Horse came down with Cellulitis.Vet started her on Antibiotics ,i am wondering if i should use BOT wraps or Incrediwear Bandages ,some folks advise heat helps others cold.
We are able to walk her a few minutes each day.Day 3 today
Any thoughts appreciated
I’ve always done regular standing wraps for compression and cold hosing.
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With my previous horse who had a few bouts with cellulitis, I typically cold-hosed, dried the leg off, and then put the Back on Track quick wraps on and left them on for a few hours. I didn’t leave the wraps on overnight and didn’t have them on her when she was being turned out. I did, though, have them on when I hand-walked her for a half-hour or so.
I wasn’t trying to create a pressure-wrap at all; instead, I hoped that by alternating cold water hosing with a wrap designed to stimulate circulation, that her own body would begin to clear the excess fluid.
But you should talk to your vet about the best course of action with your horse.
Good luck!
thank you for responding - two different approaches which is what i found searching for answers on line.i did use ice boots the first days to get the swelling down and then on day 2 switched to incrediwear bandages .today i used the bot wraps -basically just trying out what might work in this case.the vet thought supportive bandages might be best ,to stay on the cautious side for now i assume.
i noticed after using the bot wraps - and i also just put them on for a short period of time - there was fluid coming out which likely is a good thing.
i am in touch with the vet to keep him posted.
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I will alternate between sweat wrap and back on track for cellulitis.
so this means both methods are to produce heat and blood flow ?
Yes. Sweating really helps. I don’t do it everyday so that it doesn’t harm the skin (I use dmso w furacin) so I do the BOT dry wrap alternating.
I also ice a couple time a day if the legs are hot.
awesome,thank you !
I’m old school maybe, but I like to do my own sweat wraps for cellulitis. When I take the wraps off each morning, I hose the leg, and ice it for 20 minutes. Then that night, reapply the sweat wrap after it has aired out all day.
ok so another vote for alternating hot - cold 
there is a bit of serous fluid oozing from the leg ( which by the way has gone down slowly but steadily over the last couple days so we are able to handwalk her) - so the bangaging does not cause a problem with that i suppose ? are you using the furazin dmso sweat @cnd8 ?
No! My horse lights on fire with DMSO and will colic. I just use Furazone, saran, pillow wrap, vet wrap. If it is oozing like that, you need to get that fluid out fast. Did they give IM antibiotic such as Exede?
i am new to this condition and also never had to use a sweat,just read about what some people use for homemade.she is on antibiotics,yes .and swelling is going down ,vet said it could take 2 weeks though.just wondering what to do to help the situation.i am washing the leg with warm saline water to keep it clean ,and bandaging on and off with incrediwear bandages and - or bot pastern and hock wraps - then cold hose on and off plus hand walking
I would have my vet culture this to be sure she’s on the right antibiotic. I say this because I just went thru this with my own (first time ever), 10 days into SMZ’s her other leg blew up, we ended up back at vets and this time she stayed there for a week while they did IV abx. Which finally cleared it up.
They did do cold hosing and standing wraps, every day.
i am sure this is good advice and i am glad this worked out well for you in the end ! not sure if we will be going this route ,the mare is 36 and while old age certainly is not a reason to pursue ALL possibilities,we are basically in a palliative care mode since quite a while with the main goal to keep her pain free and comfortable .end of last week she had a two not so good days but thanks to the vet and the meds,she was able to go out on pasture yesterday to enjoy some first grass and sunshine
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The more movement, the better. It helps circulation get that fluid out. So turnout even while wrapped is encouraged. Wrap 12 hours in sweat wrap, let air dry next 12 hours. Continue until swelling goes down. You really have to get on top of cellulitis quickly as it can be incredibly painful for them and cause skin damage, especially if it is oozing like you describe. That means the skin is maxed out and the fluid is leaking through. Not good.
Homemade sweat wraps are better, IMO, because you can be sure they are applied snug enough to actually make a difference. And you can put the sweating agent under them.
(I have a white gelding who gets cellulitis about once a year so I feel like a pro. LOL Usually it resolves drastically within 2 days of wrapping routine, and is gone within a week).
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thank you for sharing ,i appreciate this !
