Horse susceptible to cellulitis - tips?

[Simkie]

@endlessclimb

I have a general idea, but can you lay out how you do it? I would really appreciate it!

Sure. I mix gel dmso and furazone 1:1. Slather on the leg. I use… maybe like 1/2 c total on one leg? You want plenty on there, but it’s not like a 1/2" thick coat like you would do with a poultice.

Cover with saran wrap.

Wrap with a standing wrap.

I usually do 12 hours sweat, cold hose, 12 hours dry wrap, 12 hours sweat. If things are really terrible, I’ll do back to back sweats, but keep an eye on the skin. I move to a break with a dry wrap as soon as possible.

DMSO + water = exothermic reaction. Only apply to a DRY leg. If you need to cold hose before sweating, make sure the leg is dry.

WEAR GLOVES.

You can also use pre mixed sweats that don’t have DMSO. I like Su-Per Sweat: https://www.su-perstore.com/m7/slesweatointment--su-per-sweat-ointment.html

[Frivian]

Following this thread as my horse has had some severe cellulitis and it is a battle we fight every winter.

After the case that sent him to the clinic with a joint infection a few years ago, we treat it much more aggressively. The two instances he’s had this winter (different legs - hind leg case caused by pastern dermatitis and a front leg case caused by a cut). Cold hose and sweat wrap exactly as described above. The vet prescribes dex, antibiotics, and banamine (he’s had an elevated temp both times). I am trying to think if there were any other meds involved. The more severe of the two recent cases we went straight to Baytril. It worked and swelling was completely down within a few days.

I say this on every thread about cellulitis: do NOT mess around. Treat it aggressively and early. It can and will cause much more damage if left under treated.

I’m interested in what people are doing to prevent it right now. I just started supplementing with a supplement that contains copper, zinc, and vitamin E but I’m thinking it’s not enough vitamin E. We started using the coat defense paste on the hind pasterns to prevent pastern dermititis, and he is on day turnout only right now (some of the other horses go out at night). Other than that we’re not doing much else.

[Simkie]

FWIW, my cellulitis horse gets 4000 iu supplemental E (d-alpha-tocopherol), 3.9 grams (3,900 mg) of Copper Polysaccharide Complex 12.7%, providing approximately 0.50 grams (500 mg) of Copper (Cu), & 5.7 grams (5,700 mg) of Zinc Polysaccharide Complex 22%, providing approximately 1.25 grams (1,250 mg) of Zinc (Zn).

It took me a long time to figure out that she needed that much, my others get half that. She gets very little grain. On paper, she’s a horse that should be on a ration balancer, but she immediately abscessed and threatened cellulitis when I tried…so we don’t do that anymore.

On paper, she should not need this much supplementation. In practice, she does. I don’t know why.

[endlessclimb]

We have some improvement today. I am scared to do the sweat on the hock, honestly - it seems like her skin is super sensitive and my luck she would react. Maybe I can try a shorter sweat? Or would there be no point? I’m icing 2-4x per day, with lots and lots of turnout. I can see contour again, but it’s not totally down. She’s allowing me to touch it without issue now.

I’ve also been leaving her compression socks on her overnight. She is on 14 SMZs 2x per day.

I know not to mess around. She had cellulitis on the track, so this going to be something she tries constantly.

I think I’ll order some E and crank her up. She didn’t get the bloom my horses usually have last summer - I’m used to being able to check my hair in their shine lol. She never looked bad but never looked as good as she could, either.

[endlessclimb]

Can I use my BoT hock wrap as the outer layer for a sweat, or would that make too much heat?

[Simkie]

@endlessclimb

Can I use my BoT hock wrap as the outer layer for a sweat, or would that make too much heat?

I don’t wrap the hock. I sweat the lower leg. I cold hose from the groin down. Does the BoT wrap even fit around the hock if it’s filled?

Where is she building fluid? Only in the hock? Or from the hock down? The filling in and above the joint will resolve on it’s own as you address the lower leg and work through the abx and nsaids (and for you, steroids.)

Don’t worry about the hock, but def get (and keep) the lower leg wrapped. That’s really where you risk permanent injury to the lymphatic system that can lead to a chronically fat leg. No fun.

[endlessclimb]

The hock is almost exclusively where the fluid is retaining at this point. From the start, I could push and poke anywhere else and she wasn’t sensitive, but the hock was HOT HOT and she was extremely sensitive to the touch there. The small piece of shavings that abraded did so right around her lower hock joints.

Her track cellulitis was in her hock, also.

EDIT: I’m only icing her hock at this point. I have an old IceHorse hock boot that I’m filling with snow and leaving it tight for 20 mins on, 30 mins off.

[bluesegolene]

I just had a conversation about the BoT wraps. My mare went through a bout of cellulitis and I am still dealing with some swelling. I am wrapping her daily and alternate between 'regular" and BoT wraps. My friend pointed it out that BoT wraps reflect heat and may not be the best thing for cellulitis. So now, I am not sure! Does anyone have any input on that?

Also, my mare is older and the first thing that my vet said is to test her for cushings. I just have to wait for the right time !

[Simkie]

That’s certainly unlike any cellulitis I’ve dealt with. Good luck! Sounds like it’s proceeding nicely.

Have you imaged that hock since purchase? I’d just find it very weird that gravity isn’t causing the lower leg to fill if that’s really a cellulitis…

[endlessclimb]

I imaged it at purchase and it was clear. The other hock had some strange changes that were attributed to the cellulitis she had at the track, but are not anticipated to impact her performance life. It also has some residual filling.

I don’t know what’s normal or not, haha. I just know where the swelling is at, and that she seems to be feeling much better. Still a little not herself, still not her normal “faces” but much improved from Thursday night.

I’m going to get some E on order - the copper and zinc are already on the way. Do you have a brand recommendation? I used Elevate last time I needed E, I think.

[Simkie]

I do Santa Cruz for E and Horse Tech for copper and zinc.

No need to spend $$$$ on the Elevate powder unless you really like burning dollars Santa Cruz is the same stuff. Probably don’t need the WS for this.

[endlessclimb]

Awesome, it’s on order. Thanks!

What’s “WS”? I feel dense, sorry…

[Posting_Trot]

I used to use BoT wraps on my mare’s cellulitis. I never left them on for more than a couple of hours at a stretch, but I did think they were useful.

[Simkie]

@endlessclimb

What’s “WS”? I feel dense, sorry…

Elevate WS. The liquid, water soluble version that’s used when horses are very, very low or need rapid improvement in vitamin e level.

Spendy but useful in certain circumstances. Probably not something you need here, the powder or pellets will do what you want, and you can save $$$ by doing that with Santa Cruz instead of Elevate.

[starhorse]

Great point I use the BoT on her between flares, as “maintenance”, only for the compression function, but not when she has an active case. I think using them when she’s in helps keep her susceptible leg from stocking up over night. Or, again, maybe just makes me feel like I am doing something to prevent it!

[endlessclimb]

Last night looked pretty good. Lower leg felt totally “dry” and cold (can I use “dry” in that sense, like you would for a horse with a defined face?), hock the swelling I’d say is 90% down with some residual filling in front of the big tendon that connects to the point of the hock. I iced it one more time just for kicks, and will give a short sweat a whirl tonight.

If I only sweat for 5-6 hours, is that even worth it? I’m too chicken to try any longer, at least to start…

[endlessclimb]

Update for this thread:

I upped her Vit E from 1,000 IU to 5,000 IU. I also added copper 155mg and zinc 660mg.

Knock on wood, no cellulitis since. Her coat looks much better, as well.

[endlessclimb]

Update again:

Extreme heat = sweat.

Sweat + Shoofly boots = micro abrasions.

Guess what that equals?

Yep. Cellulitis. Mild, both hinds. I caught it quick and treated topically and it was getting better but blew up last night. Here we go, dex and SMZs.

[theresak]

Sorry about the reoccurrence.

Do you have her on a probiotic? My vet theorized that we killed all the good bacteria in the system and on the skin with all the antibiotics administered to treat multiple cases of cellulitis in one year. In addition to adding copper, zinc, and Vitamin E, I started HorseTech GutWerks. If you do have her on a probiotic, consider switching to something else that may help promote a different type of good bacteria.

Also just want to check that you aren’t clipping the legs? I stopped clipping legs, even around flare ups of scratches, since clipping can create micro-abrasions.

[cnd8]

Just replying to this because I just experienced cellulitis for the first time this last week. Swelling is in my horse’s hock primarily as well. Heat is in the hock. Radiographs are clean. Lower leg filled up secondary. Sweat wraps on hock and cannon (stacked wrap) with Butacort sweat solution at night, and wash off and iced the legs each morning. Started previcox, Exede, and SMZ on Day 1. By Day 3 you really couldn’t tell any swelling remained. Day 6 we no longer had to wrap or ice. So thankful we caught it quickly. Your post caught my attention though bc I kept reading how it was usually lower leg and not centering around the hock. It made me worry about injury. Nope, was sound by day 2 once swelling was down most of the way, and it seems it was just cellulitis. No punctures or scratches were found, but…who knows.