Lymphangytis

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wizbel

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I'm after some advice please!

My horse has been at the vets since the 16th December with a serious bout of Lymphangytis. I'd never come across it before so to be honest i don't really know anything about it.

The vets have said he can leave this weekend as he has improved to the point where he doesnt need intensive treatment. He has been off the antibitotics for a few days now but his hind leg is still pretty swollen.

He is a very difficult horse at the best of times and will not turn out in winter so he is going to stay with a friend so he can keep up with the exersize routine on her walker.

I suppose i want to know what other people's experiences are. He is 17 and has advanced evented so is no spring chicken! Have other people's horses come right over time?

Any information would be great. Thanks for the help!!
 
yes they can come right but you need to keep up the work either ridden or walker, and stretch his turnout til as long as possible even in winter as it will improve with movement. ideal is mooching aroound 24 hours a day.
 
Hi Wizbel,

I had a horse that used to get this fairly often, generally after a bout of bad mud fever.

You say your horse wont turn out in winter why is that? The only reason I ask is as ofcourseyoucan said the best thing if for the horse to keep moving so that the lymphatic drainage system can keep draining easily as the fluid is moved around the body by the contraction of muscles. I imagine if your horse had to be hospitalised then he must have had a very severe case.

Do you know what the trigger point for this bout was?

Hope he continues to recover.
 
If we turn him out in the winter he will either just stand by the gate or just climb over it. I have tried everything to get him to settle but sadly he came from a large comp yard and i think is far to set in his ways. We've had him 6 years and have got nowhere in getting to accept winter turn out. (Our others go out daylight hours).

The vets arent' sure what has caused this. Thinking back we dont think he has been right for some months. He had been rather flat at competitions (normally he is a right handfull!) so we had his bloods done back in August. They were clear so we put his flatness down to him feeling his age.

Anyway he presented with colic symptoms on the night of the 15th. Vet came out and treated him but wasnt really sure if it was colic or not (no impaction etc). I called them back in the morning as by them he refused to leave the stable and his hind leg had started to fill he was also as lame as a pig. THe vet took some bloods and found that his white blood count was huge so they asked us to bring him in. He's been there since.

It's just been awful seeing him in so much pain. We know we have to keep the work up so we are now looking at investing in a walker. At least that way if he still refuses to go out we can try and keep him moving although i know it isn't ideal.

Sorry about the ramble but i am just worried sick. He's been so ill and he is my horse of a lifetime so i absolutley adore him.
 
put him out with the others for daylight hours he will adjust in time! quicker if you dont pander to his fetch me in capers! give him his breakfast in field and his hay and his tea before you fetch him back in! turn the blind eye and all that...........
 
I really do feel for you, it is so horrible when these things happen, I imagine that your vet will give you lots of info and instructions about his rehabilitation.

As I said for me turn out was essential to keep this under control, although it caused the mud fever without the turnout he kept having reoccurring bouts. I was lucky as I had a school that I could turn out in as well. Once he is ready to go loose is that a possibility for you? I know when I worked on a yard the competition horses turn out in the winter was in the indoor school for an hour a day!

I hope that he gets better.
 
Hate to say it but already tried all that!!

As i say he is really tricky. He will basically climb out the field. We have even tried putting my elderly mare out in the field with him but it still doesnt work. We have had 5 bar gates taken off the hinges by him in the past. I'ts very difficult to weigh up his need to go out (especially now) and possibility of him breaking himself trying to climb out the field.

He's fine in the summer though. To be honest i would never have onother one from a big yard. He's the second one I have had with issues. I think they get a bit neurotic!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I think they get a bit neurotic!

[/ QUOTE ]

You are quite possibly right on that front, I think amatuers and professionals do treat their horses very differently, completly stereotypical I know!
shocked.gif


Sorry you have tried my ideas, when they are that intent in coming in and a 5 bar gate wont stop them I think they are trying to tell you something!

Good luck anyway.
 
That is pretty much what we thought!! He's 17hh and to be honest i am not going to argue with him!!

Thank you for your suggestion though! At least i know o'm not the only person out there who has had horses with this illness.

I shall be posting about his progress.
 
A poster called Nailed has posted on the Celulitis and she also talks about Lymphangitis, she has a few ideas on there that you may be able to try.
 
QR - my boy has had a couple of bouts in the last couple of months but nothing as severe as yours...

I've started feeding him clivers as they are supposed to help the lymphatic system (I get mine from Feedmark about £20 for two months supply).

Also, as his turnout is a bit restricted and I can't get him out as much as I would like, I have bought some magnetic leg wraps which he has on for about one or two hours a day.

I also found that feeding him haylage tends to make his legs puff up slightly more so he is now on steamed hay.

Best of luck in finding a system that works for you.

W.
 
QR one of our mares can suffer from this following an abcess under her chestnut on a hid leg, her circulation has been impeeded and her legs swell when standing in.
When she in we always use leg wraps (thermatex, aerborn or equichaps) She is also fed clivers as an additive, www.naturalhorsesupplies.co.uk £7.49 for 900gms, lasts ages, can help some and does seem to work on her.
If we cant turn out she is exercised on a dialy basis, which as she is iced in atm could be a problem.
If her legs get muddy we wash down with hibiscrub, leaving it on for 5 mins before washing off, dry her legs well and apply wraps.
Its a bit of trial and error in finding what will work the best for your horse, good luck.
 
Thanks for the ideas.

We've been a picked him up from the vets today and he's now settled at my friends.

I've ordered some leg wraps so i'm hoping they will help. He wasn't as lame today and the swelling was less than the other day.

Double_U - funny you should mention the magnetic boots but we had put a pair on him for the first time the day he got sick. We actually wonder if they brought the underlying infection out. I dont know how they work but they clearly do something!! Once he's through the worst I think i might try them again.
 
I think magnetic boots / turnout chaps can speed things up as I put t/out chaps on my TB as he is into self harming in a big way and that set off a case of celulitis as it warmed the infection which was a tiny cut and it grew rather rapidly !!

I am really OTT every time he gets even the smallest scrape I clean with warm water mixed with antiseptic and then sray this black wound powder over the cut I can't remember what it's called but it really helps the healing process.

I think as alwaysbroke said it's just trial and error until you find out what works for him - good luck
 
hiya, my boy had a bad case in august and had to be hospitalised. Touch wood he's now fine though it can reoccur so check your insurance as mine wont cover me for repeat bouts. \\i'm going to get some of the clivers that's been reccommended and like evryone's said turnout in the best thing. I've even put my boy out in our lunge pen for an hour or so while i muck out just so he can wander a little. Keeping the leg cool is helpful too so put cool get on 2-3x per day and it'll help no end!
 
Hi Have a look at my facebook group.
http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=47294843701&ref=ts

I had a TB gelding who suffered badly from Lymphangitis.

He started originally having a bout once a year, then every six weeks. And when he was finally PTS he was having a bout of lymphangitis about once ever 10 days.

The fundimental treatment/preventative is the keep him moveing. remove hind shoes can help to get the frog down on the floor and also aid the pumping action of it. Keep the legs clean (not a big fan of the cold hosing thing, I never found it to benefit Ted.)

Lymphangitis, can also be contracted when a horse is on a high protien diet, and due to curtain toxins which can be found on soil that has been grazed by sheep? not sure why.

I found it useful to keep a supply of bute with Ted, as when the leg started to swell, and refused to go down with movement I would give him two bute, most of the time this would combate it.

My was not a good ending unfortunatly. A year of this god forsaken condition occuring every few weeks..£5000 vets fees, a horse who was a pin cushion, His muscles were fibrosed from the amount of injections. I made the decision to call it a day. I had immese support from my Vet who knew our history, and agreed that his Liver/Kidneys would not be in great shape from the amount of drugs.

RIP Ted.

Lou x
 
My mare has had a couple of bouts of lymphangitis, and obviously had it before I bought her as she always gets it in the same hind leg which is thickened. I've had great results with homeopathic Apis Mel (30c). Treat 4 times a day for at least 4 days.
 
Oh i'm so sorry about your horse. I have to admit this has been worrying me no end that we might end up having to call it a day.

Having said that he is now out the vets and looking so much brighter. He's walking out much better although there is still some swelling around the hock and he is still a bit lame.

Fingers crossed he's coming through it and will be fighting fit soon.
 
Wiz, you may find that the legs never return to there 'original' size and remain slightly swollen. Teds legs were always twice the size they should be, and then this double again when the lymphangitis was kicking it.

It is, in most cases, a manageable situation. However some cases it is not fair to allow this to continue (Teds case)

If you need any information/support/a chat, feel free to PM me. I feel very strongly about this condition, its very close to my heart, and I am well aware of the LACK of support availible.

One thing that narks me is when people say 'Oh it sonly Lymphangitis/cellulitis' it slike saying 'oh its only laminitis' or only a broken leg.. Proper narks me lol!!!

On the event rider blog the HHO does, the rider on that said 'It was only lymphangitis' I wrote him an email complaining about it and stating that it can be fatal and its people saying that sort of thing that means there is not support out there.

OK rant over lol!!!!

Lou x
 
I cant really post much of any help as my horse is going to another vet for a second opinion but hes had cellulitis which new vet has said could be affecting the lymph glands so might be this. All I know is hes been on antibiotics with enforced box rest for 4 weeks then controlled walking (try it in this weather its sheet ice) and theres still some swelling 8 weeks later
 
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