HORSE HEALTH
TREATING CELLULITIS
Left: Cellulitis often starts in the lower leg. Right: Consult your veterinarian for advice on whether and how to bandage in your horse’s case.
42 FALL ISSUE 2022
Muddy conditions can contribute to cellulitis, a dramatic and often painful condition. Cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the soft connective tissues under the skin, causes sudden, extreme swelling in the affected area—often in a leg. Given the condition’s seemingly fast onset and dramatic appearance, horses and ponies with cellulitis—especially if they are lame or unwilling to move—can sometimes look like they have a severe injury, such as a bowed tendon or a fracture. So, before taking any action, call your veterinarian for a diagnosis, advises Dr. Luke Fallon of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. The causes of cellulitis can vary. A horse with cracked heels, dew poisoning, impaired lymphatic flow, or a cut might pick up bacteria that then proliferates, but a horse can also develop cellulitis in response to a viral infection that causes vasculitis (an inflammation of the blood vessels) or after an injury that causes a long-term swelling. “I see it at all times of year,” Fallon said. “I see it more commonly during wet periods of the year, because wet conditions tend to cause conditions such as dew poisoning, mud rash, scratches, and cracked heels. Horses that are constantly standing in a moist environment can develop defects involving the soft tissues
associated with the hoof, heel bulbs, and coronet band. Defects of this nature can become an entry point for bacteria.” Symptoms
Whatever the cause, once a horse has cellulitis, it’s easy to spot. The swelling will be significant, hot, and often painful. A leg affected by cellulitis can have a “stovepipe” appearance, and the skin also might crack or develop an abscess. Quite often, the horse also will have a fever. “Take the horse’s temperature,” Fallon advised. “If they’re running, say, a 102-degree temperature, yes, it could be stress-induced because they’ve got a fracture or have a horrible bowed tendon. However, if they’re running a fever, it could be because they have an active inflammatory process going on in their body related to an infection.” In a leg, cellulitis often will start in the lower leg, around the heels, pastern, or fetlock. “It can extend all the way up to the elbow in a front leg or above the gaskin in a hind leg,” said Fallon. “The edema [swelling] can be pitting or interstitial edema, where you can poke your finger into it and it leaves an impression. You’ll
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HAGYARD EQUINE MEDICAL INSTITUTE, SHELLEY PAULSON PHOTOGRAPHY
by Glenye Cain Oakford
