating etc...

are you sure your horse hasn't got something in its stifle/flank - the tiniest cut could cause a cellulitis? How long has he been off the antibiotics before he's now restarted doxy and what was he on before?
 
Sorry cant edit - horses that I have seen have a true penicillin reaction will drop to the floor thrash and then run blind.... Through fences/ into things etc....
 
Hi thanks for replying. I know what you are saying about the anaphalaxis. That is a systemic reaction to the drug, so I understand. An allergic reaction like someone could have to peanuts etc. So I was told by the vets at RVC they can also have a more local reaction. Where the muscle fibres get irritated and inflamed. I guess this may also have something to do with the stuff being injected incorrectly, maybe not deep enough etc where it isnt absorbed properly and irritates sensitive tissue?? Then you can also get an infection, septic abcess or sterile abcess. Now bear with me because I am getting more and more confused about this situation! I am fairly sure there is no injury to his flank. No sign of trauma at all and he hasnt been anywhere for last month due to being ill and being in hospital. Also, When his rump first swelled there was generalised swelling going down into the flank and leg. He was sent home from hospital only on bute and I called my vet a week later who put him on antiniotics, noradine. nearly 2 weeks of those and we seemed to be on the mend. His rump got smaller and smaller and softer. His sore area, where there was a small weepy scab from an injection, dried up and it was all much less painful to touch. Then I noticed these little pockets of fluid in his flank,nothing much at first and they would go down with exercise. They were tender to the touch though. Yesterday morning, it just all flared up, he didnt want to walk at all had to be pulled out of stable and the swelling in his stifle flank area was huge, like bags of water! Very very sore to touch. Once he starts walking though, he seems ok, not hopping lame, just a little cautious, but he gets easier as he moves. I was wondering if its a type of lymphangitis??

My vet says the abcess has moved down with gravity, but I dont know. I thought an abcess was walled off and therefore wouldnt move about!! Generalised infection is usually within tissue, tissue dies off and becomes necrotic, I didnt think it could slip and slide about. The swelling and odaema will follow gravity I know, but infection?? I dont know though I am not a vet. My gut tells me its not necessarily an abcess but a reaction within the tissue. I am worried about clostridial infection too, which is pretty horrific. I also wish the vet had put a needle in and drawn off some fluid to test for bacteria?? Is this a possible? He said he doesnt want to cut into that area as his joint is so nearby and it would casue more problems. We stopped noradine yesterday and replaced with doxy. This has been going on for 3 weeks following a fever of unknown origin which is what he needed the penicillin for. Its worrying, hence here I am at 5 am looking for answers!! Thanks for helping.
 
does your horse have a temp?

1 thing to watch swapping antibiotics is that your horse doesn't get diarrhoea... I had a mare that did a course of antibiotics then got swapped onto a different one without giving it a few days and she got colitis! so just keep an eye on your horse for scouring!! Maybe give him some natural yoghurt just to keep the good bugs in his gut?

If the vet was worried about the abscess moving down the flank - surely he would be better off scanning the area?? -

Is your horse still on bute?

I had a discussion with my vet yesterday about penicillin and she was saying how much of an irrititant it actually is - its a very painful drug to have injected into the muscle!

I hope you get to the bottom of it!!
 
Yes you are right, I am very worried about him getting diarheoa. I have him on a probiotic on my vets advice to try and help the gut flora. The trouble is he needs treatment and the noradine obviously didnt do the job completely. He is on 2 bute a day and I have asked for the vet to get me some metacam for monday as this will be less harsh on his stomach. Whilst at RVC he was diagnosed with ulcers so is also on gastrogard! He doesnt have a temp at the moment, but funny enough he had the temp at the beginning which is why he ended up having the penicillin injections!! Ironic eh? Now his is on doxy to sort out what the penicillin injections gave him, well supposedly. Honestly, I feel sick I am so worried about him. I have to syringe the doxy as he wont entertain eating it in feed. Its awful, he fights like mad and it goes everywhere. I dont know how much he is really getting. Today he is slightly more comfy to walk but the swelling is huge. Dont know how long I can keep doing this to him. So worried I will have to have him PTS because I cant leave him in that much pain if he doesnt get any better with this treatment and I dont know if I am going to be able to get all these drugs down him. Yes apparently penicillin isnt a very nice drug, but its cheap and effective. Also the agent that is mixed with it is procaine which is from the cocaine family and its often that that they react to. This is such a tragedy as this was a happy healthy horse a month ago.
 
I don't have any suggestions I'm afraid but just wanted to say how I feel for you - what a horrible, stressful situation. I really hope you find some answers. I have to say I think I'd be expecting the vets to offer more detailed investigation than they seem to have - is it worth seeking a second opinion from one of the big hospitals, even just over the phone?

Really good luck, how awful:(
 
Thank you for your kind wishes. I feel the same, i cant understand why there is nothing they can do!! I mean if we dont get on top of it I will lose him so whats to lose?? I have spoken to the vets at RVC where he was treated for the intial problem. They just say, its an injection reaction and it could go either way. Call my vet if I am worried! Not much help. I could ask to refer him back to RVC for investigation but I wont be able to claim any more on insurance and I dont know if I will be able to cover the coasts if they run into 1000 s I already paid excess and livery of £1000 and my bill at RVC stands at 4000 plus 2000 for my vets bills!! I wish I had a bottomless pit but I just dont and anyway, he didnt get better having spent all that money, so whats the point really? Have never felt so desperate about anything. Theres nothing I can do to help him apart from forcing all the drugs into him, icing hot packing walking him and I am doing all that. The rest is up to him now I guess but I am totally gutted. This is a horrible situation.
 
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