September 2006

Cellulitis In Horses

Cellulitis literally means inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue, the tissue sitting between the skin and deeper tissues of muscle, bone and tendon/ligament. Cellulitis has an appearance similar to edema but can be distinguished from simple edema (e.g. stocking up) by the presence of heat and pain.

Cellulitis may be caused by inflammation alone, or the inflammation may be secondary to infection. The most common example is cellulitis that develops around a wound. For the first one to three days after an injury, the acute inflammatory response results in local heat, swelling and pain in the surrounding area. Bacteria contaminating the wound may also penetrate into the surrounding tissues. Local inflammation that…