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Horses’ limbs are their bread and butter, so problems that arise in that area, such as cellulitis, should be treated promptly and aggressively
CELLULITIS IN HORSES BE SURE, BE QUICK, AND BE AGGRESSIVE BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
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ellulitis is an infammatory process of the skin and deeper tissues, and it is commonly associated with bacterial infection. In horses, cellulitis usually appears as a severely swollen limb and typically involves only one limb,
Dr. Callie Fogle of North Carolina State University says that cellulitis or a horse with a severely swollen limb can be a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma for veterinarians. “A puncture, tendon or ligament trauma, or an infected joint can be masked by a very swollen lame leg,” 52
Fogle said. “It can also be difcult to isolate the type of bacteria causing the cellulitis, and even with appropriate, aggressive therapy, this infection sometimes does not respond quickly or the swelling may not resolve.” SIGNS AND IMPORTANCE OF DIAGNOSIS
“Often these horses present with acute, severe swelling, usually afecting an entire limb,” Fogle said. “Tere are some other things that could present this way, or problems that could be masked by the severe swelling. When a horse owner notices acute, severe swell-
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ing, it is important to have a veterinarian examine the horse and look for other possible problems. “Radiographs and ultrasound are commonly performed to rule out a fracture and to look for sepsis or infection in a joint. It would be important to rule those things out before beginning treatment for a cellulitis. “Imaging would also help us look for an abscess that might result from the bacterial infection. Another useful diagnostic test might be a culture of the serum that is oozing from the skin, or to culture a subcutaneous biopsy of deeper tissues.
