Cellulitis

[Sendero]

:no::no::eek:
Today my daughter was doing chores and found my gelding despondent in his stall. Initial concern was colic however after trying to hand walk for to the trailer (the old trailer ride trick) he was dead lame. We had just competed at our Area Championships and he got a TINY tee tiny scratch on his fetlock during cross country. I washed it out, sprayed Banexx on it several times Saturday and Sunday.
Today I fed this morning and ran to do other things. (didn’t check but he ate all his food last night and seemed fine) This evening the poor bugger had a 101.6 temp, elevated respiration and heart rate.
The vet came out gave him penicillin and gentamicin and banamine for the fever. We put a full standing wrap on and Furison and DMSO sweat. I wrapped the supporting hind.
I hope we got to it quickly, but of course, I did an internet search! OMG!
So aside from icing several times daily (Jack’s Ice Boots) keeping a sweat and wrapping, his antibiotics, banamine for his fever, and light hand walking WHAT DO I DO! I am sure that’s ALL I can do, but I am slightly freaking out.

Anyone with experience? What else to look for? My vet is fabulous and told me it could get much worse before it gets better.

[high_hat]

Sounds like you are doing everything you can at this point. I had a gelding injure his front leg and it took about 2 weeks for the majority of the swelling to go down. I am careful about any leg injuries not matter how minor now though as I know he is susceptible to cellulitis.

[Hawks_Nest]

Our vet has these packets of powder that bring swelling down really quickly, I am not sure the actual name, just that we call them tridex packets. When my boy got cellulitis the Monday before an event we used that, gentecin (sp?) for 5 days and he was on SMZs for a week. The swelling was completely gone in 2 days with the packets, he was 100% sound for a dressage show on the Wednesday and did great at the event that weekend. We iced it the first 2 days and he lived in a standing wrap for the week, it hasn’t bothered him since.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

It will be fine. It is painful but the banamine helps. Just be aware that once they get it once, they have a tendency to get it again. I’ve typically cold hosed or iced and wrapped. I’ve not typically done sweats for this but not sure that matters.

If it is not improving quickly…then you need the vet out again. Most improve within 36-48 hours otherwise they need different antibiotics.

Im NOT a vet so rely on yours. Just dealt with this a few times with different horses.

[caryledee]

Cellulitis is a pain!! The first horse that got it was treated with SMZs for a few days. It got worse and he had to go on IV antibiotics. I never found the source of the infection…it was a real mystery. His leg has always had a tendency to stock up since then. The second horse was treated with dex (the packets of powder) and oral antibiotics and he recovered fine. I did use an osmotic sweat wrap with him as well as cold hosing.

[theresak]

My horse has had it once in each front leg. Both times he had a wound as the point of entry (small scratch the first time, heel grab the second).

We did:
Penicillin IM 2x per day for 4 days
Gentamicin IV 1x per day for 4 days
Banamine for ~14 days (2x per day for 4 days, 1x per day after)
20 SMZ pills 2x per day for 2 weeks after
Fura/DMSO sweat (can be very had on the skin and we switched to sore no more poultice for a while)
Cold hose/ice 2x daily
Hand walking, gradually increasing turnout, and light riding once the worst pain resolved

It took him 4 weeks of antibiotics and about 6 weeks total before he was 100% sound. The bout that happened this spring has made his right front slightly bigger from above the knee to fetlock, and he stocks up standing around and in the heat. Because of the stocking up, when he has to stay in at night due to weather I still put standing wraps on.

[flyingchange]

You are doing about all you can do. Penicillin is the only antibiotic that has ever worked for me with it. It is a pain.