![]() Other treatments that have yielded inconsistent results include hosing with cold water or standing in ice topical antimicrobial or cortisone ointments and long-term antibiotic use. Without intervention, the swelling can become so great that serum seeps through damaged layers of skin, potentially scalding the hair and forming crusts on the leg.Ĭellulitis is usually treated with an aggressive regime of broad-spectrum antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Certain environmental conditions, like heat and humidity, can exacerbate the swelling. The horse will likely experience pain with moderate to severe lameness and may have a fever. Because the swelling is severe and the normal contours of the leg disappear, the inflammation is sometimes described as “stovepipe” swelling. *Īs the infection takes hold, the leg will swell considerably-think two, even three, times its normal size-so this looks much different than run-of-the-mill stocking up, which usually affects pairs of legs and resolves with exercise. In a study of eight horses with cellulitis, all cultured positive for Staphylococcus aureus and, more broadly, this pathogen is implicated in about 60% of all cases of cellulitis. ![]() As it happens, the wound only has to be large enough to allow entrance of the offending pathogen, usually a member of the Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, or Escherichia family. Recurrent cellulitis-often called “big leg”-can be frustrating for both owners and veterinarians as no single treatment works for every horse.Ī bacterial infection of the soft connective tissues underlying the skin, cellulitis usually starts as a wound, sometimes so small that it’s barely decipherable and therefore seemingly insignificant. Is there anything I can feed her that might help this, any nutritional supplement? I’d pretty much sell a kidney for this mare. Question My favorite broodmare gets a “big leg” occasionally, and it gets harder and harder to treat with each flare-up, never resolving to its normal size anymore.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |