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Identifying and treating health issues and diseases in your horse is an essential part of proper equine care. Horses can experience a wide range of health conditions that may need treatment, including laminitis, lymphangitis, and cellulitis. Knowing how to identify cellulitis in horses is important, as it helps you to keep your horse healthy, mobile, and free from inflammation and pain.
Cellulitis is an infection and subsequent inflammation caused by bacteria. It can affect any tissues underneath your horse’s skin on any area of their body, although it is often seen in the hind limbs. Cellulitis can have a rapid onset, causing significant pain and swelling at the site of the infection.
This condition should be treated as quickly as possible, as it can spread to nearby bones and muscles and cause debilitating lameness in your horse. While flare-ups are possible, quick equine vet treatment will help reduce the recurrence risk.
At Ayr Equestrian, we want you to enjoy your time in the saddle, and having a healthy horse is part of this. We’ve created this guide to help you understand the signs and symptoms of cellulitis in horses, its causes, and how you can prevent and treat this condition to protect your horse’s health and well-being.
Cellulitis Horse Signs and Symptoms
Cellulitis in horses can cause a wide range of symptoms, with key signs of the infection being pain, heat, visible swelling, and compromised function of affected limbs. Signs and symptoms often come on rapidly in horses with this infection. The swelling typically starts in a single location and then spreads to the remainder of the limb.
Aside from swelling, you may notice other symptoms of cellulitis in horses. These include:
- Lameness and reduced mobility
- Touch sensitivity
- Swelling that ‘pits’ when pressed upon
- A fever of 38.6 degrees Celsius or higher
- Loss of appetite
- A rapid heartbeat
Additionally, you may also notice that the affected areas of skin discharge fluids around 24 to 48 hours after the infection sets in.
Your veterinarian may run a blood test panel to confirm the diagnosis. Blood tests may show high counts of neutrophils, white blood cells, and fibrinogen, which indicate inflammation and infection.
What Causes Cellulitis in Horses?
Many cases of cellulitis in horses develop without specific causes or triggers, and the exact causes of this condition are still unknown. Cellulitis comes in two variants: primary and secondary cellulitis.
Primary cellulitis horse conditions arise without any identifiable causes and are seen more frequently in thoroughbreds.
Secondary cellulitis has a clearer cause and develops after trauma, wounds, or surgery on a horse’s limbs. Both primary and secondary cases are usually caused by bacteria like Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus. These organisms produce strong toxins that damage a horse’s skin, cells, nerves and tissues. They also prompt significant immune responses, which increase blood flow to affected areas and thus cause swelling.
Can You Ride a Horse with Cellulitis?
Cellulitis is a very painful condition for horses, and riding them while they have an active infection can cause them significant discomfort. It may also add extra pressure to affected areas and worsen the infection and associated symptoms. For these reasons, you should avoid riding your horse until the infection has been treated and resolved. Your vet can indicate when it will be safe to ride again after a cellulitis horse infection.
After treatment and as the infection begins to resolve, you can gently exercise your horse to help stimulate their lymphatic system and reduce any persistent swelling and health problems.
Horse Cellulitis Recovery Time
Most horses with cellulitis recover fully, especially if treatment begins rapidly after symptoms appear. With rigorous medical treatment, horses may start to respond positively within 24 to 48 hours. Those who respond rapidly to treatment – and those with secondary cellulitis specifically - are at a lower risk of developing long-term cellulitis complications.
It’s important to bear in mind that cellulitis can have long-term impacts on your horse. Persistent swelling and inflammation can cause scarring of the tissues, damaging the lymphatic system and preventing it from flushing out excess fluids from the tissues and cells.
Damage to the lymphatic vessels can cause lasting issues with the drainage of fluid from the limbs, making the horse’s leg look swollen – perhaps permanently in more severe cases.
The Difference Between Cellulitis and Lymphangitis in Horses
Many horse riders confuse cellulitis with lymphangitis, a condition also known as ‘stovepipe leg’ or ‘big leg disease.’ Both conditions are caused by bacterial infections and lead to pain and visible swelling in horses' limbs.
However, while horse cellulitis affects the tissue beneath the skin, lymphangitis affects the lymphatic vessels, which help to move lymphatic fluid through the horse’s body. These vessels are closely positioned next to the blood vessels and collect fluids from around the cells to be circulated back into the circulatory system. Horses with lymphangitis may have small pus-filled sores on their legs, chests and abdomens and won’t display the tissue death associated with cellulitis.
Lymphangitis is also caused by a different bacterium, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. Your vet may perform a bacterial culture test to check what bacteria is causing your horse’s infection and to distinguish whether they suffer from cellulitis or lymphangitis.
How to Prevent Cellulitis in Horses
You can prevent cellulitis in horses by regularly checking your horse for any skin damage or injuries that could become infected and trigger the onset of cellulitis. Also, ensure that stalls, paddocks, trails and fences are maintained and hazard-free to protect your horse against injury and the risk of infections.
The risk of cellulitis can be further reduced by keeping horse shelters hygienically clean and dry and frequently grooming your horses, particularly on their legs and feet. This will remove bacteria from their skin and limit the chances of an infection taking hold. Avoid sharing your grooming tools with other horse owners so that you don’t transfer bacteria between animals, and sterilise your grooming tools regularly with a bleach solution.
You should also contact your vet immediately if your horse has any wounds that penetrate its skin. This will enable your vet to begin treating the wounds with antibiotics as soon as possible to prevent cellulitis and other infections from setting in.
How to Treat Cellulitis in Horses
If your horse does have cellulitis, your vet may use a combination of therapies to treat the condition. The first is hydrotherapy, which involves treating the affected limb with cold water, bandages, sweat wraps, and gentle movement to reduce swelling and promote circulation.
The second is antibiotics, which your vet may prescribe to control underlying infections. Always follow the instructions and finish the full course of antibiotics to resolve cellulitis and minimise the risk of recurrence or complications.
You can also focus on providing supportive care for your horse, such as rest, healthy nutrition, and ensuring that their living environment is clean, dry, and comfortable. Monitor your horse throughout treatment and contact your vet if you see any signs of worsening to ensure that your horse gets the best possible treatment.
Early Detection and Prevention Promote Long-Term Health
Cellulitis in horses is a painful, high-risk infection that can cause lasting damage. However, prevention, early detection, and treatment can help ensure your horse recovers fully.
Use this guide to detect any signs of a possible cellulitis infection in your horse, and contact your vet as soon as possible to keep your equine companions healthy and mobile for years to come.
