lymphangitis- ongoing for 2 Years

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Lubo

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Hello, I have a 25 yr TB Mare, 4 years ago she came in from the field with elephant Legs. A lot of back wards and forwards the vet thinks it Cellituis. Now four years later has been disagonised with Cushing last xmas. weight dropped to 400kg from 500kg . her hind pasterns and fetlocks are now very swollen all the time and have been for the past year. now one of the legs has yellowish clear liquid ozzing from the leg just below the point of the hock. The vet has been on many occasion tried antibotics and bute but nothing stops this ozzing . she is now on 2mg tablets of Peroglide a day and 4 feeds a day of senoir conditioning mix for cushings horses also pony nuts and alfa a conditioning. We thought may be her legs would stop swelling if she was out but have tried her on 24 hr turn out and the legs still swell and starts to lose even more condition. We do not ride her any more she is just a companion for my other horse. I'm at a loss what to do with her. We have a new vet coming to give a second opion as my vet thinks we should put up to 3mg a day of the peroglide but this seems a lot to me. She still eats and grazes and seem happy enough but when cellitius hits the only good hind leg it gets pretty difficult to reduce the swelling and get her walking again. Has anyone out there got any suggestions how i can fix this horse she means the world to me but i'm really struggling with her.
Thank you for reading. :(
 
No it doesn't sound abrupt. I think that is what i needed to hear. I just wanted to hear someone else say it. Thank you appreciate it
 
I would agree, i know its the hardest decision but she is a decent age and if its becoming a big issue just keeping her walking and comfortable along with the cushings, it sounds like it may be the time to come to terms with that decision. Good luck
 
My mare had this except it went from pastern to stifle in both hinds. I had her PTS in April, not just because of lymphangitis but her low immune system was bringing problem after problem and she wasnt happy and in pain
It's a horrible decision (my girl didnt even get to her 7th birthday) to make but more than often the right one. i wanted to remember my girl as a happy horse doing what she loves best (zooming about everywhere) not the sad and underweight mare she was becoming
 
Lubo said:
Hello, I have a 25 yr TB Mare, 4 years ago she came in from the field with elephant Legs. A lot of back wards and forwards the vet thinks it Cellituis. Now four years later has been disagonised with Cushing last xmas. weight dropped to 400kg from 500kg . her hind pasterns and fetlocks are now very swollen all the time and have been for the past year. now one of the legs has yellowish clear liquid ozzing from the leg just below the point of the hock. The vet has been on many occasion tried antibotics and bute but nothing stops this ozzing . she is now on 2mg tablets of Peroglide a day and 4 feeds a day of senoir conditioning mix for cushings horses also pony nuts and alfa a conditioning. We thought may be her legs would stop swelling if she was out but have tried her on 24 hr turn out and the legs still swell and starts to lose even more condition. We do not ride her any more she is just a companion for my other horse. I'm at a loss what to do with her. We have a new vet coming to give a second opion as my vet thinks we should put up to 3mg a day of the peroglide but this seems a lot to me. She still eats and grazes and seem happy enough but when cellitius hits the only good hind leg it gets pretty difficult to reduce the swelling and get her walking again. Has anyone out there got any suggestions how i can fix this horse she means the world to me but i'm really struggling with her.
Thank you for reading. :(
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The problem is, Cushings lowers the immune system and makes infection and skin problems much more of a nuisance so as you are finding it is an uphill battle. My mare had a few doses of lymphangitis, always in the same hind leg which had clearly been previously affected as the leg was permanently slightly thickened, and would swell overnight. Due to having to take a drug which caused transport problems to just about any other drug, I looked at alternative therapy and had quite outstanding results with homeopathic Apis Mel at 30c strength. Also of course, there are no side effects. Within 12 hours of starting her on it I could get her walking again (one time she was so bad she couldn't even spread her legs to have a wee) and then of course the lymph was safely pumped away over the next few days. Since then I have always carried a bottle of Apis Mel in my bag as it is fantastic for insect bites and stings - I swell up like a balloon and it beats antihistamine into a cocked hat. You have nothing to lose by trying it for a week - buy it in Boots or your local health food shop should stock it. Dose her with two tablets at least 3 times a day and remember not to touch the pills and don't feed in conjunction with mint or garlic. if you don't get any improvement though, to be honest I would have her put down. You don't want a winter of mud fever in the same legs :( 25 is an excellent age for a TB and this is clearly wearing you down as much as it is her. I've been there myself.
 
Thank you for all the replies. It has helped me a lot. thank you for idea i will have a look into have to be careful with all the meds shes on but anything is worth a try at this point. i think i know what needs to be done but i had to be sure i was doing it for the right reasons. Once i have made sure her stable mate is not going to be on her own and the vets have come and had their say . I will be able to make the hardest decesion i have had to make this year any way. ( had my two elderly dogs of 15 yrs put to sleep last year)

Thank you again for the replies and you are correct it is wearing me down, another winter i don't think i could drag her through again it would be cruel to both of us .
 
I think the homeopathic remedy is worth a try and also I would have a look at the herbal remedies that are out there. There are a lot of herbs known for fluid and water retention which are not too expensive and might work. Try looking on eBay at the products by Pro earth and natural horse supplies as both these companies make excellent herbal products. Only other thing I can think of is have you tried a course of antibiotics to see if it makes a difference? I had a mare last year that got terribly swollen legs standing in overnight and I had to get her some antibiotics, kept her out as much as I could and when in I bandaged her legs. Can't think of anything else x
 
Hello , We have tried a lot of herbal remedies but I'm not adverse to trying new ones.we tried cleavers for the last six months and also supplements to boost the immune system but unfortunately no improvement. Also the antibiotics clear up when the celluiltis rears its nasty head and makes it so she can move but does not reduce the swelling in the fetlock or stop the leakage in the opposite leg.Bandaging does not reduce the swelling either same as the antibiotics when it flares up we bandage to reduce but nearly truly comes back to size. Thank you for all the ideas. Pipkin that is a very sad story, very brave decision for your mare. I don't want her to be pain i would rather remember her as mental as she was the day she arrived.
 
when the Leg flared up in jan, the vet come with more antibiotics and took away samples, i chased them up but it seemed they did not do the tests, The vet basically said that is what her legs do know. and were more concerned with treating the cushings which i can understand with out the cushing under control her immune system is useless. This is why I have another vet coming to give their opinion if there is a antibotic that can fix her leg i'm hoping they will let me know what it is. I don't want to badmouth the vet i'm sure they are doing all they can another vets opinion just might help.
 
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